Do you leave a review to help the traveller or the business?

I was surprised that this was even a debate. These type of reviews are intended to give future travelers information.

I agree with Carol. I used to post on TA, very infrequently, now I hardly go there at all. Too many reviews seem fake, or puffery, or vengeful. A few years ago I stayed at a pretty bad motel in an eastern state, and when I checked out the manager asked me to review it on TA since they needed good reviews. I was polite and didn't tell him he was lucky that I wouldn't be posting.

I agree with Cameron Hewett about the need to be honest if you're going to add your voice to the din. I don't have enough confidence in today's TA to spend much time producing or consuming there.

Reviews should be for travelers. TA's reviews are a waste of time since hoteliers can hire companies--from certain parts of the world--who will post fake reviews for them. I would believe reviews on Booking.com more since you have to have stayed at a hotel to review it.

Certainly the intention is to provide my honest experience to other travelers. I don't aim for freebies or brownie points from the owners - but I sure want them to read these too. I rarely give 5 stars. I'll say that and then give areas for improvement. If really less than par, I will have informed them beforehand particularly if they have their own review request form. Very occasionally, there will be a small business that could use another or a current review so I'll just be sure I actually leave one.
I hadn't thought ahead, but thinking now, I am optimistic I can be in SEAsia for an extended time. I will be sure to post reviews then. This is an area of the world where no business can easily mean no food - or at least, no school for their children. You can bet I'll be posting reviews so people will see they are open for business. In those cases, it will benefit both. I rarely use photos, but this will also be a time for me to post photos on the reviews. There are some cities that have done a lot of updates during this covid time. Siem Reap is in a real upheaval as streets are widened and paved, utilities being added, Angkor Wat has a large new reception entrance. These aren't going to be in tour guides for a good length of time, so this is where reviews are going to give tourists a current view of what is going on. SEA has been modernizing and developing for tourists at a much faster rate than guide books can publish. So, these crowdsourced reviews and updates will be vital.

A few years back while traveling in California, I brought my daughters to a restaurant in Carmel. The food was great, the service was good, the restaurant charming. We went there because there were so many great reviews. After we were given complementary dessert samples, the waiter gave us a card, and asked us to review them well on Yelp. I might have, except at that point, it seemed like a bribe.

I agree with Cameron and others who believe an honest appraisal should be meant to help the traveler. I am not a fan of TA and do not use it. I do a lot of research on businesses and have found my online source is Booking.com. That said most of my reliable recommendations have come from relatives, friends, people I've met on tours and this forum!

Jules, you should have posted a review just as you wrote it here. Full disclosure and all that, so people know.

I agree that Booking.com reviews seem reliable. We use Booking a lot and I read a lot of reviews when choosing a hotel, most recently for Carmel (jules!), and my pet peeve are people who say something like “good location, near restaurants, and Josie in reception was nice.” To me, that is absolutely no help at all. I like reviews that rate cleanliness, noise level, bed/pillows/linen quality, water pressure/temperature, etc… you know, useful information - lol.

I have stayed at a couple of B&B's that were highly ranked on TA that had lovely hosts but not so great facilities. I remember one in particular where all the reviews were 5 stars (circles?), with everyone talking about how great the hosts were. Nobody mentioned the really old, marginally functional bathroom attached to my room. The hosts were awesome (as was the location), but how did everybody give this place 5 stars? I debated a long time on how to rate it. I ended up giving 4 starts with the title "Hosts 5 stars. Location 5 stars. Rooms 3 stars." I said glowing things about hosts and location and then launched into:

The house itself has a lot of character, but our rooms felt a lot like
those in my great grandmother's house when I was a kid -- well-used, a
stain or two of unknown origin on the carpet/wall, and a very dated
bathroom. Unlike grandma's, there was a lot of cigarette smoking in
the backyard of the house, and smoke drifted up onto our balcony and
into our rooms if we left the door open to try to help with cooling,
which was not-so-pleasant for us non-smokers.

XXXX Villa certainly wasn't a bad place to stay, but was our
least favorite of 4 places we stayed during a 3-week trek through
Germany (all small, family-owned, inexpensive places with super
helpful owners), primarily because of the rooms.

Doesn't sound like a 3-star room, does it? I think I wrote that something like 2015. Now, I would give a lower overall rating, even if everyone else was a 5 --> probably a 3.

Definitely the traveler. If I have issues with plumbing, cleanliness, surly staff, and messy breakfast areas, I tend to leave the comments aimed at the business in the comment box when I fill out my Hilton/Best Western/Choice/Marriott survey they send via email.

