Hotel ousts couple for bad Trip Advisor Report

[LuvOrlando]

OK so seriously, I can't believe the owners actually did this. I LOVE Trip Advisor and this just makes them seem more reliable to me. Is it legal to barge in on a couple with a paid for room in the UK? Here in the US once rent is paid a persons rights to privacy trump owners rights and the owners probably would have been considered trespassers



Hotel ousts couple after accusing them of writing negative TripAdvisor review
Comments 209

By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY

A British couple says they were kicked out of their hotel after the hotel manager accused them of writing a negative review on TripAdvisor and called the police.

Adrian Healey, 33, tells the Blackpool Gazette that earlier this month, he'd booked a room a hotel in the seaside resort of Blackpool, England, to take his first vacation with his girlfriend Sherrie Andrews, 33, since being diagnosed with cancer 18 months ago.

But the Golden Beach Hotel's manager asked them to leave two days into their paid, three-night stay, they told the Gazette, adding that the manager stormed into their room, accused them of writing an online review and called the police.

TripAdvisor, by the way, says that 59% of its 167 online reviewers "do not recommend" this hotel.

"We had been there a day when they said we couldn't get back in our rooms because they were re-carpeting, and we didn't complain. All we asked was if we could have an extra towel," Healey tells the paper.

"Then, on our second evening, he banged on the door and told us to get out, accusing us of writing a review on Trip Advisor, and said he would call the police," Healey says.

"I was shocked when the police arrived, and we just agreed to leave," Healey tells the Gazette. "We asked for a refund but the hotel refused. I think it is shocking and people need to know about this."

Hotel management declined to comment when contacted by paper.

Blackpool police confirmed that they had been called to the Golden Beach Hotel to remove a man who had not committed a crime.

"No offence had been committed by the couple, but the manager had requested them to leave the property," the paper quotes a police official as saying. "We advised the couple how to go about getting a refund. This is a civil matter."


Readers: Have you ever faced backlash from a hotel for writing - or allegedly writing - a negative review on an online review site like TripAdvisor?

 

[allison443]

Did they write the negative review, or not? The article doesn't say

 

[RadioNate]

Actually, I wrote a review about our experience with bed bugs at a Savannah, GA hotel and the hotel tracked me down and FREAKED. I still have the emails. They were out of control. They actually got the review removed from Trip Advisor and got my account suspended. I guess they told the Trip Advisor people that I made it all up.

I did provide proof to the site that my son was bitten by bed bugs while staying in that hotel. And I showed them the emails that the hotel management sent me. They did reinstate my account but the review is still gone.

What is funny is that I wasn't horrible in the review. I stated what happened and how I felt that the hotel did not do a good job addressing the situation.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Did they write the negative review, or not? The article doesn't say

I am wondering the same thing, but if 59% of the people on TA gave it bad reviews, and he uses that site, he should have known better not to go there. Maybe he didn't write it.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Actually, I wrote a review about our experience with bed bugs at a Savannah, GA hotel and the hotel tracked me down and FREAKED. I still have the emails. They were out of control. They actually got the review removed from Trip Advisor and got my account suspended. I guess they told the Trip Advisor people that I made it all up.

I did provide proof to the site that my son was bitten by bed bugs while staying in that hotel. And I showed them the emails that the hotel management sent me. They did reinstate my account but the review is still gone.

What is funny is that I wasn't horrible in the review. I stated what happened and how I felt that the hotel did not do a good job addressing the situation.

That's crazy! If this is true that hotels can have reports like that removed, then what is the point? Especially if you have proof.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That's crazy! If this is true that hotels can have reports like that removed, then what is the point? Especially if you have proof.

Agree. I read TA and hotels come on there to comment and remove posts all the time.

It does seem pointless.

 

[minniebeth]

This story and MM's post really frustrates me! I love Trip Advisor and use it often as we travel often to many different places. I really rely on it!

I have to say, TA is pretty spot on in almost every place we've stayed!

I hope that the people in the original story settle for their reimbursement, if not for the money, but for the principle of it all.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

This story and MM's post really frustrates me! I love Trip Advisor and use it often as we travel often to many different places. I really rely on it!

I have to say, TA is pretty spot on in almost every place we've stayed!

I hope that the people in the original story settle for their reimbursement, if not for the money, but for the principle of it all.

I think for the most part it is OK. However some hotels are really picky and comment on EVERY post about their hotel.

I am sure you have come across that right? It does make me question the integrity of TA a bit.

 

[minniebeth]

I am sure you have come across that right? It does make me question the integrity of TA a bit.

Yep, exactly. What keeps me coming back to Trip Advisor is that like I said, I find the majority of the reviews to be pretty accurate, consistently! And I definately go by the traveller's photos too.

 

[wdwiala]

Doesn't TA hold your review for a day or two? Seems like it always goes up for review after I submit. That would make me think that they didn't write it. I always wait a few days before I write a review anyway.

