Resort Reviews How Much Attention Do You Pay?

[silentg]

Hi Tuggers!
I have been looking at RCI exchanges, since I have some TPU s in my account now.
Was holding a week at a Wyndham in Tennessee until I read a really unfairable review. So many excellent ones, but the bad one stuck out in my mind.
Just confirmed at a resort in Fort Myers, FL area, where we have stayed before. A few unfavorable reviews there too, but the resort staff, seemed to listen to the complaints and fixed any problems. They have made changes , updated the units. We snagged a two
bedroom ! Only a few of them at the resort!
My question is, how much attention do you pay to resort reviews and do they determine where you go and what to avoid?
Also do you submit reviews? Good or Bad? I usually write TUG reviews and Trip Advisor too.
RCI uses Trip Advisor reviews for their pages now. Thanks !
Silentg

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

I submit them, and I read them.

When reading, I fully understand that there will be a WIDE variance between the person who thought it was "AWESOME", hence a '10', and another, staying at the same place, thinking it was "AWFUL", hence a '1'.

I am always amazed at those that seem like their vacation stay was RUINED by some crumbs on the floor, or some trash forgotten in a waste basket, etc.

I try to look at the 'whole picture' of the reviews.

It is the SAME for Restaurant Reviews, Movie reviews, etc.

Pat

 

[Panina]

Hi Tuggers!
I have been looking at RCI exchanges, since I have some TPU s in my account now.
Was holding a week at a Wyndham in Tennessee until I read a really unfairable review. So many excellent ones, but the bad one stuck out in my mind.
Just confirmed at a resort in Fort Myers, FL area, where we have stayed before. A few unfavorable reviews there too, but the resort staff, seemed to listen to the complaints and fixed any problems. They have made changes , updated the units. We snagged a two
bedroom ! Only a few of them at the resort!
My question is, how much attention do you pay to resort reviews and do they determine where you go and what to avoid?
Also do you submit reviews? Good or Bad? I usually write TUG reviews and Trip Advisor too.
RCI uses Trip Advisor reviews for their pages now. Thanks !
Silentg

I pay much more attention to bad reviews from an actual rci member versus trip advisor because people that rent in a timeshare community but do not have timeshares might have expectations that are not met and rate it low, such as no housekeeping included or no view in room and they want another room that is not available. If they get upset over issues like this it can affect the whole review.

The reviews I pay attention to the most are tug reviews. As with any review one has to realize everyones expectations are different. If one loves a mega resort, one might not rate a small nice resort well and vica versa. It is easy to read between the lines at times.

I always write reviews on tug and respond to the surveys I receive from II, RCI and the the resorts that sometimes sends them.

I check resorts Facebook and the resorts website. Just today I saw a resort in RCI that had the blue hospitality rating. There were very few reviews everywhere. The complaints were could use updating, decor dated. I went to the resorts website to see additional picture. Looked like the decor of lots of resorts I like but the kitchen looked dated and there were no bathroom pictures which is a clue. I then was able to read the prior minutes of the board and within them were a discussion about rci rating and remarks . Where most were very possitive, the dated kitchen and baths were mentioned. Also read there are now planned renovations and saw the pictures on how they will look. Also found out they just joined II too. Enough for me to take a chance as my trade is for the end of 2020.

 

[DaveNV]

I do pay attention to reviews, but it's all about context. I consider a lot of this sort of thing the "Lumpy Pillow Syndrome." I read reviews, but take anything negative on Trip Advisor with a HUGE grain of salt, because there is no standard. It's a bit of the Wild, Wild West out there in Reviewland.

Much as Panina mentions, a lot of poor reviews are from people who have the wrong expectations. And then there are the fake reviews, (more likely in restaurants), where a competitor posts a bad review to promote their own location. I'll pay closer attention to a Tug review, and any follow-up to that review, compared to a Trip Advisor review.

But honestly, at the end of the day, for me it's more about where the location is, vs. how perfect a resort in that location may be. In a given location, I can usually tell that Resort A is a better-run place than Resort B. So given the choice, I'd choose A. But is Resort B truly that awful? If a hundred people rate it well, and one or two bellyache about something stupid, does that really matter? I consider the source, make an informed decision, and move on. Chances are, staying at Resort B would give me a great vacation experience. 99% of the time, the issue being complained about never happens to me. Or if it does, taken in context, it's just not that big of a deal.

