How many pick hotels based on other people's reviews?

[figment13]

Because of financial restraints have booked the Comfort Inn on Palm Parkway for next vacation in Feb/Mar.
I have read all the reviews and quite a few of them were terrible. Have checked out a zillion hotels and for the time we r going this rate was what we could afford. My DH says i should stop reading and just go with an open mind and have a good time. It is in the area that we love, and priceline doesn't let u bid for a month.
I'm worried it will be really terrible. Can anyone that has stayed here set my mind at ease and tell me honestly that its not that bad.
Please help

 

[bearzabout]

We got a room facing away from the expressway (really important when staying here) and it was fine. Remember that everything is relative. For under $40 bucks a night, you can't expect it to be great, but it was fine for us. Our room even had a small refrigerator.

I agree with your husband - just think of all the fun things you can do with the money you save on lodging.

 

[murcor]

With all the information available these days...I for one, tend to read too much and dweal on everything way too much.

I know its hard to do sometimes, but I agree with your DH

stop reading and just go with an open mind and have a good time.

Have Fun

 

[siobhan1997]

I too shall check out reviews on hotels or units, etc. but I have found that through my own experiences and we have stayed in many hotels and units in various places, that most are very suitable. I think too many people out there dwell on the little problems and really like to hype them up beyond the norm. Sometimes I am not really sure what they expect but when you read some of the comments I am sure if I visited their homes, I would probably find hairs or bugs or something that was not 100% clean. Anyway I also pay close attention to the good reports as they will always give you helpful advise.

Go and have a great time, we own a unit at Celebrity Resorts on the Palm Parkway, and while some of the reviews on trip advisor etc. are not great. We love it, our unit is always very clean, the location is the best so you can't go wrong in the area you have chosen.

If you have any concerns when you arrive, contact the desk, that is what they are there for.

P.S. We will also be there in Feb/March. Great time of year to be there.

 

[tiggrbaby]

We were there almost two years ago, but at that time it was clean and had a decent breakfast.

 

[ducklite]

If I see a lot of negatives and no positives other than something like "OK for the money I guess" then I'm going to shy away. There are a few places that have been discussed at length on these boards--the Days Inn Suites by Old Town being one off the top of my head that have pretty much universally been given bad grades, and that would be one I'd totally avoid.

I think it's important to look at WHY a resort gets the comments it does. We all have different "acceptable standards." For some people, a clean room with older, dated furnishings is perfectly fine, for others it would be unacceptable. For some people a room facing a noisy road is unacceptable, for others it doesn't matter. For some a room that costs more than "$X" is never going to be acceptable, others have no problem paying over $500 a night for a room that fits their wants and needs.

Things that would be a deal breaker for most people are an infestation of bugs, crime in the parking lot or adjacent businesses, general uncleanliness, or ongoing reports of really, really unacceptable guest service--ie room never cleaned, waiting an hour or more to check in, being given a room different that what was reserved, etc. Having this happen once could be a fluke, but when three or four people report the same type of difficulties, it's certainly a red flag, even at a high-end property.

Anne

 

[spiceycat]

depends upon where the reviews are - on this site (unless the person only has a couple of posts) I would trust it.

on tripadvisior - well the competition in Orlando is fierce for hotels. So if you get a few together that say how horrible - but most of the others liked it or through as Donald say it was good value for the money. go with it.

next year you might consider skyauction. even with the fees $195 +$20 - you can get a nice timeshare 1 or 2 bedroom for under $250 (with a $35 bid). the problem is for a month you would need 4 of them. but it can be done. the only problem I see is having to change from resort to resort. Some people consider this a big problem. Others love to change - it is different....

come back here and ask about skyauction next time. for more than a few days stay, I think a 1 or 2 bedroom timeshares is much nicer. You can spread out and enjoy it.

 

[kilee]

I try to weigh all reviews. If it's a hotel I'm already leary of then I may start to shy away from it if there are a lot of bad reviews. It also depends on what is bad in the review. I once read a review where the people were mad because they couldn't leave their pets in their rooms. It was the hotel policy so there forward they gave an awful review. Well, they broke the rules. So you have to take everything as a grain of salt.

 

[misskrystal]

Last year I stayed at an absolutely fabulous hotel and, after 14 nights, had very little to complain about. Before I went, though, I read a terrible review from someone who hated their entire stay because the parking lot was too dimly lit!

If the same negative comments keep occurring, then you should expect to have problems with the same, just as with the positives. If you find a multitude of different problems then it's quite easy to assume that these were a result of personal preference, or a dip in service, but not necessarily something to be expected.

I agree with your dh, just go with an open mind. If you're as excited about your trip as I am with mine, it won't matter where you stay.