 

[punkin]

It doesn't matter if they wrote it or not, the hotel simply cannot kick people out, particularly when they have prepaid. It is outrageous.

 

[Darsa]

Well well well! We have a short trip coming up in October, and I had no idea Trip Advisor even existed. I think I will have to check it out!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Anyway what we have learned is don't post on TA while you are vacationing.

 

[powellrj]

Actually, I wrote a review about our experience with bed bugs at a Savannah, GA hotel and the hotel tracked me down and FREAKED. I still have the emails. They were out of control. They actually got the review removed from Trip Advisor and got my account suspended. I guess they told the Trip Advisor people that I made it all up.

I did provide proof to the site that my son was bitten by bed bugs while staying in that hotel. And I showed them the emails that the hotel management sent me. They did reinstate my account but the review is still gone.

What is funny is that I wasn't horrible in the review. I stated what happened and how I felt that the hotel did not do a good job addressing the situation.

I bet I know what hotel you are talking about. We stayed in one a couple of years ago. I will admit it was a real budget place but it had wonderful reviews except for 1 and the owner was downright hostel to the writer. I bite the bullet and decided 1 review after all the glowing ones was a fluke. I mean people raved about it and said they stayed there year after year.

I have never been so scared in my life. It was awful. It was dirty and run down and just a bizarre experience. They tired to over charge me when I checked in by saying I was staying 4 days. No, it was 3 nights and 4 days. I argued that I had never been charged by the day. We had to pay a deposit for the remote and they changed the locks every night and we had to go and get a new key every night. It wouldn't have been so bad if they didn't lock the office up at around 8pm and we would have to wake someone up to get us our key.

I wanted to write a bad review, but to be honest, I was really afraid to because of the way they behaved I was afraid they would come to my home!

 

[MushyMushy]

Actually, I wrote a review about our experience with bed bugs at a Savannah, GA hotel and the hotel tracked me down and FREAKED. I still have the emails. They were out of control. They actually got the review removed from Trip Advisor and got my account suspended. I guess they told the Trip Advisor people that I made it all up.

I did provide proof to the site that my son was bitten by bed bugs while staying in that hotel. And I showed them the emails that the hotel management sent me. They did reinstate my account but the review is still gone.

What is funny is that I wasn't horrible in the review. I stated what happened and how I felt that the hotel did not do a good job addressing the situation.

What! That's insane! If they would do that to you, I'm not sure I would trust TripAdvisor personally.

 

[disneyfans95]

It doesn't matter if they wrote it or not, the hotel simply cannot kick people out, particularly when they have prepaid. It is outrageous.

They sure can. IF there is a valid reason. Being mad at a poor review is not one of them though.

I am a hotel GM and been in the industry for over 22 years. There have been a bunch of guests I have booted from my hotels. Like I said, not for a bad review though.

 

[MIGrandma]

I wrote a bad review about a hotel in Tennessee once. There were so many issues it wasn't funny. If it had been just one or two things I wouldn't have written it, but there were just too many to overlook.

I sent an e-mail to the manager of the hotel and at first he was very professional and concerned. But then I think he must have seen the review, because his demeanor completely changed after that. He was actually very rude and nasty in his last e-mail to me.

All I wanted from him was answers as to why certain things were allowed to occur. He never would really give me any answers, he kept skirting the issues. Finally I went above his head and contacted the chain to complain about the issues, and to complain about the hotel manager's attitude. I ended up getting a small refund, which I never asked for. I only wanted answers but didn't get them.

I love Trip Advisor, and go there often to check hotel ratings.

 

[Callie]

wow scary. There are some downright BAD reviews on TA that they are amusing to read, and the hotel didn't kick them out!

 

[LuvOrlando]

I like Trip Advisor but like anything else, I do not post with my real name. As long as the person who posts uses an alias how on earth can the owners track a person down? People can be absolutely bonkers, which is why websites like this are so important. I don't give a hoot if a hotel is nice to the AAA folks, I only want to know how they treat regular folks because that is how they are going to treat me.

In all honesty, shouldn't people in the hospitality industry just make sure they do a good job pleasing their guests instead of stalking them. If I notice a owner is way too combative or involved with reviews I just skip it. Who needs a drama queen for a hotel manager when you're traveling? If they want to improve the score just improve your service.

I do really rely on the site, it has been dead on every single time I've used it. I also make it a point to post reviews myself because photos and websites can be so very misleading. WOW, someone else from the UK stole my Luvorlando moniker and is using it on Tripadvisor, I guess I need to remember my alias on there, it's been a while, I have to add some reviews.

 

[NotUrsula]

Hotels keep indexes of complaints and who made them, mostly to defend themselves against scammers who make a habit of filing false complaints in order to get comped rooms.

Most of the time when people write a "my complaint was not resolved" review they have a tendency to itemize the steps that they took in the complaint, and the hotel can match that description with the complaint index. Add to that, many reviewers post dates of stay, their home city, etc., and the reviewer's identity can often be confirmed fairly easily.