A competitor got a bad review.

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

toddburme

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
733
Reaction score
0
The crazy thing is my partner and I were both feeling bad for the innkeeper. Bad reviews are just so painful to the recipient.
It was 2 stars and started “Unfortunately, we stayed at the”. Ouch.
 
C'mon people! Spend more time LIVING and less time reading stupid TA!!!!
 
C'mon people! Spend more time LIVING and less time reading stupid TA!!!!.
Don Draper said:
C'mon people! Spend more time LIVING and less time reading stupid TA!!!!
I will admit to late-night perusing of reviews. It's a disease, I know. But it's interesting to see what sets some people off. And, maybe I can fix it here so I don't get the same review!
 
I appear to be in the minority here - but I also feel bad when a local innkeeper gets a less than stellar review. There was one in particular that concerned Valentine's Day .... a minefield event if there ever was one. They raved about everything - "perfect", "amazing", "sleeping extremely well" talked about moving from a scented jacuzzi bath into soft robes etc etc and then only gave 4 stars.
T(H)A(T) site is something I check on regularly (and worry about) because so many of my guests cite it as the reason for booking here. Doesn't mean it's right - but for me it's a reality. I never know who is going to leave a review or what it's going to say and one day there will come the OMG moment .... I'll just have to get over it.
 
I appear to be in the minority here - but I also feel bad when a local innkeeper gets a less than stellar review. There was one in particular that concerned Valentine's Day .... a minefield event if there ever was one. They raved about everything - "perfect", "amazing", "sleeping extremely well" talked about moving from a scented jacuzzi bath into soft robes etc etc and then only gave 4 stars.
T(H)A(T) site is something I check on regularly (and worry about) because so many of my guests cite it as the reason for booking here. Doesn't mean it's right - but for me it's a reality. I never know who is going to leave a review or what it's going to say and one day there will come the OMG moment .... I'll just have to get over it..
Agree. It is painful to see someone local get a bad review. I know everybody. They're all good people. None of them deserve some of the nonsense I've read.
Reading the reviews is like being here. It helps me figure out what people want. And what they don't want!
 
I applaud Todd for being caring. Nothing wrong with checking reviews, in fact it is silly if you don't keep abreast of them, like everything else in this tourism/hospitality industry that effects us. It is all a part of our life and our livelihood.
I asked on another thread about using TA reviews with a link back to them (legally) and got an eyeful about how pathetic to even consider using them in marketing, by one in particular. I was actually asking about it for our state parks system as I am a blogger there and we encourage social media interaction, with over 20,000+ followers. I wanted to use an example of a review I would trust vs a review I would not trust for those who follow the blog and Facebook. I use TA when I plan a trip, and obviously millions of other do!
You know me by now, I despise facebook, with a passion, but it is what it is. To put it simply. So while I don't embrace it, others do, so I have to go in from time to time. I can't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
 
I would also feel badly for a competitor. I am sick for my best friend who is also an innkeeper right now who has her stomach in knots over a recent bad review. I read them between 2006-2009, lost sleep over them, made myself sick over them.
But the biggest realization is that I not once, EVER, changed anything based on a review. The bad ones are always from passive aggressive aholes who never had the guts to complain about ANYTHING while they were here, without exception. As a prospective guest I can read right through these people, it wouldn't ever deter me from booking where I wanted to stay. My point is too many people waste so much time on this stuff...just do your best, you all do anyway. And some people are just desperate for validation, that's not me either. Here's what I do, take it or leave it.
 
I applaud Todd for being caring. Nothing wrong with checking reviews, in fact it is silly if you don't keep abreast of them, like everything else in this tourism/hospitality industry that effects us. It is all a part of our life and our livelihood.
I asked on another thread about using TA reviews with a link back to them (legally) and got an eyeful about how pathetic to even consider using them in marketing, by one in particular. I was actually asking about it for our state parks system as I am a blogger there and we encourage social media interaction, with over 20,000+ followers. I wanted to use an example of a review I would trust vs a review I would not trust for those who follow the blog and Facebook. I use TA when I plan a trip, and obviously millions of other do!
You know me by now, I despise facebook, with a passion, but it is what it is. To put it simply. So while I don't embrace it, others do, so I have to go in from time to time. I can't throw the baby out with the bathwater..
effects us
It only effects us if we let it . Educate people about ta. and see how they feel about how ta handles the wrongs .YOU will be surprised. I had a guest that was upset because ta would not post their wedding pictures at the resort they were staying at. Pictures of the resort and the sea by the resort.
People are people there are leaders then there are followers .Some have to have other tell them what to see and how to see it. Others can make up their own minds. And do so. there are people that enjoy talking behind peoples backs.
We all try our best most of the time. We fail at times too. SO be it. Life goes on. after all it is not the end of the world. TA is just another form for now adays . The telphone used to be thee place for gossip. Now it is TA. There are so many places to have your people post reviews other then ta.
It is not the be all and end all! We use CAA to help us plan a trip also visitors centres.
 
