What should a hotel with a 9.1 booking com rating be like?

How many reviews? ... if only a handful, 9 or 10 means jack squat since they can stuff the ballot box with their own good reviews to counter the real ones and their bad reviews ... if the number of reviews are in the mid/upper 100's or 1000's, a 9+ should mean something ... also, when is the earliest review? ... years of reviews should also paint a pretty good picture ... also since there is no definitive criteria to determine the score applied by someone, some will just give it a 10 while others with the same experience give it a 5 ... multiple people with the same negative impressions should raise the red flag ... to me, anything with a small number of reviews and/or only recent reviews doesn't even get considered, no matter how high the rating ...

DQ, great questions. Just under a 100 reviews. There are quite a few fairly recent (this year)

I don’t look at numbers alone but instead read what people have to say specifically about what is so fantastic or wonderful about a property. Likewise, if someone is criticizing a property, I look for specifics because just reading that a place is terrible or a place is spectacular are both 100% meaningless to me.

I am also cynical regarding reviews because I wrote a negative review on another website and the hotel manager whose property is part of the Hilton brand of hotels begged me to change my review and offered a bribe for me to do so and told me to feel free to keep the new review as vague as possible.

I don't know where in France you are, but in most places in the US, I would consider a $75/night hotel that is clean and has a comfortable bed located in a safe area to be a 9. In my opinion, the price IS the special quality. I certainly agree that the cash only policy should have been noted in the reservation. At that price it's understandable that they wouldn't want to pay credit card fees and would not have the money for cosmetic renovations.

We are in the country by Bergerac. We’ve traveled a lot to Europe and rooms are far cheaper here, in general, than the U.S. We just left Bordeaux where our room was also 75 euro booked through AMEX travel. It was nice. Incidentally, the next place we are staying is only 100euro, and I have personal recommendations for it. I don’t think the U.S. and Europe are comparable in terms of price. We also stay at small, family owned properties, never fancy chain hotels.

I am not complaining, we do not care. If I cared, we would include the name of the property. I always laugh when people that stay in a budget property say that it needs updating. Yes, and then the price will go up. But, those properties do not deserve 9 or 10s, IMO, about an 8 if clean with helpful staff.

I’m curious if others would give a place 9 or 10 just because of the price.

I’m curious if others would give a place 9 or 10 just because of the price.

No

I use booking.com extensively, and have generally had good experiences.

The "pay me in cash" bit is a red flag. If the listing said something else, take it up with booking.com (you had an agreement, I'd expect them to honor it); I bet booking.com would like to hear about it. FWIW when I had issues with a stay I booked through them, they were responsive, and ended up not charging me anything at all for the place "with issues." IME, they went above and beyond my expectations. YMMV.

As for reviews...writing, reading, interpreting and trusting online reviews is more of an art than a science. There are ways to game them, and people do play those games. Is there anything you're not mentioning about the place that could possibly justify it's high score? Like, is everything else around there expensive, awful, or have some other negatives, relative to the place you stayed? In a different season, or in a different unit, might things be different? In multi-unit places, there can be a vast difference...last year I stayed at a B&B in a pristine, restored windmill, with spectacular, commanding views out over the sea from the top-floor bedroom -- it was one of the most beautiful, most memorable places I've ever stayed (like staying at the top of a lighthouse perched over an island beach, in an historic yet immaculately remodeled luxury apartment); there was a second unit on the same premises which appeared to be just a non-descript bungalow (with no view). I'd rate my stay as "a million+10" if they would let me, but that other no-view bungalow, probably not so much. If their ratings were not specific to the individual room you stayed in (and as I recall, booking.com ratings are for the property, not the specific room), that might explain the lack of charm you found.

Maybe it was just that your place was such a budget-friendly bargain -- $75 -- while any alternative nearby might be multiples of that number? Finding a cheap place in a very spendy area can make people giddy...

I booked about 10 places for this trip, we are here quite a while. Most places in this area are probably between 70 and 100 euro. My recollection was I booked it because it was close to a winery we visited and we have a car, so didn’t want a place in a biggish town. I saw it on booking and thought, good price, good reviews, convenient location, done. It’s just one night. Incidentally, it’s presented as a BnB and there are photos of their breakfast, which apparently is not offered in the fall. . .

Wow, Jules, that one is such a miss as a 9.1 rating!

I use Booking a lot for reserving hotels, B&B’s, etc. I do scale back my expectations when staying at a less expensive hotel or when I select a solo room instead of a double room. So, I will give a great rating if the less expensive hotel met or exceeded those expectations.