I write TA reviews all the time and write it as I see it, good or bad. Very few excellent or terrible ratings. The majority of the restaurants I rated as terrible are understandably no longer in business. If a poor review is warranted there are ways of doing in politely, but stick to the facts, not opinions, and photos can tell a thousand words.

It has been a few years for me but if I stay at a bad place in the US I usually just say to keep on driving on Booking. On TA, I’ve stopped reviews. I always reviewed for the traveler and only for the business if they deserved it in my mind.

Forgive me for not quite understanding this post.
When you help a small business with a great review that helps them get noticed on TA/Google/Yelp, etc, are you not also helping the traveler who may have never seen this hotel, restaurant, or tour because it was on the 2nd or 3 rd page of reviews?
When you draw attention to the good points of a business it lets them know that what they are doing is correct and lets the traveler know what they should expect and helps them make a decision on whether or not they should use this business.
Compliments encourage small businesses to keep trying even when times are bad, and encourage the traveler to trust that their experiences will also be good.

If there are items that should be repaired, or rude staff, etc. write to the business instead of posting it on TA or Google where it will be there FOREVER! Doesn't matter if the walls got painted the next day or the clerk got fired, your bad review will always be there.
My personal rule is to post positive reviews online and write a personal email about the negative. If a rude answer comes back, then yeah, I will post a negative review, but give businesses a chance first to fix things.

My personal rule is to post positive reviews online and write a
personal email about the negative. If a rude answer comes back, then
yeah, I will post a negative review, but give businesses a chance
first to fix things.

My rule is to be concise and factual, if that means there are some negative points-so be it. I looked back on a couple of TA reviews I did a few years ago.

One was an apartment in Covent Garden in London. Service was good, apartment was fine, loved the location except that the apartment faced a very busy intersection with several bars and a fire station nearby. It was noisy until 2 in the morning because of the bar hoppers and right up until morning with police and fire truck sirens. I mentioned all of this because I felt it was important for the reader to know all the facts-great place, great service, very noisy. Let the reader determine what is important.

In Laguna Beach, California we stayed at an independent beachside hotel. Incredible sunset views, our room actually cantilevered over the ocean when the tide came in. The view came with a cost-I think about $500/night. From the photos on the website and even the exterior photos I took, it was like a dream location. However reality isn't always what it seems. Parking was severely restricted and we sometimes had to park across the street in a private lot. The door to our patio wouldn't lock meaning somebody could easily get into our room. The safe in the room was too small to hold my 10" laptop and so I had to take it with me and lock it in my car when we weren't in the room. Most important of all is the crashing of the waves was like thunder all night-I had no idea it was going to be so loud. That thunder could be muffled somewhat by closing all the windows, however the air conditioning unit in the room was not powerful enough to keep the room cool without help from the cool air overnight. All of these were facts and in my opinion deserved to be brought up so the reader could determine if this location was for them. I think in the title of this review I said that if the room would have cost $150/night instead of $500/night my review would likely have been different.

I rarely give 5 stars.

This may deserve to be a topic on its own. I can rarely decide on a consistent method in my own head as to what deserves 1 star or 5 stars-or anything in between. If I can't decide in my own head, it's tough for me to trust anyone else's methodology for deciding what rating a place deserves. I suspect I'm like everyone else and starts by narrowing the field to 4-5 stars rating and then concentrating on what is said in the reviews to determine if the hotel meets my criteria.

Chatty, amenable owners who run a dump shouldn’t be getting a glowing review for their place. An all-night disco where you’re trying to sleep would get the same treatment. A positive review of a good place that provides comfort, value, and other positive attributes will ultimately benefit the customers and the business. A place that remains open and thriving will continue to serve people staying there, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to have the business succeed. If a good review helps that process, so much the better.

Misleading reviews aren’t really reviews, but being able to discern between the truth and a sham review would be ideal. Bad experiences seem to prompt immediate bad reviews by people, and some of those seem really petty. Nice experiences don’t necessarily incite any review, glowing or scathing. If a place is worthy of a good review, hopefully it gets one, and the reviewer is hopefully reliable. It’s all a crap shoot in the end, but seeing lots of good reviews for something/some place will generally point a customer in the right direction - it works for a traveler, and so it benefits the establishment, too.

Re "I rarely give 5 stars"
The first grade teacher my siblings all had was famous for telling parents in conferences that she would never give the students maximum points in all areas because there was always room for improvement and she didn't want them to get lazy. 🙄

I post reviews on booking.com and often mention my star rating is in relation to expectations for the price range.

The few unsatisfactory places have included the notation that I will NOT book there again. And on good ones, I mention the number of times we have been repeat visitors ... or that we look forward to returning.

