Hotel reviews

Chriss,
I haven't stayed at that hotel, but I'm sure you'll hear from someone on the forum who has. But, I wanted to tell you that, as a fairly obsessive planner, I've come across some fairly bad reviews for occasional tour hotels where we'll be staying. I always make note of it, so we'll go in aware and, more often than not, we're pleasantly surprised. Maybe someone (reviewer or hotel employee) was having a bad day. Maybe your priorities are different from the reviewer's. And, the last thing to consider is that, even when we've had a bad room, it in no way ruined our trip. The tour is much bigger than one lousy room - Have a wonderful time!

Most of the negative reviews were posted by people with one or no other reviews. When I'm evaluating TripAdvisor reviews, I attach more weight to reviews from people with lots of reviews - preferably reviewers who have been somewhere I have been to get a reference point. One negative review makes me suspect that the reviewer is somebody with a personal axe to grind. I wouldn't worry. Even if the hotel is a dump, Lauterbrunnen is magical - it reminded me of Rivendell from Lord of the Rings. Order some rosti, drink some the outstanding Swiss red wine (who knew) and pray for a room with an en suite.

I'm often amused and amazed by bad reviews of hotels where we have actually stayed and enjoyed -- particularly when they blast the "unfriendly" staff or "sketchy" location which we evidently missed. Maybe the reviewer had a bad day ... or is a grump you wouldn't want to travel with.

Thanks for the encouragement! I always wonder if the person was just having a bad day! How unfair. Can't wait to be wheels up!!

Ditto on what the other said. Conversely, I've stayed at hotels I've enjoyed and during my stay I would notice little things that while I was willing to overlook, I could see how a terrible review could have been written about it. As an example. I stayed at a hotel last year in Rome with the most friendly, helpful, and courteous staff. However, the bathtub/shower has some mildew stains around it. Did I think it was gross? Probably, but then again, how clean is my own bathroom at home? More importantly, I wasn't about to write a scathing review because of it, and ultimately, the location and service proved to be far more important to me and instrumental to the enjoyment of my trip than that one thing.

If this is a trip you've been dreaming about for a long time, there's probably not a whole lot that will get you down!

I always play the odds when picking hotels. As you say, you throw out the highs and lows. A hotel I stayed at in Paris was pretty low scale (I expected that) and had a number of terrible reviews. Yet it was everything I wanted. I've also stayed at a hotel or two with glowing reviews that I ended up thinking was only okay. So I look at what the majority of the reviews portray.

I only remember one negative hotel review that has stuck in my mind, this one for years. I was going to a convention in Geneva, and even the least expensive hotels on the convention's "official list" we're very expensive by my own standards. Of course, Geneva is a very expensive city. In searching for a less expensive alternative, I looked at listings and reviews of many lower-priced hotels, and one review stood out: "I travel to Geneva often for business, and have probably stayed in just about every budget hotel in the city. This hotel is absolutely the worst!" And the review then explained why. Now that's a tough review to get past. (Note: in the end, a friend referred me to a simple conference center in a residential area just outside of the city, a 15 minute walk to a bus stop. Sort of like summer camp for adults, really great and affordable!)