But having items broken in the room, and especially seeing the curtain rod stuffed into a drawer means they don’t even care - ugh! Those problems, plus no shampoo, soap and the requirement for cash without notice ahead would yield no more than a 5 rating from me, regardless of the price.

I like to stay in the smaller towns, and the 100 Euro price range can still give a nice clean room in a family-run hotel with some atmosphere. Glad you were only stuck there one night!

By the way, I also run a check on my final choices at TripAdvisor. I don’t read the reviews; I am looking at the Traveler (not the hotel owner) photos. Those can be another sanity check of what reality will be.

Reviews are like people, everyone has a different view of what is acceptable. I once rented an apartment in Spain that had glowing reviews from this and other websites. It turned out that place had been half cleaned(spiderwebs on lamps, dust bunnies under furniture. When I mentioned it to the company, they told me that no one ever had said anything bad about their company. Which may be true as many people don't want to deal with another problem.

I would check with booking.com as being paid in cash is usually not a part of their reservation system.

That said, I also stayed in one of the cheaper pensions in Granada and everything was so clean and nice that the reviews were spot on. I'd definitely write your review on the Booking site.

Maybe if they don’t do breakfast in the fall, their regular management is off at this time and it’s not the norm for this place?? Either way, having broken things, rude reception and unexpected demands for cash payment definitely doesn’t sound like it should be rated that high. I use booking often enough, and usually something rated a nine is better than that, if there are plenty of reviews. On booking I usually start with places rated 8 or higher and then read what specifically is being said.

You may be in a top rated 2 star hotel. 9.1 just means it's among the best for what it is. A 8.5 4 star hotel would be better in a lot of respects.

Essentially you got the best $75 hotel imaginable.

Or the reviews are cooked. I know a hotel in Budaoest that does that.

As mentioned, rooms vary. On a few occasions,, I booked the cheapest room the hotel had and they were horrible. For just a little bit more I could move to a nicer room. The difference was amazing. I went from dump to very nice and comfortable for slightly more.

So, the high ratings may be for the better rooms in the hotel and the lower ratings were from the type of room you had.

Remember the old saying......"You get what you pay for."

Have used Booking.com it does sound like you got what you paid for $75.

Jules, the hotel doesn't sound like a 9.1 property to me. As someone else mentioned, it sounds like a 2 star property and perhaps a lower rated 3 or 4 star property might be better. There really is no excuse though for no shampoo, soap, and broken curtain and rods. Booking.com will have a list of amenities that the hotel has and also what type of payment they accept. It sounds like the hotel you were at didn't live up to what was advertised.

I look for 3 star hotels with a rating of 8.0 and above on Booking.com. Anything with less than 200 reviews I usually disregard right away. From what I understand, in order to leave a review on Booking.com, you have to be a verified past guest, so theoretically the review will be legitimate. Once I find a hotel that looks nice enough and within my budget, I'll check out reviews from other sources as well as the property's own website. I also look at Google's streetview to try to get an idea of the surroundings. I only book properties that I can pay for when I arrive and always with free cancellation up through about two or three days prior to arrival. Sometimes I'll book through Booking.com and sometimes I'll book directly with the hotel, especially if they offer an incentive for booking directly with them.

When looking for accommodations, I will go on Booking.com, Hotels.com or other online reservation outfits.

I filter my search from low to high $. Then I start looking for hotels or bed and breakfasts that are on the lower priced with much higher customer ratings than any others in that price range. And I've never been disappointed.

A $75 room with a 9.1 rating would be a keeper. Go for it.

No way in my view. I would gladly pay double that for a true 9.1 rated property. I hope you will tell Booking about being shaken down for cash. Cash should be an option, not a requirement unless stated.

For a trip we had planned for the future, I was wanting to stay at a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the world. One would think that would be a special property. Well, a forum poster on this forum told me they had stayed at this property and it was in their opinion, a 3 star hotel charging 5 star prices! I crossed it off the list of places I want to stay on that trip!

I hope you will tell Booking about being shaken down for cash. Cash should be an option, not a requirement unless stated.

I use Booking all the time and often their reservations will state "no pre-payment needed, pay at the property" or something like that - as opposed to paying in advance. I don't believe it states (at least to my knowledge) whether that would be in cash or credit card or some other form of payment. Personally, if that's what it said on Booking, I would contact the hotel before my stay and clarify what payment options there would be. You can't always assume that a place will take cards or other payment.

Booking requires a credit card for reservations, yes? How is it that a hotel requires cash, then?

