Choosing a hotel is one of the most important and probably stressful things to decide on when travelling.
Luckily, gone were the days when we have limited resources in choosing hotels relying only on flyers, brochures, or even just what travel agencies would recommend.
With the prominence of platforms such as TripAdvisor, social media sites particularly Facebook and Instagram, as well as Online Travel Agents (OTA) such as Agoda, Booking.com and Expedia, travelers are just a click-away from comparing lodging accommodations.
Whether you’re looking for what suits your budget the most, what’s the closest to the landmarks and attractions that you want to visit, what offers the best services and updated facilities, make your planning easier by checking out online reviews.
In fact, a survey conducted by TrustYou, one of the largest guest feedback platforms revealed that:
- After price, “Review Score” is the most important decision variable that travelers need to convince themselves to book a certain accommodation.
Regardless if it’s a guest who is eager to express his positive praises for the property or someone who noticed a few things to improve on, reviews can dictate a company’s reputation online.
So as a traveler, what should you look out for and consider when checking hotel reviews?
When, Where, and Why
Look into when the review was posted. Reviews made recently will provide a clearer outlook on what the property looks today, and what to expect on your visit.
It also helps to check where the reviewers are mostly from. With this, you can assume whether the property is frequented by local or foreign guests.
Most travelers would also indicate why they left a review. This will give you an insight on their experience and more importantly what they “felt” during their stay.
Traveller Photos
On TripAdvisor, reviewers and contributors can share their own photos of the property. This can give you a visual on how the property’s facilities, services and amenities looks like today.
Management Feedback
Another thing to look out for is the management’s response, whether it’s thanking a guest for praising the hotel or giving an insight over a negative rating, seeing how active the manager is in providing feedback gives an impression that they listen and is attentive to what their guests have to say.
