Do you have plans to travel this coming Christmas or New Years? If you do travel and book a hotel through one of the travel websites, you will probably receive an email following your trip asking you to review the hotel or activities. Writing a hotel review can be helpful to other travelers, but writing a review can be a challenge. That is why many reviewers write a one or two sentence review which is not very helpful. However reviews are an important part of making hotel selections as I noted in my post on choosing a hotel. As part of the travel community helping other travelers make good accommodation choices is valuable.
When we traveled to Taipei, Taiwan last year, the hotel we stayed in was a disappointment. The pictures had shown a light, bright room with big windows. The room we were in had a window in a door at the back of the room that lead out to a tiny balcony. Between the main room and this window was a curtain to separate the bathroom from the rest of the room. It was an odd configuration and very dark. I didn’t like it. If someone had pointed this out in an online review, I would have chosen somewhere else.
So what can you say that will be helpful to other travelers? The first answer is write about what is important to you. Address the things that you feel are important in a hotel room. There are the obvious things such as cleanliness and the courtesy of the staff, but go a little bit deeper. Here are some example of things that are important to me that are rarely mentioned in hotel reviews, but I wish they were.
First is electrical plugs. I use a c-pap machine at night to help me sleep, and I know many others who use them as well. Having a convenient plug next to the bed with an appropriate stand for my machine is important to me. Often I have to unplug a clock or lamp to get a usable plug or try to crawl behind a bed frame to reach one. On one occasion I remember setting my machine on a chair with the cord stretched way out to reach a plug. It’s hard to get that information. Even someone who doesn’t use a c-pap will want multiple convenient plugs available to recharge all his or her devices. That is considered crucial in today’s culture, and a room lacking in this amenity should be noted.
Along with the issue of electric plugs is the availability of Wi-Fi. All hotels offer it these days, but two questions need to be answered. One is do they charge extra? In my experience the more a hotel costs, the more likely they are to charge for internet service. While a person should find that detail in the hotel listing, a comment on that can be helpful. A hotel we stayed at in Las Vegas limited the amount of time one could use the internet for free; then they charged. More importantly perhaps is how well does the Wi-Fi functions. This year a couple of hotels we stayed at had very poor internet connections. Pages were slow to load or would not load at all. It was very frustrating and noted in my reviews.
Another important factor for me when writing a hotel review is a comfortable chair. A room with only a bed or perhaps a desk chair misses the mark for me. I don’t like to sit in bed to read or work on my laptop. A big comfy chair is a must for me to have an enjoyable evening. Make it a couch, and we are really in business.
Location can be a key factor and sometimes people do make note of that. I remember once considering a hotel, but a few reviewers mentioned that the nearest transit stop was a few blocks away, and it was uphill to the hotel. I chose another hotel. Others have mentioned noise issues. A hotel we stayed at in Ireland had Irish music every evening until close to midnight. Our room was far enough away that it wasn’t very loud, but my daughter’s room was right over the venue, and she complained about how hard it was to get to sleep. Duly noted in my review.
One category that is of importance to most people traveling in the US is the breakfast offering. This will often get a comment as to what foods are available and how crowded the area is where the breakfast is served. Along with these considerations for me is how well they maintain the breakfast. I admit I am not an early riser so I may get to breakfast towards the end of the designated time only to find that there is really nothing left to eat, particularly if there are hot items offered. To my way of thinking, if you say breakfast is until 9:00, then all offerings should be available until 9:00.
Some aspects of a review are subject to one’s personal taste, but they are worth noting as long as you recognize that. How hard or soft a bed or the pillow is, for example, or the decor of the room. I often see reviewers comment that a room is dated. I’m never quite sure what that means. Some people might love how a room has been decorated while other will feel it’s old fashioned. For me that is personal taste and not an important consideration. However, if the furniture is old or broken and not functioning well, that can be worth noting.
Writing a hotel review soon after you leave a place is important. If you are like me, it’s easy to forget minor details or confuse one place with another if you have stayed at more than one place. If I have waited more than a week, I am unlikely to write a review because I want to make sure my review is accurate. I also only write reviews on Trip Advisor. I am not loyal to any one travel booking site, and I like to have all my reviews in one place so I use Trip Advisor. In general I think the format there encourages more well thought out reviews than other sites. If you want to check out my reviews of the hotels I have stayed at to see what I have included, click here.
I appreciate it when someone takes the time to write a thoughtful review of a hotel room. It really has helped me on more than one occasion to make an appropriate choice for myself. For those who travel, this kind of cooperation can help to make the experience better for all of us.
What are some things you usually include when writing a hotel review? What is important to you? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.