On Booking.com I generally look at ratings just as a starting point because they are so subjective. I look at the most recent reviews and I only look at the cons of the hotel. Words like wonderful, fantastic, best ever are so subjective. I look for negatives such as broken AC, noise, cleanliness, mechanical/plumbing problems and bed complaints. I ignore complaints about colors, dated furniture and even views out the window. I spend so little time in the room I look for any distractions against a good night's rests. No matter the hotel, I have never had a complaint about the staff. If I have a question I find almost every person willing to assist and offer suggestions. I find getting along with staff comes from a friendly approach. I will say I find Booking.com reviews to be the most accurate. I think there is less owner foolery than Trip Advisor and other sights.

To be clear, we were fine with the room. It was basically clean and the bed and pillows were good as well. It really would have been nice to have at least a couple paper cups in the room, and to arrive the property and not have to immediately run out and search for cash. We even had 72 euros and promised to get the remainder at dinner. I don’t use booking or TripAdvisor or hotels.com much at all and was surprised that a “bed and breakfast” with 9 and 10s turned out to be what it was. I don’t complain, especially in Europe, I don’t want to be the one that reinforces the ugly American. I typically do not review either way unless something was wonderful or a staff person super helpful. I just thought that a hotel with 9s and 10s would be more than a Motel 6 experience. The varying opinions in response to my post were interesting, but I was left with don’t trust ratings, even on booking, which I thought was fairly reliable. I do have to disagree with the idea that you get a crap room in Europe for 75euros. In the U.S., yep, pretty likely. I get great rooms in Europe, city center, often from the Rick Steves guide for between 60 and 125 euros. Amsterdam, Barcelona and Rome were a bit more. I book directly, and correspond with the reservation person. Currently we are in an upgraded corner room because I had booked during COVID, wrote a nice note when I cancelled and was remembered when I rebooked. They appreciated my communication. We have had very few if any disappointing rooms in Europe, and quite a few in the U.S (which I did not complain about to management or post a negative review).

We are not fancy people. We stay at and are happy with moderately priced inns. We rarely are in the room anyway. I don’t need the Ritz or even the Hilton. I just want to know what I’m getting.

The hotel we were at last night has no idea that it didn’t turn out to be what we expected because we said nothing.

Another thing about the “BnBs” reviews, quite a few were surprisingly similar. I thought booking’s reviews were verified?

If I go to Kmart or Walmart, it is your basic budget experience. It typically goes well, but there are no warm “fuzzies” and the stores are what they are. You do get what you pay for, but Walmart or Kmart would get a review of 6 or 7 from me and Nordstrom’s a 9 or 10. If all goes reasonably well at Walmart, I wouldn’t give the experience a 10 just for having lower prices because it wasn’t a 10 shopping experience.

From how you describe the place, I also would be surprised that it was ranked 9.1 on booking.com. This is from a budget traveler who sometimes stays at youth hostels.

What makes a 9, in my opinion, is related to the little things that make the place special. Not the price, or necessarily the size of the room or if the bathroom happens to be at the end of the hallway. It's finding a place where the owner is wonderful and goes out of their way to be helpful. Or perhaps an amazing breakfast with fresh baked goods. Or the little things that can be added to a room when you arrive that just make one feel a bit special and welcome. From how you describe this place, it had none of that. A clean room at a decent price with nothing else to differentiate it, is an 8, at most in my books.

I have had several B&B or apartment-type reservations on Booking.com that required a cash payment, but that was stated in the info about the lodging on Booking.. Yes, the credit card number is just to hold the reservation by Booking.com - not necessarily what the B&B will be using. And those places usually sent me a private message through Booking to remind me that they don’t take credit cards. Your experience is not anything I have experienced.

"The hotel we were at last night has no idea that it didn’t turn out to be what we expected because we said nothing."
Hi Jules. It wasn't totally clear from your post - did you rent thru booking.com? Or just learn of the place there?
If you rented thru booking.com, it would be important / very helpful for others (and for the owner) for you to leave an accurate review mentioning the details you mention above. Have a great rest of your trip!

Hope you have a great rest of trip-

I look at Google, trip advisor reviews but I only use them if it’s in the high hundreds or thousands to determine “yep this place is for me” or “no way” Personal recs, Rec from reputable traveler/reviewer means more to me as many people will leave a perfect review for cheap price, or if they happened to just be in a good mood… likewise some will leave a terrible rating based on arbitrary or things Hotel can’t control like “didn’t read info/came unprepared” or things going on outside hotel and outside hotel control.

Ako, I’m on vacation and in a different time zone than most. I just woke up. In regards to my booking.con reservation, I printed it out and have referred back. It says nothing about cash. Also, a couple of reviews say the same thing that they were told to run to the nearby airport and get cash. I don’t have my laptop, and I’m using my phone. I only have wifi in our hotel.

