booking.com or tripadvisor for trustworth reviews?
Sep 15th, 2011, 12:20 PM
#41
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I have looked at reviews then stayed at the property and wondered where the person stayed at because I had no problem. I am not sure how useful they are I look at them and unless they have a lot of negative I usually go ahead and stay there. I have found that mostly unhappy negative people complained about properties even if there is no problem, like small rooms and unfriendly staff which usually means they got back what they projected out. And you can see it in the review however the person who has a real problem will write it in another way.
Sep 15th, 2011, 01:45 PM
#42
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I was a little concerned this year, because When looking for a Rome hotel/B&B this past May for a September week, I read a number of glowing reviews on Trip Advisor, so I emailed the writer of one of the reviews and asked her advise (because some places don't have their own websites.) She told me how to reach them, and I did, but the owner was very helpful, and gave me contact info for several others as they were booked. That is how I found Deko Rome. I booked a double for a week at 90 euro cash per night (100 credit card). Then I freaked out over the next couple of months as this brand new, 6 room B&B shot up to #1. oh oh oh...was this an instance of fake reviews? Well, as our week's stay is just now drawing to a close, I have to say, it is 100% sure that every review is a honest one. The locstion is excellent. The rooms spacious, the baths terrific, the hosts personable and extremely helpful. So, that is just my experience, with one hotel, in one European city, and yes, the advise to read all reviews is good. And sometimes all those praises are deserved! Now, i did learn to trust Serena and Marco for restaurant recs in all parts of the city, over TripAdvisor. One day we took a TA recommendation for lunch, over Serena's suggestion, and were truly sorry.
Sep 19th, 2011, 06:24 AM
#43
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Do not use booking.com I have been left with out a booking and they have not assisted at all. My flights have been wasted and my holiday ruined!
I have used bookin.com for several years and always found them to be a great website. However that has recently changed.
After using them loyally to book up to 6 trips a year, I was very disappointed when a booking with a hotel in Paris was cancelled with out prior warning. This is most unusual and so I contacted booking.com
I initially booked in July however the hotel kept bouncing my booking stating invalid card, so I emailed the hotel directly to state the card was valid but was a debit card not a credit card. I then received an email from the hotel confirming my details were fine and my booking was confirmed.
Therefore I was very surprised so receive an email from booking.com on 2 months later to advise it was cancelled due to invalid card details.
I contacted them immediately and advised of the email I had, at first they said the hotel had tried my card 3 time s and there were no funds. This was not correct, and I knew the card had been preauthorised in August with out problem. Also the booking I had made required no immediate payment and normally they debit your account for a nominal amount to check the card is valid. When I spoke with customer services in America they were very helpful and advised if I could send the email I had they would resolve for me and arrange accommodation. I did this. However when I contacted customer services to check they had the email I had sent, The Amsterdam office was a very different experience. They advised there was nothing I could do as the email was direct from the hotel. (Which booking.com new the day before) I am very distressed with this as I have booked and paid for flights and now have no accommodation. They were very unhelpful in this office and even though I advised I was very distressed as my holiday was now ruined they advised They would terminate the call as there was nothing they would do! I will never ever use them again!
I have used bookin.com for several years and always found them to be a great website. However that has recently changed.
After using them loyally to book up to 6 trips a year, I was very disappointed when a booking with a hotel in Paris was cancelled with out prior warning. This is most unusual and so I contacted booking.com
I initially booked in July however the hotel kept bouncing my booking stating invalid card, so I emailed the hotel directly to state the card was valid but was a debit card not a credit card. I then received an email from the hotel confirming my details were fine and my booking was confirmed.
Therefore I was very surprised so receive an email from booking.com on 2 months later to advise it was cancelled due to invalid card details.
I contacted them immediately and advised of the email I had, at first they said the hotel had tried my card 3 time s and there were no funds. This was not correct, and I knew the card had been preauthorised in August with out problem. Also the booking I had made required no immediate payment and normally they debit your account for a nominal amount to check the card is valid. When I spoke with customer services in America they were very helpful and advised if I could send the email I had they would resolve for me and arrange accommodation. I did this. However when I contacted customer services to check they had the email I had sent, The Amsterdam office was a very different experience. They advised there was nothing I could do as the email was direct from the hotel. (Which booking.com new the day before) I am very distressed with this as I have booked and paid for flights and now have no accommodation. They were very unhelpful in this office and even though I advised I was very distressed as my holiday was now ruined they advised They would terminate the call as there was nothing they would do! I will never ever use them again!