C'mon people! Spend more time LIVING and less time reading stupid TA!!!!.
Yea!! DD I agree. Here is a news flash that may surprizes most. I have been in business for many a year. I donot use TA ever!! I ask all my guest to not use them. I also give them sites that are not mean spirIted. The no response from T...A... ummm guess what guests are amazed when I show them what happens. I feel if a person can not tell you to your face they are unhappy, then their word is not worth much!!! IN MY BOOKS...... That is back stabbing and very mean.
 
I applaud Todd for being caring. Nothing wrong with checking reviews, in fact it is silly if you don't keep abreast of them, like everything else in this tourism/hospitality industry that effects us. It is all a part of our life and our livelihood.
I asked on another thread about using TA reviews with a link back to them (legally) and got an eyeful about how pathetic to even consider using them in marketing, by one in particular. I was actually asking about it for our state parks system as I am a blogger there and we encourage social media interaction, with over 20,000+ followers. I wanted to use an example of a review I would trust vs a review I would not trust for those who follow the blog and Facebook. I use TA when I plan a trip, and obviously millions of other do!
You know me by now, I despise facebook, with a passion, but it is what it is. To put it simply. So while I don't embrace it, others do, so I have to go in from time to time. I can't throw the baby out with the bathwater..
effects us
It only effects us if we let it . Educate people about ta. and see how they feel about how ta handles the wrongs .YOU will be surprised. I had a guest that was upset because ta would not post their wedding pictures at the resort they were staying at. Pictures of the resort and the sea by the resort.
People are people there are leaders then there are followers .Some have to have other tell them what to see and how to see it. Others can make up their own minds. And do so. there are people that enjoy talking behind peoples backs.
We all try our best most of the time. We fail at times too. SO be it. Life goes on. after all it is not the end of the world. TA is just another form for now adays . The telphone used to be thee place for gossip. Now it is TA. There are so many places to have your people post reviews other then ta.
It is not the be all and end all! We use CAA to help us plan a trip also visitors centres.
.
I think review sites help people be more adventurous. There are folks coming thru my door who have never set foot inside a B&B before. Why are they coming? They were looking for places to stay and they kept finding my inn reviewed by previous guests. I do not have the best reviews on the planet. Quite a few other B&B's have many more and much better reviews.
But, they keep seeing reviews about my place. So, they veer off the standard 'let's go to a hotel where we know what we'll get' and they take what is not really even a chance. Because they had the opinions of other people letting them know this was a 'safe' place to stay. There is a big market out there looking for safe.
Sure, TA is not the only game in town, but it is the biggest. In a way like bb.com is to the directories. No one likes them, but a lot of people choose to not ignore them.
If you have no reviews on TA you will never hear from guests who didn't book because they didn't read your reviews there. It doesn't mean some guests didn't go looking for reviews on the biggest review site on the planet and, failing to find you, moved on to somewhere else.
That does not make those guests sheep. It means they have limited funds and time and want to get the biggest bang for their buck.
 
As was pointed out this was not a TA review. And I can see how some folks don;t want to feel hostage to the review system. Also as noted, they do effect us. No way around it that I can see.
 