Edited to add: the way you travel, I can see why you like some type of booking app. For international travel I reserve all our rooms at least several months in advance. Domestically, we use hotels infrequently. When we do, it’s often last minute and I’ve liked Priceline for last minute deals on some nice hotels.

In a couple weeks into my trip, have another BnB reserved through booking.com. I have used booking.com before. Maybe 10 times in all our trips. As I said, I generally book directly with the hotel.

Bets, The property was booked with booking.com for that night as there was no way to book direct.

My post was for my question which was about the ratings. It is now more involved than I can deal with in vacation. I can delete the post if necessary so as not leave people hanging

Someone asked about my trip. We are having a great time. It’s a long trip. Presently we are in the Dordogne. As I said before, it was one night, room was clean, I just wanted to know about the ratings. My husband is currently chuckling and said, “all I wanted was a water glass and a toilet sit that didn’t move” The

Edited to add: one last thing and we are off to look for views. As I said, it was my interest in the ratings that prompted the post. I do know many are committed to booking.com and it works well for them. I’m equally committed to booking directly, the proprietor gets more money, and I develop a more personal relationship which I like. I do understand that the proprietor loses money with a credit card over cash. But when cash is requested, I make a note, and make sure I have it.. Also, I think more so in Italy, payment in cash is a way to avoid tax, not everyone does it, of course, but some.

What you described sounds rather like the 7.3-ish places I often frequent except that you mentioned comfortable beds (my beds are more likely to be in the "acceptable for those without back issues" category) and didn't say the room was small (mine virtually always are). Size is a large factor in the cost of hotel rooms.

I really don't know what sort of rating I'd expect for that room but agree that 9.1 sounds quite high.

I’m equally committed to booking directly, the proprietor gets more money, and I develop a more personal relationship which I like.

You must be talking about a really, really small hotel that communicates reservations through email. In mid size hotels I doubt the people checking you in or who answer your questions have any clue if you are a "book directly person" vs a "mean ole book through a third party" person.

Most hotels know their occupancy rate booked through their own website. Placing a number of rooms on Booking or other sites increases the occupancy. They are very willing to spend that commission to increase their occupancy rather than have those rooms go unoccupied. That is the cost of doing business. They would rather get $80 for a room that sells for $100, than $0.

Thread, I do book directly and communicate directly via email. We generally stay in inns with about 6 - 20 rooms. We specifically look for city center and a local feel, generally not a chain. I was talking with the reservation person at my inn this morning. Their customers can only book through their own website or by phone or email. She likes email because then she can help with any preferences prior to arrival. Actually she handled a problem I had with an advance reservation I was trying to make for a local restaurant.

I use a Trip Advisor to both read and give reviews so can’t speak directly about Booking.com, but I know I rate rooms on several criteria, depending on what’s important to me at the time. An average room will get a high score if the location or price is exceptional. That same room at a high price lodging may get a lower score. I try to say what is influencing my rating. When looking for lodging I always read the 1 and 2 scores to see what people complained about. Once I choose a lodging I book directly with the facility if at all possible.

This is totally not an answer for jules - except to add a recent booking.com experience I had (last week). I booked a place (and yes, read reviews, looked at pictures, and briefly the rating to make sure it wasn’t awful. And then booked. When I drove up, it looked abandoned and almost looked closed. It had an 8.5 rating. I am solo and love to stay in quirky places - but that wasn’t quirky, it looked unsafe. So I quickly found a new place on booking.com which was actually next door. It had an 8.7 rating - new, elevator, supervised parking, breakfast, attached restaurant, etc. Night and day difference, almost next door to each other, and only a .2 difference in the rating.

After getting re-adjusted and with time to go back and study, I figured out all the reviews and photos for the first place were several years old and I just missed that. So…. nothing to do with what Jules experienced, but although I am usually very careful, that was an extra warning to me to look even more so at details.

For the actual question, I usually have to base my review on what my expectations were. And that largely has to do with how the property presented itself. If it was as represented and I chose it, I could definitely add lots of details, but how could I lower ratings when it did exactly what it said it would do and that is what I wanted?

Not the case for jules…..

I use booking.com a lot, and I’ve had mostly very good experiences. When choosing lodging, I start by setting the filters and carefully reading the reviews. Once in a while, the reviews for a place with a high score and moderate to low price make it clear that the target market is young, outdoorsy and not caring about charm. At my age, I can afford comfort, and like some charm. However, even so, nothing in your description suggests how what sounds like a dump got such a high rating. Give booking.com a heads up.