For me for restaurants,

5 = I would enthusiastically return
4 = I would go again of my own volition
3 = I would not necessarily go there on my own but would not object if a friend wanted to go there
2 = I would object if a friend wanted to go there
1 = I threw away the food because it was inedible (once or twice)

Hotels are pretty much the same except 1 is leaving the hotel because of problems???? I've never given a 1 (or a 2 or even a 3, I think) because I check those reviews ahead of time to avoid those places!

As an aside, I noticed the 4-star review I gave for the place above seemed to open the door for others to do so, too, with some of those mentioning the condition of the rooms.

Dave, your scale makes sense. I will try to remember it when reviewing a property or restaurant. A wonderful hotel with all night noise is a 1 in my book. I ask for a quiet room with no view per RS recommendations.

I read TA reviews with my B.S. sensor turned way up. Americans reviews for restaurants are usually based on portion size. A crowd sourced opinion will usually be skewed to the lowest common denominator. You can find useful information but beware of the bias.

Help the traveler.!! Over the years my reviews have become more focused on what I think the next traveler need to know ... if renting a condo or villa ...was the furniture comfy, did the appliances work, was the shower a trickle. Things I would want to know. If I'm going to leave a less then 4 star review I usually send it to the owner/company ahead of posting it to see if I get any reply. I have had issues with owners who didn't like what I wrote and asked me to change my review. When I asked him if something I wrote was inaccurate - he said no but I would be his first non 5 star review. Oh well. I posted my review as written. I think sometimes reviewers write great reviews about the property or tour because they have just been on vacation and overall vacations are a great time.

If I'm taking a tour ..did the guide know anything about the subject. Heck, we took a cycling trip out of Tuscany billed as Bikes and Wine. The first winery we stopped at offered no tasting and then the guide said he didn't like to lead bike trips or know anything about wine. I wrote that in my review.

I also look at positive reviews versus negative reviews as well as how many reviews the person writing the review has made in the in past. That goes especially for negative reviews. I'm reading those reviews for a hint about the motivation of the reviewer.

For both.

One thing I often do is address problems mentioned by previous reviewers if they were not a problem when I was there.

On perhaps half a dozen reviews, I have had to point out that a previous reviewer was not reviewing the current listing !

If the establishment performs as advertised, I usually write a positive review. If something happens that I feel was beyond their control, I don't blame them. If the experience is just so-so, I might just forget about writing a review. If it's really bad, I'll write a review but that doesn't happen too often to us.

In Antibes we went to a restaurant and they didn't have our reservation on a very busy night. They managed to find us a table anyway and we had a lovely dinner. When I returned to the hotel I realized I had cancelled the reservation so I wrote a glowing review about the food and about how they bailed me out after I screwed up. They responded to the review with a gracious thank you.

5 = I would enthusiastically return 4 = I would go again of my own
volition 3 = I would not necessarily go there on my own but would not
object if a friend wanted to go there 2 = I would object if a friend
wanted to go there 1 = I threw away the food because it was inedible
(once or twice)

Hotels are pretty much the same except 1 is leaving the hotel because
of problems????

Out of curiosity I went back through my reviews to check if this works with how I rate hotels and I discovered my ratings are all over the map and probably not reliable. On the other hand, my written portion has stayed consistent and in my opinion, reliable, as long as a reader reads more than one or two reviews so they can judge for themselves if the positive and negative points made are important factors for them.

I always try to point out things that might be helpful to future travelers--that they might not otherwise know. For example, for an air bnb on a Greek island I mentioned that while the temperature in the apartment was fine to sleep with the windows open (there was no a/c), a barking dog kept both my daughter and I awake at night (but not the rest of our party). My goal was to give a heads up to light sleepers (which I am). Interestingly, the owner was really mad and posted in response how quiet it was, even though I had rated the place a 5. We loved the place otherwise and did not feel it right to rate it lower because of a neighbor's dog.

When I do post a review it is for the next traveler. I’m absolutely certain that the hotel in Paris years ago already knew the carpet stuck to our bare feet and that a hunk of plaster the size of a toddler was hanging like the sword of Damocles over our heads in the bathtub.

In late 2020, I left a 5* review for a hotel whose staff went out of their way to help me with accommodations for a group function that was ultimately cancelled because of Covid. I made it clear in my review that I never stayed there, but the staff were so exceptionally patient and helpful that I wanted to help the business, and also let the traveler know that these were good people.

I love a good sword of Damocles reference.

