Trip Advisor for hotel reviews

[Cinderellafifi]

Just thought I would share this tid-bit of info for those of us looking for insight into Orlando hotel/motels, especially those with too-good-to-be-true rates: if you go directly to Trip Advisor, you can plug in the exact hotel name and location and it will give you a listing of info, REVIEWS, and a ranking! For instance, there were 160 hotels ranked for the Kissimmee area, you can go right to the list and click on any one of them to see the reviews. Then if you are intereseted, it will even give you rate quotes.

I found this to be a wealth of information when I was trying to decide about the Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista. I was getting nervous after reading all the reviews here on the Dis, and Trip Advisor gave me the last push I needed to cancel! What was nice was I was then able to find a hotel in the same price range with great reviews!

I hope this information helps!

 

[spiceycat]

yea - but remember tripadvisor doesn't care where the reviews are from.

so competitors are know to leave bad reviews.

however if you get 10 or more great reviews and only a few bad ones - go with it.

but I know what you mean with Grovensor - it had some pretty bad reviews - so I got them to change to Best Western Lake Buena Vista and I was very happy. Longer walk - but definitely better hotel.

 

[nbodyhome]

I love Trip Advisor, I found a great B&B for London and a nice hotel for Paris (and other hotels elsewhere, I've never stayed in anywhere I wasn't happy with after researching on there).

I've stayed at the Grosvenor - a few years back, it was terrible, and the reviews definitely don't look like they've gotten any better since then! In addition to Trip Advisor, I'll click on the link to where you can check pricing on Expedia, etc. - and there are usually more reviews there as well.

 

[snowbunny]

I like Trip Advisor, but you have to watch the "rankings" - #1 may have the same rating, say 4.5, as #10.
I use it a lot but take the comments with a grain of salt, just as I do here

 

[nbodyhome]

I like when a hotel has a lot of comments - if you have 2 or 3 dozen recent, it's a lot more reliable to me than just having a few.

I've used TA for quite a few hotels now - and have discovered places I'd never have stayed at otherwise (the London B&B I just stayed at again for $88 US, it's #1 on TA and netted us some friends in the owners).

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I am a big fan of Trip Advisor as well. It is a wealth of information, and it gives a good overall sense of the hotels (especially when there are quite a few reviews). I have found the TA reviews to be pretty accurate.

 

[cey]

I am a HUGE fan of Trip advisor and have posted numerous reports on that site. I agree with the OP that you have to assess some of the reports as to their credibility. What I do is check to see if the poster includes a name as an identifyer as well as a location from where they are from. A lot of posters will even post recent pictures so that is another way to verify that they have really visted that hotel/resort. What you have to remember is the majority of legitimate posters use the site to post lengthy negative or positive experiences with examples. If a posting just says the location was great or terrible and doesn't list examples, continue on reading the reviews until you get more info!

 

[keishashadow]

I too tend to not give much credence to trip advisor unless the reports are overwhelmingly negative; especially as to room conditions and the immediate location surrounding the property.

Many of the negative comments are somewhat bizzare imo...

- expecting 4 * accommodations from a 2 * property

- angry that they can't check into their room hours ahead of the stated check-in time

- disturbed that complimentary upgrades aren't offered

I was very leery of staying @ the sheraton vistana after reading the reviews last year; but it turned out to be one of the nicest properties we've visited

AAA is a good reference point too (although i didn't agree with their star rating of the BW hotel dropping due to lack of on-site restaurants??)

 

[Cinderellafifi]

Sure, all the reviews have to be taken in context, as mentioned. It's just another good source to try to get an overall picture of a particular hotel - especially those low budget / not as popular ones.

I wish I had known about it sooner, which is why I posted it here. I'm off to do more researching!

 

[kileybeth]

trip advisor has saved us inumerable times when we are traveling in unfamiliar places. as with any opinion board everything must be taken with a grain of salt so to speak. Remember it is a whole picture you are trying to get and tripadvisor is just one more part to explore. I find them to be much more reliable than sites maintained by the hotels/restaurants/attractions themselves. comparative shopping at its best.

 

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

I too tend to not give much credence to trip advisor unless the reports are overwhelmingly negative; especially as to room conditions and the immediate location surrounding the property.

Many of the negative comments are somewhat bizzare imo...

- expecting 4 * accommodations from a 2 * property

- angry that they can't check into their room hours ahead of the stated check-in time

- disturbed that complimentary upgrades aren't offered

I was very leery of staying @ the sheraton vistana after reading the reviews last year; but it turned out to be one of the nicest properties we've visited

AAA is a good reference point too (although i didn't agree with their star rating of the BW hotel dropping due to lack of on-site restaurants??)

I have to agree - I have found many of the reviews to be very fair, however, there are many with such trivial complaints.

We are staying at the Sheraton Studio City in August and a few have complained that they 'hated the movie theme' - it makes you wonder if they even had a look at the hotel beforehand, it states clearly on the website that it has a movie theme, and anyway, why would that spoil your vacation

Other complaints I've seen is that it didn't have a coffee machine in the room, there wasn't a spa onsite, other guests weren't smiling - I have to say though, some of the reviews are just darn right funny

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I rely on TA for hotel reviews too. When going to a new destination, I always book a hotel based on that site. What I wish TA was better at is restaurant ratings. They are obviously based on popularity of the masses rather than by quality. I wish they had one list for popularity, & one for quality. (i.e. I'd like to know how fine dining, casual dining, etc. establishments rank going head to head with another restaurant in the same category & price range.) To me, their restaurant ratings are useless as is. Sorry, I went OT. I just think their hotel & attraction reviews are extremely helpful. Too bad the restaurant ratings can't be more helpful too.

 

[wayneg]

I use TA, but it is not always accurate.
Most people only leave reviews when they have bad experiences and dont bother when they have had a good time, so it can distort the truth. Also a lot of people book economy hotels expecting 5 star so they also leave negative reviews when probably it is a decent 2 or 3 star property which is what they should be leaving comments on.
All in its a good start but don't make a decision just on this site.

 

[disneyfan67]

I have posted several reviews on the TA site and everyone was a positive one. I've stayed at 3 onsite Disney resorts and 2 off site and was very fair with each one. Like other posters have mentioned, you have to take each review on a one by one basis and determine if the reviewer has an agenda. For the most part, I've found them fair and the candid travelers photos are a good option too. I like seeing real photos taken by the guests who have stayed there. I found they sometimes differ from what you see on Expedia and Travelocity, etc.

The one thing I hate is when someone posts a quickie bad review and says things like I'll never return, blah, blah, but never really gives the reason why. Those are the reviews I tend to ignore.

I'll be posting both of my reviews on TA of the two resorts I'm staying at with pictures this time, after my trip is over.

 

[Minnie & Me]

Whenever I see a deal come up, the first thing I do is google the name of the hotel with REVIEW behind it and voila! Takes me right to tripadvisor with the hotel's rating. I would scan the reviews to find tidbits of info that is not available elsewhere ie:best room location, area info and where to get the best rate. I love it when reviewers include phrases like "a room can be had for $59/night" Most often I will pick up enough clues that will point me to more info on other sites.