You NEED to do This ONE Thing Before You Book Your Accommodations
When I am looking at accommodation the first thing I look at is the price, the second is the location and photos then the third I read the reviews through extensively. I don’t just read the first three. If I have the option to sort them by start number, I do and I read the bad reviews as well as the good ones.
What are you specifically looking for when you read accommodation reviews and why put so much time and stock into it?
Websites can be deceiving:
- The photos can be very deceiving. With the use of wide-angle lenses it can make the room look a lot larger than it actually is. With the use of editing tools, it can make it look brighter, and prettier. They can also have the curtains closed or not have the view made out in the photos so you don’t know you have an ugly view. They can also focus the photos on the new renovations they only did to part of the hotel but you may be stuck in the un-renovated section of the hotel.
- The website can also filled with all the pretty and enticing words that makes you feel this is where you need to spend your money.
What reviews can tell you:
1. They can tell you a lot about the location. People commenting on how long it took them to get somewhere from the accommodation, or that it was near/far from public transportation. It can also tell you about the neighbourhood, if they felt safe, if it was near some good restaurants etc.
2. The comfort of the beds. This is a big one as a good nights sleep is essential when you are away and busy. You want to look out for the firmness of the bed. I know I don’t love firm beds, so if that is in a comment, I will probably not book there. Some countries are known for their hard beds, like Thailand. You may not know that, and book into an accommodation with a hard bed, but you could book into a place where they have “western style” beds.
3. It can help with options like if breakfast was worth it. A lot of places have breakfast as an additional option or some have it included. Knowing if the food was good, or worth it, you can then decide if you want to include it in your stay there or if you want to take that money and use it to go out for breakfast and enjoy it more.
4. People will tell you if the reality didn’t match the photos. No one likes being deceived so there will at least someone saying that it did not match the photos. Now this can also be a positive as well as a negative. I have seen reviews saying that it is much nicer in person, and the photos do not give it justice.
5. There will be reviews on things that were not good. This can range from bad customer service, to the sheets, and not clean rooms. Just be aware when reading these not everyone’s standards are the same, so read it from your standard.
6. They will also tell you things that were good. When you know things that people were happy with or pleasantly surprised with, also helps with your decisions. Like the bad reviews, read multiple good comments as good reviews can be skewed by people that work there or can be paid.
7. There are some things that you may not know you should know. Reviews can shed light on things like what side of the hotel you should stay on, requesting a room in the back to cut down on outside noise, and if the hotel is located in a noisy area.
8. If you are from North America you tend to assume that all accommodations will have elevators. This is not the case for the rest of the world. Knowing if the elevator they have listed on their website breaks down a lot, or how big it is will be important if you don’t want to walk up stairs all the time. You also want to know if the stairs are good, and not uneven, or spirally which is not always the best for some people.