The original Sword of Damocles hung by a single haIr. The toddler-sized chunk of ceiling that Denny had to contend with could’ve been fixed if the hotel literally used some Plaster of Paris. While a review might’ve protected future guests, it would’ve been in the hotel’s best interests to repeatedly hear of the hazard over the tub. Wonder if there are review-chasing lawyers now, instead of chasing ambulances?

Primarily to help future travellers. That is the main point of writing reviews in my opinion. But a good review will also help the business, but that is more of a side effect in my opinion.

I agree 100% with Cameron's quote.

Reviews are always about fellow travelers. I write it from my experience and include what was important to me. I think TA will include that we are a couple, budget travelers who travel for pleasure so you know my perspective.
For lodging, once I narrow down a few properties I will read about 20 reviews, current and older ones (especially in Europe, not much is going to change with the property itself). I love AirBNB for this reason, the owners tend to be really honest if there is anything that might be considered a negative because they they can't delete negative reviews and someone will mention it. I always like to know how many flights of stairs, if there is a noisy something near by like a bar, nightclub or construction. Also for AirBNB i will not even consider the property unless it has at least 50 reviews.
For restaurants I look at pictures of the food first then read the reviews.

This reminds me of a business that really pushed for a review... after a total service failure. I posted the review and pointed out that they asked for this :LOL

I am basically honest. If the owner's feelings are hurt because they failed to deliver why would that be my fault?

I write it from my experience and include what was important to me.

I think that's all anyone reading a review can ask for, and why it's also important to read many reviews so you can find patterns of good and poor qualities in the hotel. For me, a person's experience is key; I liked this because...., I didn't like this because....

Wifi is always a big deal for me. I'll also always mention a free breakfast and hotels in good locations. Of course a good location for some is not good for others. An example is staying in Covent Garden in London which can be loud and noisy all night long, but it's also close to a lot of things-definitely worth pointing out both as facts so the reader can judge for themselves. Looking back on reviews, I typically ignore poor or surly service unless it is a chronic problem and becomes a problem for me. On the other hand I do go out of my way to compliment service that goes beyond the call of duty. I remember a hotel in Trastevere in Rome. This was our first European adventure and we didn't realize ice machines were not a thing. My wife likes to always have ice water with her in the evening. When we asked about ice, the manager was concerned that my wife was was injured and needed an icepack. When we explained that she always likes ice in the evening, the manager had a glass with 5 or 6 ice cubes ready for her every evening. That's a case of writing a review that benefits the reader as well as the hotel.

I am always honest, but if I have a good experience with a small operator, I am more likely to go to the trouble to add a review. One more review about the Hilton Garden Inn I stayed at for work doesn't mean a lot, unless I have something unique to add. But it could be helpful to both traveller and owner if it's a small independent with fewer reviews.

One more review about the Hilton Garden Inn I stayed at for work doesn't mean a lot, unless I have something unique to add.

But I for one appreciate those reviews when I'm trying to decide between the Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Express, La Quinta, et al, that always seem to be located in very close proximity to each other. If reviewers prefer one "free" breakfast over another, the mattresses, the wifi connection, etc. - that information is very useful to the likes of me.

One more review about the Hilton Garden Inn I stayed at for work
doesn't mean a lot, unless I have something unique to add.

That's where I am, too. My review of a place that's been reviewed 1,378 times doesn't seem to make much of a difference. In a week, my review is going to be buried by newer reviews, and no one is going to read it (or care). For a place that has 30 or even 100 reviews, though, I feel like my review is more likely to be helpful for both travelers and businesses.

Definitely do it for the traveller! I seldom leave poor reviews bc I tend to do a lot of research so I'm usually happy where I stay. But a review is more than "good" and "bad." I try to pass on useful information that might not be gained from the hotel website; like saying there's a great coffee shop a block away, or try to get a room on the north side of the hotel for a better view, or the entrance is hard to find.

One more review about the Hilton Garden Inn I stayed at for work
doesn't mean a lot, unless I have something unique to add. But it
could be helpful to both traveller and owner if it's a small
independent with fewer reviews.

Probably not for me as much anymore either, but when my kids were younger and heavily involved in sports it mattered a lot. My son's hockey team and daughter's soccer team would travel a few times per season for tournaments and we'd depend on sites like TA to find chain hotels that were youth sports team friendly. Due to a few bad eggs (parents and kids), some hotels would not allow teams.

The action of writing a review satisfies your need to find something in common to write to somebody about. Writing a review is 75% for other patrons, 25% for the owners. I have left reviews on various sites like Yelp, google, and booking and/or trip advisor. Also I left 5 product reviews on Amazon, before being banned from writing reviews. Exactly what I wrote on Amazon that would be a problem would be unknowable, but I read that bots or computer software may improperly classify a review as obscene if you write the word "package", if the bots think "package" is slang for "genitals".

india cappture's spam reported for zappage

Traveller!! Always. If we’re unhappy about the quality, cleanliness or attitude or price then we’ll share so others are warned and can make a good decision for themselves.