I applaud Todd for being caring. Nothing wrong with checking reviews, in fact it is silly if you don't keep abreast of them, like everything else in this tourism/hospitality industry that effects us. It is all a part of our life and our livelihood.
I asked on another thread about using TA reviews with a link back to them (legally) and got an eyeful about how pathetic to even consider using them in marketing, by one in particular. I was actually asking about it for our state parks system as I am a blogger there and we encourage social media interaction, with over 20,000+ followers. I wanted to use an example of a review I would trust vs a review I would not trust for those who follow the blog and Facebook. I use TA when I plan a trip, and obviously millions of other do!
You know me by now, I despise facebook, with a passion, but it is what it is. To put it simply. So while I don't embrace it, others do, so I have to go in from time to time. I can't throw the baby out with the bathwater..
effects us
It only effects us if we let it . Educate people about ta. and see how they feel about how ta handles the wrongs .YOU will be surprised. I had a guest that was upset because ta would not post their wedding pictures at the resort they were staying at. Pictures of the resort and the sea by the resort.
People are people there are leaders then there are followers .Some have to have other tell them what to see and how to see it. Others can make up their own minds. And do so. there are people that enjoy talking behind peoples backs.
We all try our best most of the time. We fail at times too. SO be it. Life goes on. after all it is not the end of the world. TA is just another form for now adays . The telphone used to be thee place for gossip. Now it is TA. There are so many places to have your people post reviews other then ta.
It is not the be all and end all! We use CAA to help us plan a trip also visitors centres.
.
I think review sites help people be more adventurous. There are folks coming thru my door who have never set foot inside a B&B before. Why are they coming? They were looking for places to stay and they kept finding my inn reviewed by previous guests. I do not have the best reviews on the planet. Quite a few other B&B's have many more and much better reviews.
But, they keep seeing reviews about my place. So, they veer off the standard 'let's go to a hotel where we know what we'll get' and they take what is not really even a chance. Because they had the opinions of other people letting them know this was a 'safe' place to stay. There is a big market out there looking for safe.
Sure, TA is not the only game in town, but it is the biggest. In a way like bb.com is to the directories. No one likes them, but a lot of people choose to not ignore them.
If you have no reviews on TA you will never hear from guests who didn't book because they didn't read your reviews there. It doesn't mean some guests didn't go looking for reviews on the biggest review site on the planet and, failing to find you, moved on to somewhere else.
That does not make those guests sheep. It means they have limited funds and time and want to get the biggest bang for their buck.
.
"they keep seeing reviews about my place"
Again, it is a proven fact that people read reviews. Not really sure what the argument is about, check your reviews, stay on top of your business, anything that impacts your business.
Otherwise leave the online forums and dig a hole and stuff your head in it. We live in a tech world, this is part of our business, this is our livelihood, it is our job to be good at it, to know as much as we can that will help us in what we do, to be the best. Unless you don't care about being good at it, or being the best at what you do.
There is another online forum and they are only now sharing the "6 newly ordained priests coming to your inn for 2 weeks" scam, where they are being scammed! They are there to warn people "what happened to us we don't want to happen to you..." I mean think about it, we have been sharing this info for 5 to 10 years now.
 
I applaud Todd for being caring. Nothing wrong with checking reviews, in fact it is silly if you don't keep abreast of them, like everything else in this tourism/hospitality industry that effects us. It is all a part of our life and our livelihood.
I asked on another thread about using TA reviews with a link back to them (legally) and got an eyeful about how pathetic to even consider using them in marketing, by one in particular. I was actually asking about it for our state parks system as I am a blogger there and we encourage social media interaction, with over 20,000+ followers. I wanted to use an example of a review I would trust vs a review I would not trust for those who follow the blog and Facebook. I use TA when I plan a trip, and obviously millions of other do!
You know me by now, I despise facebook, with a passion, but it is what it is. To put it simply. So while I don't embrace it, others do, so I have to go in from time to time. I can't throw the baby out with the bathwater..
effects us
It only effects us if we let it . Educate people about ta. and see how they feel about how ta handles the wrongs .YOU will be surprised. I had a guest that was upset because ta would not post their wedding pictures at the resort they were staying at. Pictures of the resort and the sea by the resort.
People are people there are leaders then there are followers .Some have to have other tell them what to see and how to see it. Others can make up their own minds. And do so. there are people that enjoy talking behind peoples backs.
We all try our best most of the time. We fail at times too. SO be it. Life goes on. after all it is not the end of the world. TA is just another form for now adays . The telphone used to be thee place for gossip. Now it is TA. There are so many places to have your people post reviews other then ta.
It is not the be all and end all! We use CAA to help us plan a trip also visitors centres.
.
I think review sites help people be more adventurous. There are folks coming thru my door who have never set foot inside a B&B before. Why are they coming? They were looking for places to stay and they kept finding my inn reviewed by previous guests. I do not have the best reviews on the planet. Quite a few other B&B's have many more and much better reviews.
But, they keep seeing reviews about my place. So, they veer off the standard 'let's go to a hotel where we know what we'll get' and they take what is not really even a chance. Because they had the opinions of other people letting them know this was a 'safe' place to stay. There is a big market out there looking for safe.
Sure, TA is not the only game in town, but it is the biggest. In a way like bb.com is to the directories. No one likes them, but a lot of people choose to not ignore them.
If you have no reviews on TA you will never hear from guests who didn't book because they didn't read your reviews there. It doesn't mean some guests didn't go looking for reviews on the biggest review site on the planet and, failing to find you, moved on to somewhere else.
That does not make those guests sheep. It means they have limited funds and time and want to get the biggest bang for their buck.
.
"they keep seeing reviews about my place"
Again, it is a proven fact that people read reviews. Not really sure what the argument is about, check your reviews, stay on top of your business, anything that impacts your business.
Otherwise leave the online forums and dig a hole and stuff your head in it. We live in a tech world, this is part of our business, this is our livelihood, it is our job to be good at it, to know as much as we can that will help us in what we do, to be the best. Unless you don't care about being good at it, or being the best at what you do.
There is another online forum and they are only now sharing the "6 newly ordained priests coming to your inn for 2 weeks" scam, where they are being scammed! They are there to warn people "what happened to us we don't want to happen to you..." I mean think about it, we have been sharing this info for 5 to 10 years now.
.
Joey Bloggs said:
Otherwise leave the online forums and dig a hole and stuff your head in it. We live in a tech world, this is part of our business, this is our livelihood, it is our job to be good at it, to know as much as we can that will help us in what we do, to be the best. Unless you don't care about being good at it, or being the best at what you do.
Sorry, I just disagree. I AM THE BEST AT WHAT I DO. I don't need a review to tell me I am. Nothing anyone writes, says, etc. is going to change what I do. I live it every second of every day. I know what works for my home and business and what doesn't. I am 100% honest and fair. I always give as much as I can.
Thank you, I am now leaving this forum and going back to my hole in the sand...it is lovely, warm and comfortable there. Best of luck to all those looking for validation outside of themselves, you will never find it and to me that is so incredibly sad.
 