Mar 9th, 2012, 12:22 AM
#44
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A someone who has worked in the industry for 20 years I would like to give the other side of the argument. (1) star ratings are not just on facilities in fact that is the least important part of your rating in the UK anyway. If you look at the AA web site you can clearly see how they rank each section for example to get 5* you have to get about 90% or above in each section with one of those being housekeeping so in theory a 5 star rating should mean very clean. (2) booking.com is an online travel agent you have to join up with them and a lot of places don't want to pay the 15% commission they charge especially if they have a really nice place and good web site of their own they don't need to. (3) I would say however Booking.com and Laterooms reviews tend to be more accurate as the reviewer has usually stayed however do know people within the industry who make cheap bookings with themselves to leave good reviews. However one of these was caught by Booking.com and chucked off so there is some policing. I would prefer to have some right of reply as though it hasn't happened to me it is to others where people have thrown up in a room, caused damage and even physically threatened owners and said if you report/charge me I will give a bad review. (4) Tripadviser and Expedia are now technically 2 companies as it was deemed unfair competition however expedia is their biggest contributor to their advertising budget so its not like they have no say. (5) if as an owner you pay for a business listing you basically get a link to your web site it does not in any way stop you from having bad reviews published or any kind of censorship capability as I know people who paid and will not be renewing as they have had no benefit from it at all. I believe the way to go is look at reviews but look at about 20 and get a general picture. I would also point out that in a lot of cases you get what you pay for, if its too cheap or has avaliability when no one else does then there is probably a reason.
Mar 9th, 2012, 06:17 AM
#45
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>>I am amazed by the number of Brits whose sole complaint about almost all hotels is "no kettle in the room."<<
Off-topic, but a kettle to make your own tea or coffee in the room is customary in the UK, for all but the kind of places where one expects room service for everything. How else are we to get our fix (if you don't, as I do, make room for a travel kettle, just in case)? You don't want to meet Brits who've been denied their early morning cuppa, believe me.
Off-topic, but a kettle to make your own tea or coffee in the room is customary in the UK, for all but the kind of places where one expects room service for everything. How else are we to get our fix (if you don't, as I do, make room for a travel kettle, just in case)? You don't want to meet Brits who've been denied their early morning cuppa, believe me.
Mar 9th, 2012, 06:30 AM
#46
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How do you feel about Londontown.com? I just booked the Sloane Square Hotel for August after looking at Tripadvisor.com and Booking.com, and compared reviews, cross-checked websites, etc. It seems like a decent price (considering the time we're going) and I have a confirmation number directly from the hotel. I still have my much cheaper Bloomsbury B&B as a stand-by just in case. And yes, a majority of the reviews mention the small rooms, but that seems to be a given in London, and the amenities and location seem to make up for that.
Mar 9th, 2012, 07:58 AM
#47
Kate_HanlonSotiro : Londontown is a lot of folks 'go-to' site for finding rooms in London. A very useful resource. It won't <i>always</i> get you the best price -- but often does. (not counting the blind bidding sites like Priceline and Hotwire)
Mar 9th, 2012, 08:30 AM
#48
The thing I like on Trip Advisor is there is a PM (email system) that you can write the person who wrote the review and ask them about it.
I don't blindly trust TA reviews, but I think it is the best resource for reading thru reviews. I pay attention to the other posts the person has made (if it is their only post and a glowing positive or trashing negative review I ignore it).
You also have to read between the lines. Some people are never happy. Some people blame the hotel for the weather, etc.
I don't blindly trust TA reviews, but I think it is the best resource for reading thru reviews. I pay attention to the other posts the person has made (if it is their only post and a glowing positive or trashing negative review I ignore it).
You also have to read between the lines. Some people are never happy. Some people blame the hotel for the weather, etc.
Mar 9th, 2012, 08:39 AM
#49
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I have rules for reviews on any site....
