Why you shouldn’t trust hotel star ratings
Remember when the star rating of hotels would determine if you stayed at a place or not? Those days are long gone, thanks to travel review sites like TripAdvsor, which have changed the way we travel.
No longer are stars the only information travellers have to judge the suitability of an accommodation facility.
Today, there are so many resources available to travellers to help them decide their travel needs – from various official rating systems to consumer reviews.
From modest beginnings in 2000, TripAdvisor is now the go-to website for hotel reviews with an ever-growing online community posting millions of reviews every year.
The website’s “traveller ranking’’ – the TripAdvisor Popularity Index – can make or break a hotel.
“The popularity ranking algorithm, which refreshes daily, is not solely on reviews but also looks at a number of features including recency as well as quality and quantity of reviews and the consistency of ratings over time,’’ TripAdvisor communications director Janice Lee Fang told news.com.au.
“Every single review goes through our tracking system which maps how, what, where and when of each review and we use cutting-edge technology and investigation methods to ensure consumers find reviews accurate and helpful in determining the quality of the trip experience.’’
But can you trust the reviews on these sites? Expedia managing director Michael Pearson says that while guest reviews are valuable, they need to be read with a discerning eye.
“Make sure you read both positive and negative comments and keep an eye out for points that are most relevant to you such as location, room size, breakfast quality and Wi-Fi,’’ he says. “We recommend searching for a hotel with a large number of reviews, which help provide more accurate scoring and also just how popular the hotel is, and if you do come across a negative review see how it stacks up to the rest as one poor review is not necessarily providing a balanced overview.
“It’s also important to note all Expedia reviews are verified, which means only travellers who stayed in the hotel are able to post a review.’’