Don,
We are not the best at what we do, and we look for guest feedback whereever we can find it. We are a lot newer then you so that might explain the difference.
I hate to admit but I also see reviews as valuable in that they can highlight a bad thing pretty quickly for us.
 
I applaud Todd for being caring. Nothing wrong with checking reviews, in fact it is silly if you don't keep abreast of them, like everything else in this tourism/hospitality industry that effects us. It is all a part of our life and our livelihood.
I asked on another thread about using TA reviews with a link back to them (legally) and got an eyeful about how pathetic to even consider using them in marketing, by one in particular. I was actually asking about it for our state parks system as I am a blogger there and we encourage social media interaction, with over 20,000+ followers. I wanted to use an example of a review I would trust vs a review I would not trust for those who follow the blog and Facebook. I use TA when I plan a trip, and obviously millions of other do!
You know me by now, I despise facebook, with a passion, but it is what it is. To put it simply. So while I don't embrace it, others do, so I have to go in from time to time. I can't throw the baby out with the bathwater..
effects us
It only effects us if we let it . Educate people about ta. and see how they feel about how ta handles the wrongs .YOU will be surprised. I had a guest that was upset because ta would not post their wedding pictures at the resort they were staying at. Pictures of the resort and the sea by the resort.
People are people there are leaders then there are followers .Some have to have other tell them what to see and how to see it. Others can make up their own minds. And do so. there are people that enjoy talking behind peoples backs.
We all try our best most of the time. We fail at times too. SO be it. Life goes on. after all it is not the end of the world. TA is just another form for now adays . The telphone used to be thee place for gossip. Now it is TA. There are so many places to have your people post reviews other then ta.
It is not the be all and end all! We use CAA to help us plan a trip also visitors centres.
.
I think review sites help people be more adventurous. There are folks coming thru my door who have never set foot inside a B&B before. Why are they coming? They were looking for places to stay and they kept finding my inn reviewed by previous guests. I do not have the best reviews on the planet. Quite a few other B&B's have many more and much better reviews.
But, they keep seeing reviews about my place. So, they veer off the standard 'let's go to a hotel where we know what we'll get' and they take what is not really even a chance. Because they had the opinions of other people letting them know this was a 'safe' place to stay. There is a big market out there looking for safe.
Sure, TA is not the only game in town, but it is the biggest. In a way like bb.com is to the directories. No one likes them, but a lot of people choose to not ignore them.
If you have no reviews on TA you will never hear from guests who didn't book because they didn't read your reviews there. It doesn't mean some guests didn't go looking for reviews on the biggest review site on the planet and, failing to find you, moved on to somewhere else.
That does not make those guests sheep. It means they have limited funds and time and want to get the biggest bang for their buck.
.
"they keep seeing reviews about my place"
Again, it is a proven fact that people read reviews. Not really sure what the argument is about, check your reviews, stay on top of your business, anything that impacts your business.
Otherwise leave the online forums and dig a hole and stuff your head in it. We live in a tech world, this is part of our business, this is our livelihood, it is our job to be good at it, to know as much as we can that will help us in what we do, to be the best. Unless you don't care about being good at it, or being the best at what you do.
There is another online forum and they are only now sharing the "6 newly ordained priests coming to your inn for 2 weeks" scam, where they are being scammed! They are there to warn people "what happened to us we don't want to happen to you..." I mean think about it, we have been sharing this info for 5 to 10 years now.
.
Joey Bloggs said:
Otherwise leave the online forums and dig a hole and stuff your head in it. We live in a tech world, this is part of our business, this is our livelihood, it is our job to be good at it, to know as much as we can that will help us in what we do, to be the best. Unless you don't care about being good at it, or being the best at what you do.
Sorry, I just disagree. I AM THE BEST AT WHAT I DO. I don't need a review to tell me I am. Nothing anyone writes, says, etc. is going to change what I do. I live it every second of every day. I know what works for my home and business and what doesn't. I am 100% honest and fair. I always give as much as I can.
Thank you, I am now leaving this forum and going back to my hole in the sand...it is lovely, warm and comfortable there. Best of luck to all those looking for validation outside of themselves, you will never find it and to me that is so incredibly sad.
.
Y A YA YOU ROCK!! DD
Yes sand is a warm place to be. It beats the cold back stabbing people out there.
I do appreciate guests telling me that their stay was wonderful and much more then they expected.BUT! even more I appreciate it when a guest lets me know things are not going well for them ,and I can correct the situation and turn their stay around into a better place to stay or a very happy experience.TA will NEVER do that !!!
TA suites some but is not for every one. If it works for you great!
I have a lot of first time B&B guests, about 40%, most said they thought they would just try a B&B instead of a Motel / Hotel. Every one of them have commented that they enjoyed the the B&B experience, and will look forward to doing a B&B more often. They picked us because of our web site NOT TA. Thank you DD
Let me tell you all I am not slamming any one , just telling you how I feel.
 