1. Any review that starts "it was my honeymoon, birthday, random day I thought of and while an upgrade would have been nice I didn't expect it" should be IGNORED! Yes, they expected the upgrade and when they didn't get it they went on to have a chip on thier shoulder and WHINE about ANYTHING (I literally once saw a Trip Advisor reivew where a woman crawled UNDER a AC unit to take a photo of rust LOL!)
2. Any review where they crawl under the AC unit to find something or seem to be on some type of search "there was a chipped piece of concerte on the back sidewalk next to the staff entrance to the hotel" ... run! I have a friend like this... she could find something wrong with anyyplace she's ever stayed..
3. If they indicate "I told the manager if they didn't compensate me I would post bad reviews" RUN! Yes, folks this has become a trend.. EXTORTION!
4. If the review includes "the airline lost my luggage, the food on the airplane was inedible" etc... proceed with caution. I know a woman who posted bad reviews for months on TA about a hotel in Orlando because she somehow thought it was the hotel's job to get her luggage from USAir after the airline lost it and when they couldn't do it, she began a personal vendetta...
Then you can check thier other reviews. If the reviewer has reviewed 25 places and ALL of them were bad... well attitude is everything in life
1. Any review that starts "it was my honeymoon, birthday, random day I thought of and while an upgrade would have been nice I didn't expect it" should be IGNORED! Yes, they expected the upgrade and when they didn't get it they went on to have a chip on thier shoulder and WHINE about ANYTHING (I literally once saw a Trip Advisor reivew where a woman crawled UNDER a AC unit to take a photo of rust LOL!)
2. Any review where they crawl under the AC unit to find something or seem to be on some type of search "there was a chipped piece of concerte on the back sidewalk next to the staff entrance to the hotel" ... run! I have a friend like this... she could find something wrong with anyyplace she's ever stayed..
3. If they indicate "I told the manager if they didn't compensate me I would post bad reviews" RUN! Yes, folks this has become a trend.. EXTORTION!
4. If the review includes "the airline lost my luggage, the food on the airplane was inedible" etc... proceed with caution. I know a woman who posted bad reviews for months on TA about a hotel in Orlando because she somehow thought it was the hotel's job to get her luggage from USAir after the airline lost it and when they couldn't do it, she began a personal vendetta...
Then you can check thier other reviews. If the reviewer has reviewed 25 places and ALL of them were bad... well attitude is everything in life
Mar 9th, 2012, 08:49 AM
#50
I also am wary of posters who always receive rude service from staff. That's their big complaint. No matter where they go... the staf at hotel reception, waiters, taxi drivers, everyone is RUDE to them. Hello folks, you might want to take a look in the mirror!
Mar 9th, 2012, 02:28 PM
#51
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Lindy27 has it right. Always check how many reviews the person has done. I ignore anyone with just a few and check their other reviews to make sure they don't have some vendetta going. I have been using TA for years and so far all has been great. I have even rented three apartments with flipkey. I also use booking.com and have had success with them but do the same. Read many reviews and take it all with a grain of salt.
Mar 9th, 2012, 03:09 PM
#52
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I book most of the time on booking.com, unless the hotel offers a better rate. They deserve the commission because they attract more traffic than the hotel sites and they format the information in a consistent way which makes it easy to find the kind of amenities offered. Information is pretty comprehensive and it's easy to find the locations of hotels relative to the places you want to visit in an unfamiliar city.
As far as reviews, I do cross-reference most of the time with TA. That is because when you google the hotel, TA review is one of the hits. All the factors mentioned are worth considering, such as the number of reviews by the reviewer, the high and low reviews, etc.
Another factors is, I'm wary of places which have too few reviews. Sometimes they have a rate that sounds too good to be true in terms of location and amenities but only a handful of reviews.
It seems places which have dozens or hundreds of reviews on both booking and TA more or less have about the same relative rating on both sites. Wisdom of the masses seem to aggregate towards the truth.
As far as reviews, I do cross-reference most of the time with TA. That is because when you google the hotel, TA review is one of the hits. All the factors mentioned are worth considering, such as the number of reviews by the reviewer, the high and low reviews, etc.
