Do you use Trip Advisor all the time, or just as a backup?
By vivasuzi
@vivasuzi (4127)
United States
January 16, 2008 10:20pm CST
I use trip advisor FIRST whenever I'm plannng a trip. I find it has SOOO many reviews and SOOO many users in the forum that it's a great place. However, sometimes I'm not sure if I should trust the reviews. Some people get really angry about, let's say, a rude concierge and therefore say their trip sucked even though they liked everything else. Others say the trip was 100% perfect, but then you find out it was their honeymoon and they were probably excited by getting married so any trip would have been perfect.
What do you guys think? Do you take these reviews to heart or just take them as one person's opinion. I tend to look at the overall rating. If a hotel has 1000 reviews and overall it is still rated 4 out of 5 stars, I'd say it is probably pretty good! However sometimes even in that case I'll read one review that turns me off and I don't know if the review is even true or not! Like one hotel I plan to visit has 100s of great reviews, but then one person recently reviewed and said there were cockroaches in the room. Yuck! What if that is true? But then again, if it's not true, I can't let that taint my decision.
How do you guys use this information when planning a trip?
1 person likes this
8 responses
@marylinda (94)
• Ireland
29 Aug 08
I do a bit of searching for accommodation and flights myself first and then if I see something that I like I will go onto tripadvisor and see if it is covered there. If not I will ask and if it is I will ask extra questions aswell. I found it great. I organised a trip to south korea to visit my son, who wasnt much help really, as he only knew where he was staying and eating. He wouldnt have known what accomm was like from a tourist point of view. I got great advice on tripadvisor and then emailed the guesthouse and asked anything that I needed to know.
recently we went to edinburgh for a few days and i asked about the accommodation that i had picked. I had three places and asked which would be most suitable. As it turned out one area wasnt at all suitable as we had children and there would be a very rowdy nightlife there. I was very pleased with what I decided with advice in the end. We also did a day trip and I hadnt a clue what tour group to choose. Again the group I eventually chose had lots of brilliant reviews and I was pleased that I had chosen them too and wrote my own review when I came home!!!
Top marks for tripadvisor from me.
1 person likes this
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
18 Jan 08
I always pick things up trying them myself, I don't really listen to reviews as I find most misleading. When I plan a trip, that's exactly what I do. I write we need to take, where to go, the time etc I outline every part so I can compare and get ready.
~Joey
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
18 Jan 08
Well I often ignore reviews and still go anyway, I still read them :) A lot of time those negative reviews help me decide TO go! Like one reviewer said "don't go here if you are under 30 b/c all the other couples are old!!" For me, that's actually a good thing. I'm not going somewhere to party with a lot of young people, I'm going to spend time with my husband. So hearing that there aren't many young guests makes me want to go more so I don't have to worry about a lot of young ppl partying and getting drunk all night.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
2 Sep 12
I like to use travel guide books to plan my trips. I believe what the accommodation is meant to be like from that. Sometimes I book accommodation seen on Trip Adviser. That is if I see it is a good price with wheelchair access. My disabled son is in a wheelchair. I like to read other people's reviews on the accommodation listed. I like to read about the sights in order of popularity.
@tonyllenium (6252)
• Italy
30 Dec 12
sometimes i use tripadvisor especially as review site not really abou reservation or full paln of the travel in itself....anyway in some cases the different reviews can be useful to understand more about the place you will come and especially having an idea about structures different areas to visit or even accomodation!
@julyteen (13252)
• Davao, Philippines
8 Sep 12
When I start to work in one of the five star in Riyadh, we are more concern about the TRIP ADVISOR. We are affected with what the reviewer says on his/her experience while he/she stays with us. So far, although several five star hotel in Riyadh, still we are the #1 in terms of performance and hospitality. We cannot do anything if the guest will say, the hotel was so classic. The room are not mean to be as five star hotel. We admit that it is really true.
We are wondering why our repeated guest always coming to us every now and then. Not because of the rooms, not because of the building but it's because of the service. Still we are following the hotel chain standard.
We are wondering why our repeated guest always coming to us every now and then. Not because of the rooms, not because of the building but it's because of the service. Still we are following the hotel chain standard.
@TeamCholent (2832)
• United States
2 Sep 12
I use the site more as a general thing to see how other people have found the location and hotel in general. I know my experiences are going to differ greatly for many reasons and factors but it is a good way to see if the place is worth me staying at. In general the places I stay(through loyalty points) are often not on TripAdvisor or have few reviews due to their cost/night but it is for sure a great resource.
I think people should know about the service and rooms, what is close by and if there is something great or negative about the location.
@elitess (5070)
• Ipswich, England
1 Sep 12
Tourism and travel is the time one should relate with trip advisor reviews site. I use it at least the first time I go in a new location and I also use a local site where I also post reviews in my native language, which I actually figured out how to work.
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
15 Oct 09
I have never used trip advisor? What is it? Is it only reviews of people who have stayed in hotels?