As was pointed out this was not a TA review. And I can see how some folks don;t want to feel hostage to the review system. Also as noted, they do effect us. No way around it that I can see..
toddburme said:
As was pointed out this was not a TA review. And I can see how some folks don;t want to feel hostage to the review system. Also as noted, they do effect us. No way around it that I can see.
Agreed. Don't want to feel hostage to the TA dictatorship, but unfortunately that's the reality. We are #1 & checking it is something I do daily... We have large mortgages to pay & again, unfortunatley, folks book according to TA, so it has great influence...
 
I appear to be in the minority here - but I also feel bad when a local innkeeper gets a less than stellar review. There was one in particular that concerned Valentine's Day .... a minefield event if there ever was one. They raved about everything - "perfect", "amazing", "sleeping extremely well" talked about moving from a scented jacuzzi bath into soft robes etc etc and then only gave 4 stars.
T(H)A(T) site is something I check on regularly (and worry about) because so many of my guests cite it as the reason for booking here. Doesn't mean it's right - but for me it's a reality. I never know who is going to leave a review or what it's going to say and one day there will come the OMG moment .... I'll just have to get over it..
I feel badly also. Have called a fellow innkeeper to express sympathy.
 
C'mon people! Spend more time LIVING and less time reading stupid TA!!!!.
Yea!! DD I agree. Here is a news flash that may surprizes most. I have been in business for many a year. I donot use TA ever!! I ask all my guest to not use them. I also give them sites that are not mean spirIted. The no response from T...A... ummm guess what guests are amazed when I show them what happens. I feel if a person can not tell you to your face they are unhappy, then their word is not worth much!!! IN MY BOOKS...... That is back stabbing and very mean.
.
Flower said:
Yea!! DD I agree. Here is a news flash that may surprizes most. I have been in business for many a year. I donot use TA ever!! I ask all my guest to not use them. I also give them sites that are not mean spirIted. The no response from T...A... ummm guess what guests are amazed when I show them what happens. I feel if a person can not tell you to your face they are unhappy, then their word is not worth much!!! IN MY BOOKS...... That is back stabbing and very mean.
Agreed re: the "back stabbing & mean.." BUT, I'd say 80-90% of our guests found us via TA. Thus we can't ignore the fact. Tho, would like to stick TA in that "hole" discussed elsewhere in this thread :)
 
I hate the trip adviser principle as I see no reason it should be annonomous if you are going to say something that affects a business or a person you should legally have to put your name to it.
 
Back
Top