Another factors is, I'm wary of places which have too few reviews. Sometimes they have a rate that sounds too good to be true in terms of location and amenities but only a handful of reviews.
It seems places which have dozens or hundreds of reviews on both booking and TA more or less have about the same relative rating on both sites. Wisdom of the masses seem to aggregate towards the truth.
Aug 6th, 2012, 04:54 AM
#53
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"Hotels can prevent poor reviews on Booking,com"
Hotels can prevent dissatisfied customers from giving poor reviews on booking.com. The hotel reports you as a 'no show' (whether you stayed, paid whatever), and then Booking.com do not send you a feedback form, and if you ask for one, Booking.com will not send you one, unless you kept your receipt. On a recent tour of Sri Lanka, this happened to me twice - the only two disappointing hotels on the whole 10-day trip. Hotel ratings on booking.com are probably inflated, particularly for hotels wise enough to know how to play the game. Also, most hotels charge your credit card in advance of your visit, so if you arrive but do not like what you find, you are very likely to be charged the full rate anyway. It is more of a purchase.com than a "Booking". I preferred the hotels I found through Agoda this trip.
Hotels can prevent dissatisfied customers from giving poor reviews on booking.com. The hotel reports you as a 'no show' (whether you stayed, paid whatever), and then Booking.com do not send you a feedback form, and if you ask for one, Booking.com will not send you one, unless you kept your receipt. On a recent tour of Sri Lanka, this happened to me twice - the only two disappointing hotels on the whole 10-day trip. Hotel ratings on booking.com are probably inflated, particularly for hotels wise enough to know how to play the game. Also, most hotels charge your credit card in advance of your visit, so if you arrive but do not like what you find, you are very likely to be charged the full rate anyway. It is more of a purchase.com than a "Booking". I preferred the hotels I found through Agoda this trip.
Aug 6th, 2012, 06:18 AM
#54
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I like to read both reviews of booking.com and Tripadvisor and then go to my own conclusion. I also like to book hotels, B&Bs whatever that have a score of more than 8.5 on booking.com or 4 and a half starts or more out of 5 on Tripadvior. But sometimes, I notice that when there are a few reviews on any particular accommodation, say only 3 or 4, then Tripadvisor might only give an average of 4 stars, when say 3 out of the 4 reviews would have given a full score.
I do sometimes book with booking.com when I book a last-minute holiday, but still like to double-check on the website of that particular accommodation to make sure that booking was passed on. Never encountered any problem though, it always passed through. However, I prefer to choose my accommodation from Tripadvisor and Booking.com, and then book directly at hotel or B&B or whatever website, and book online with them or even better, email them asking for a special offer, especially so if this includes half board etc (which is never bookable on booking.com)
I do sometimes book with booking.com when I book a last-minute holiday, but still like to double-check on the website of that particular accommodation to make sure that booking was passed on. Never encountered any problem though, it always passed through. However, I prefer to choose my accommodation from Tripadvisor and Booking.com, and then book directly at hotel or B&B or whatever website, and book online with them or even better, email them asking for a special offer, especially so if this includes half board etc (which is never bookable on booking.com)
Aug 6th, 2012, 07:03 AM
#55
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Probably grey doesn't need this info any longer, but:
I have had good luck with hotwire.com in London and elsewhere. I've also found their reviews helpful, and the % who recommended a hotel is a decent gauge of how well I'll like it.
I have had good luck with hotwire.com in London and elsewhere. I've also found their reviews helpful, and the % who recommended a hotel is a decent gauge of how well I'll like it.
Aug 6th, 2012, 08:11 AM
#56
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I don't recall too many prompts to write reviews on booking.com, and I've used them a lot to book.
Lot of hotels have hundreds of reviews so if they're suppressing reviews, it's not that evident.
I was looking at some local businesses on Yelp and found out that they aggressively filter out reviews which they think are fake. Yet in one case, they had 4 reviews and 8 unfiltered ones.
And you can't see why they filtered the ones they did.
Booking.com is of course in business to get you to book so negative reviews are bad for their business as well as the hotels. But there are plenty of hotels with middling or even poor reviews.