If I especially enjoyed a B&B or small hotel that I found through research, I will write a review to help the lodging become better known and highlight what was extra special about it. Similar type of reviews for local restaurants in towns where Americans don’t frequent as much.

I feel like my best “reviews for the traveler” are my Trip Reports on our forum after I return. I take more time to write those, giving a better indication of how I like to travel. So if someone has a similar traveling style, it can be very helpful for them when I’m mentioning activities, lodging and restaurants.

I guess my experience with TA has a different spin, and say that they are written for neither the business or the future traveler.

I find most reviews are written for the person writing the review, either to vent, to tell what a great time they had, to build their status points on TA, for pay, or who knows what motivation.

That "unknown motivation" plus not knowing what preferences or expectations people had, is really the pitfall of these types of sites. I have stayed in many small hotels that I thought were more than fine for my purposes, and cheap, that many would call dumps. But they were quiet, safe, bed was comfortable, cleaner than my house...but that is about it. My standards and expectations just differ from the "I only fly business or first class, stay in 5 star hotels, and eat at Michelin starred restaurants" crowd. People can also argue for hours (maybe dozens of posts) about how a McDonalds can garner a 5 point rating on TA, but again, it goes back to what you are expecting in a value proposition.

I always write reviews that I would hope help the traveler. I have to say I don't do it as frequently due to a home rental company in Spain became irate and threaten lawsuits when I posted a bad review and kept sending nasty emails. As I said in my review it was just my experience and many people had good reviews. But it left a really bad impression so I take all reviews with a grain of salt.

Heather--

I would be tempted to leave a second review with excerpts from their threatening e-mails.

what possible basis could they have for a lawsuit?

I find most reviews are written for the person writing the review,
either to vent, to tell what a great time they had, to build their
status points on TA, for pay, or who knows what motivation.

Now I have to wonder if their are suspicions of why people contribute to this forum. How about just too be helpful? Like this forum, I just lurked on TA for about a year before contributing. My motivation to start leaving reviews was that people count on the reviews to help make decisions. I started contributing when I realized it won't work if everyone just takes and doesn't give back.

Nigel-

They didn't have any justification but they threatened not to give my refund back if I didn't retract my review. I could have fought it but I just wanted my money back. I love Spain but it really left a bad impression. I also am now suspicious of any place with glowing reviews and no complaints.

I tend to use multiple sources such as RS, TA and Fodors and the internet itself.

so now you have your money can you reinstate the review, Heather?

... I can understand that motivation on your part...

I can't remember the last time I stayed in a hotel. I rent apartments in private homes, so I try to help both, either through the rental agency website or the guestbook. I always give five stars, or no review at all. Good value is important. Paying 50 or 60 euros a night, you should not expect luxury accommodations: but if the owner is nice, the rooms clean and quiet, the wifi and shower pressure strong, then why not five stars?

Some people are illogical and unfair with their reviews. I've read a few "I deducted a star because the apartment did not have a washing machine" nonsense, when there was no mention at all of a washing machine in the apartment description.

I currently only post 5 star reviews if I think they are warranted. (That's a change from the past). If it's a small business I ask them if they want to be reviewed. Many have said "No". They prefer not to be involved with website reviews and I respect that. If I don't believe wholeheartedly in giving 5 stars, I don't post.

I'm sure this isn't the Proper approach either, but that's my feeling.

I won't post a review just because I've been asked to directly. But if I would have given the place a great rating without being asked, I might.

The only time I have posted a review when asked was when a car service I had used multiple times in the past asked for a review, because they had a review from someone which was extremely negative, and which was not for their business! The reviewer picked a company with a very similar name, but in a different city mind(!) and posted something really negative.

I felt I should counteract that review with my own and clarify that this company only operated in Bordeaux and not Geneva or wherever the first reviewer had stated.

I write reviews clearly with the next would-be guests/clients in mind.

If I am putting down a negative component of my review, I try to be clear and limited in the 'complaining', instead of coming up wiht a laundry list that includes minor things I'd normally gloss over. These are the types of reviews I myself like to read.

Example: too cold/hot shower, worn-out carpets, faulty air-conditioning or heating, issues with reservation or unexpected/unannounced fees etc.

I find it much more difficult to evaluate restaurants than hotels, since I'm not a culinary critic.

For museums and other attractions, I try to give an impression of what the site is really about.