bcworld

Last year when working in Sydney I made a fairly last minute booking at a busy time and ended up with very little choice of where to stay.

I ended up in a small North Shore hotel.

It was a HOLE...my room was shocking, but I knew everywhere else was full and I wasn't prepared to ask my employer to pay the $500/night it would've cost to get a room somewhere in the CBD that week.

A few months later I came across some photos I took to send to the people back at the office so they could have a laugh about it...and I decided to put a review on Tripadvisor, with the photos.

My review was just the latest of a seriers of dismal reviews...generally 1 blob out of 5 on the Tripadvisor scale, so my experience wasn't unusual.

This week I was contacted by that hotel, who seems to have recently signed up a tripadvisor account. They told me that since the review and photos were posted they have experienced a significant loss of business; that my photos are not representative of most of the other rooms and that the room I stayed in was a budget room (not how it was advertised - the words luxury & refurbished were used). They offered me a partial refund and asked me to consider removing the photos. I told them I wasn't interested. I'm a bit annoyed because they have commented on all the negative reviews stating that they believe they MAY have been posted by a rival hotel or disgruntled ex employee. They have also commented on my review that I was staying in their budget accommodation when as I said that wasn't what I paid for or believed I was getting.

Miraculously since the hotel signed up to Tripadvisor a few weeks ago they received some positive reviews at last! Tripadvisor has since deleted at least one of them. Written by themselves I expect.

They have now written to me again, offering me a full refund ($400) directly in return for deleting my review. The have stated that they estimate their loss of turnover at up to $80k!!! And they would like me to talk to the owner.

All of this is completely inappropriate through the Tripadvisor system of course.

They seem desperate, and they believe they have been 'sufficiently penalised' - their words. I don't have any interest in putting them out of business but their hotel stinks...my review is accurate and I didn't even write much, just let the photos do the talking.

What would you do? Take the money and remove the review? Just remove the review? Leave the review and dob them in to Tripadvisor? Or something else? My gut feeling is to ask them to remove all the management comments from other guests reviews and perhaps ask them to be more honest in their marketing and wait and see what happens before removing the pics.

RedT

I don't see how the hotel thinks it's relevant that all the OTHER rooms are supposedly luxurious, if your room was a hole (and you have pictures for Gods sake!) then it was a hole. If they've had their say in response to your review then I would leave it at that and have nothing further to do with them. If they can't compete in the marketplace with their product then that's not your problem.

Interestingly I have been reading lots of Tripadvisor reviews for hotels in Singapore lately. Some hotel management in particular are very good at responding (mostly fairly and reasonably) to each and every review, offering explanations where necessary and usually offering apologies and asking for a chance to create a better experience next time. It comes across as very civil and as if they actually care. They may not of course but it's a good PR exercise.

Dreamy

I'd be loath to remove the review - it represented your experience of the trip. Could you add to the review to say that the hotel had since contacted you with a view to compensating you for your experience?

I'd send the pictures to The Hotel Inspector and ask if she fancies a trip Down Under

bcworld

I would like the opportunity to comment on their comment, but there is no way to do that. The only way to edit a review is to delete and start again.

Would be good to get Alex down there...she'd LOVE it!

Dreamy

I've never used Tripadvisor - can you not comment on your own review?

Alex would be fabulous in Australia, lol. At least the hotel owners wouldn't looked shocked when she was effing and blinding at them

renth

You delete the review and you'll never see the cash, guaranteed. Don't do it.

bcworld

Nope, no editing or commenting. They have forums as well which are different.

jad n rich

A few months back wasnt there a group of hotels or airlines trying to get tripadvisor ( or similar )shut down or shut up.

Maybe that failed so cash offers are now on the table, if its taken that tone just email back and ask for 40,000 not 400.

I always check out my trips on tripadvisor, great website IMO.

Dreamy

In that case I'd leave the review as it stands and let Tripadvisor know that the hotel is using information on the site in a harassing manner.

Bugger'em.

Sherro

Id ask them to prove that they had bucked up their ideas and made the hotel a much more pleasant place and hospitable etc (not sure how they could do that but anyway)

Then donate the cash to a charity of my choice, then remove the post, but tell them you will mystery shop them again in a few months and if they still suck, GUESS WHAT, trip advisor will get another story, this time commenting on the WHOLE approach and their dodgy ways to get you to remove post etc.

that way, hotel gets another chance, you feel good cos you donated to a charity and they get put on notice

bcworld

I did sort of think something like that. Ask em to go and stand in room 26 tomorrow with a copy of that day's SMH, take photos and show me how awesome the room now is (they say they've refurbed....don't believe them, the place was actually quite new, the bit I stayed in anyway). All sounds a bit far fetched though!

Sherro

well you know, i think every business has times where they take the pi** but hotels are generally a mugs game and just so hard to make money these days that standards slip and especially in the more boutique ones, but it sounds like they are desperate to do something about it, even if their approach isn't perhaps the best.

yeah well I could go either way, tell em to go away and just focus on customer service and take it as big learnings and remind them thousands of other hotels also have poor reviews for a reason, or tell them to provide you with recent photos to prove that the shi*hole you had to put up with no longer is there.

Have fun

Dorothy

I would leave the review and photos up. If your experience was truly awful and you're being honest in your review then it's fair and accurate. Expecially if you have photos to prove what you're saying. I would not take money from them to remove the review. Even giving it to charity won't make you feel good about it. If the hotel contacts you again forward all their emails to Tripadvisor and maybe the SMH letters to the editor section.

Sherro

i dont agree, I think that is a bit harsh. The problem with Trip Advisor when you run a small business is it can REALLY hurt you if you stuff up. The problem with posting a bad review (and I have done it) is that it sticks, and people will avoid going to that place, even long after the hotel or whatever has fixed its ways. I think a good test is where there as loads of poor reviews and clear the manager or owner isnt bothered by them and ignores them, but if someone reaches out and tries to compromise with you and offer some sense of acknowledgement and refund I think thats actually quite an OK thing to do and makes perfect business sense. Reporting them to the Paper for trying to fix their ways seems a bit humbug to me, and I bet if it where someone you know running the hotel youd be far more leniant.

come on guys lighten up a bit, be flexible, charitable, and accepting.

bcworld

I generally agree with what you're saying.

But I do believe that the hotel has posted its own positive reviews recently. Plus I think the accusation that the negative reviews have been posted by a competitor is bogus. Hence why I'd like them to remove that comment, and let the historical record of negative reviews stand.

Desperate they may be...but fixing their ways I'm not so sure. All they seem to be doing is trying to pay me off. Realistically I'm never going to stay there again so I won't know. All I can say is that the photos of the rooms on their website haven't changed to reflect the upgrading they claim has happened.