Like others, I consider their reviews along with tripadvisor reviews and any other source to decide where to book. Most booking.com reservations do not require prepayment, though they do require a credit card in most cases. Some require advanced payment in return for a lower rate.
Lot of hotels have hundreds of reviews so if they're suppressing reviews, it's not that evident.
I was looking at some local businesses on Yelp and found out that they aggressively filter out reviews which they think are fake. Yet in one case, they had 4 reviews and 8 unfiltered ones.
And you can't see why they filtered the ones they did.
Booking.com is of course in business to get you to book so negative reviews are bad for their business as well as the hotels. But there are plenty of hotels with middling or even poor reviews.
Like others, I consider their reviews along with tripadvisor reviews and any other source to decide where to book. Most booking.com reservations do not require prepayment, though they do require a credit card in most cases. Some require advanced payment in return for a lower rate.
Apr 4th, 2013, 08:04 AM
#57
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Firstly, I find the Booking.com website and android app very good. I have booked many hotels through their site. I check the reviews and generally make my decision after careful consideration. This theory would fine if it wasn’t for the fact that Booking.com do not allow some negative reviews.
My wife and I stayed at the Best Western Hotel in Krabi, Thailand. Everything was great until the hotel security accused my wife of being a prostitute. This was quite upsetting and an apology was eventually rung out the staff. What I found depressing was that when I asked to speak to the hotel manager in order to voice my opinion he asked his staff who I had booked with. When he was told Booking.com he refused to even speak to me. The conclusion I drew was that had I have booked with another company that had some clout I would have received an apology but as I booked through Booking.com I wasn’t worth even speaking too.
I posted a review stating exactly what happened. My review was refused!
Conclusion, be careful about reviews on Booking.com, clearly negative reviews are not always permitted. Customers of Booking.com may be treated as the lowest of the low.
This is the response from Booking.com, I assume poetic license is the keyword with Booking.com....
We have approved the score you left for the hotel but we will not be able to display the comments.The reason for this is that the review comment fields are exclusively for positive and negative comments about the hotel. All complaints about Booking.com should be addressed to our customer service team for further investigation.
My wife and I stayed at the Best Western Hotel in Krabi, Thailand. Everything was great until the hotel security accused my wife of being a prostitute. This was quite upsetting and an apology was eventually rung out the staff. What I found depressing was that when I asked to speak to the hotel manager in order to voice my opinion he asked his staff who I had booked with. When he was told Booking.com he refused to even speak to me. The conclusion I drew was that had I have booked with another company that had some clout I would have received an apology but as I booked through Booking.com I wasn’t worth even speaking too.
I posted a review stating exactly what happened. My review was refused!
Conclusion, be careful about reviews on Booking.com, clearly negative reviews are not always permitted. Customers of Booking.com may be treated as the lowest of the low.
This is the response from Booking.com, I assume poetic license is the keyword with Booking.com....
We have approved the score you left for the hotel but we will not be able to display the comments.The reason for this is that the review comment fields are exclusively for positive and negative comments about the hotel. All complaints about Booking.com should be addressed to our customer service team for further investigation.
Aug 9th, 2014, 04:10 PM
#58
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Don't TRUST Booking.com's reviews!!!!!!
I used to be fan of Booking.com over 10 times till my last experience at a rathole called Ateret Suites with misrepresentation galore in Tel Aviv. I left NEGATIVE review yet Booking is NOT posting my review.
It is obvious that Booking protects the independent hotels who pay them commission whom they PIMP and PUMP.
I got smarter so now I may look for hotel on Booking or other travel sites but google their phone # and book directly. If quoted price is higher than I mention on-line quote which they promptly not only match but give lower rate.
DO NOT TRUST BOOKING.CON'S REVIEWS!!!
I used to be fan of Booking.com over 10 times till my last experience at a rathole called Ateret Suites with misrepresentation galore in Tel Aviv. I left NEGATIVE review yet Booking is NOT posting my review.
It is obvious that Booking protects the independent hotels who pay them commission whom they PIMP and PUMP.
I got smarter so now I may look for hotel on Booking or other travel sites but google their phone # and book directly. If quoted price is higher than I mention on-line quote which they promptly not only match but give lower rate.
DO NOT TRUST BOOKING.CON'S REVIEWS!!!
