Why I Don’t Rely Solely on Online Reviews When Planning Travel
I read reviews. I absolutely think they can be helpful. But I will never recommend a hotel or resort to a client based solely on what I see on TripAdvisor, Google, Yelp, Airbnb, Vrbo, or another review site.
And there are some very good reasons for that.
1. Everyone Has a Different Idea of “Nice”
This is probably the biggest issue with reviews.
One person will describe a hotel as “charming and full of character,” while someone else thinks the exact same hotel is old and desperately needs to be renovated.
One person thinks a resort is lively and fun. Another thinks it is loud and crowded.
Neither person is necessarily wrong. They just want different things from their vacation.
When I recommend a property, I am not just looking for a hotel with good reviews. I am looking for a hotel that is a good fit for YOU.
2. Not Every Review Is Legitimate
Unfortunately, fake reviews exist.
Businesses can manipulate reviews, competitors can leave negative reviews, and sometimes people leave reviews for reasons that have very little to do with the actual quality of the property.
There is also another side to this that people forget. Plenty of travelers have perfectly good experiences and never leave a review at all. Most people are much more motivated to write something when they are extremely happy or extremely unhappy.
That means the reviews you are reading may not represent the experience of the average guest.
3. You Are Only Hearing About One Person’s Experience
A review tells you what happened to one traveler during one particular stay.
Maybe their room was next to an elevator. Maybe they arrived during a huge convention. Maybe the resort was undergoing construction that has since been completed. Maybe they had an issue with one employee.
That information can certainly be useful, especially if I start seeing the same complaint repeatedly. But one person’s experience does not necessarily tell me what your experience will be.
4. Review Sites Don’t Know You
This is a BIG one.
A hotel can have fantastic reviews and still be completely wrong for you.
A couple celebrating their anniversary may want something very different from a family traveling with three children. Someone who wants nightlife and entertainment probably does not want the same resort as someone who wants peace and quiet.
Location matters. Room configuration matters. Mobility matters. Food matters. Transportation matters. The things you plan to do while you are there matter.
A five star review cannot tell me whether that property actually fits the way YOU travel.
5. Properties Change
Hotels and resorts are not static.
They renovate. They change management. They change ownership. Restaurants close. New restaurants open. Service changes. Construction happens. Neighborhoods change.
That glowing review from three years ago may not tell you much about what the property is like today.
The opposite is also true. A hotel that had terrible reviews two years ago may have undergone a complete renovation and be fantastic now.
This is why I pay attention to WHEN reviews were written, not just the overall rating.
6. I Look for Patterns, Not Individual Complaints
This is probably the most important way I use reviews.
One person complaining that their room was dirty does not automatically concern me.
Twenty recent reviews mentioning dirty rooms? Now I am paying attention.
One person saying the food was terrible? That could simply be personal preference.
Dozens of recent guests consistently mentioning poor food quality? That tells me something.
Reviews are much more useful when you look at them collectively instead of letting one really good or really bad review influence your entire decision.
So, Should You Read Reviews?
Absolutely.
I do.
But reviews should be ONE piece of the puzzle, not the entire decision.
When I research travel for my clients, I am looking at the property itself, its location, recent feedback, room categories, amenities, renovations, consistency, and, most importantly, whether it makes sense for that particular traveler.
Because the hotel with the highest rating is not necessarily the best hotel for you.
And that is exactly why choosing a hotel or resort involves a lot more than sorting a website by “highest rated.”