Now, the opposite is true as well: If the majority of reviews complain about the same something or other, chances are good the resort itself isn't well run, and I'm likely to pass it by, in favor of something that gets more favorable reviews.

I think a lot of people on vacation expect things to be absolutely perfect, and find fault with something they'd never complain about at home.

Dave

 

[Shankilicious]

I used to start off by looking at RCI/II awards gold/elite but I've come across so many resorts that are in both II and RCI that will be gold in II but no awards in RCI. I like having the amenities I want more than anything else. Then I look at reviews and read through them.
I have reviewed a couple resorts on II and gotten at least one bonus AC for it. So I recommend reviewing/filling out the surveys on II.
And like Cowboys Fan said, gotta take reviews with a grain of salt. If it's just myself/immediate family going, I'll take more of a chance than if it's a friend going or a family gathering.

 

[bluehende]

I read them all the time. You can usually get a feel for the place that way. Like other's I look at the bad ones the most. It ispretty easy to tell from them if the reviewer is more the problem than the resort, but a consistent complaint is what I am looking for. If I see multiple mentions of a problem that would really bother me I move on. I am not very particular so rarely rule out a resort completely.

 

[Panina]

I used to start off by looking at RCI/II awards gold/elite but I've come across so many resorts that are in both II and RCI that will be gold in II but no awards in RCI. I like having the amenities I want more than anything else. Then I look at reviews and read through them.
I have reviewed a couple resorts on II and gotten at least one bonus AC for it. So I recommend reviewing/filling out the surveys on II.
And like Cowboys Fan said, gotta take reviews with a grain of salt. If it's just myself/immediate family going, I'll take more of a chance than if it's a friend going or a family gathering.

I usually see the opposite, a designation in rci but not ii. There are alot of smaller, updated resorts that are in ii with no designation that that have limited exchange activity that are really very nice such as The Banyan in Key West and Gulf Tides in Longboat Keys.

 

[Sandy VDH]

I do not pay attention to the very worst or the very best reviews. I do look at the average of the reviews.

Some people are really nit picky and there is NO making them happy, plus I think a few even have an agenda, like to get something back from the resort. I know a person like that and it drives me crazy. I will NOT ever travel with them.

Really glowing glowing glowing reviews makes me think that they have a horse in the race, ie, they own at that resort and they are trying to shed the best light on it.

So if I remove the extremes what does the average say. I also check tripadvisor as well, especially for areas or resorts that I don't have as much personal experience with.

 

[Lisa P]

I skim through TripAdvisor reviews, only to see if there are non-negotiable (for me) complaints: A security/safety issue (sketchy area, loose door locks, repeated police siren calls to the neighborhood, etc.) is non-negotiable for me, as are significant maintenance/cleanliness issues that are not addressed appropriately once staff are notified (bed bugs, ant/flea infestation, plumbing leaks, elevator down, cloudy/dirty swimming pool). Beyond the essentials, I don't give much attention to TripAdvisor for timeshare reviews.

RCI reviews (excluding TripAdvisor) are read but taken with a grain of salt. People who rent through RCI outlets or who seldom exchange can post unrealistic reviews as well. Sometimes, people post that this was their first exchange and the resort is not as luxurious as their home resort so they slam the resort... then mention that their home resort is in overbuilt Orlando where many resorts have more amenities than elsewhere in the country, or in Mexico where daily housekeeping is often included. I find it ridiculous to complain about a resort located in a remote, quiet, natural setting having "nothing to do in the area" when relaxation is the point of such resorts and there are numerous hiking/biking trails, natural beauty, a resort spa, golf/tennis, and/or lake recreation available. People choose these remote resorts (ever heard of Google maps?), then post negative reviews because they were bored and didn't know how to make their own fun - unreasonable, IMO.

OTOH, I thoroughly read TUG reviews, taking note of which reviews are posted by owners, who may be biased but also may have inside info about the state of repairs. Comparing the positives/negatives of each review with the things I care about the most will help me decide if I want to go there. My priorities are different on each trip, depending on the destination and who's traveling with me. I value TUG reviews so I post them after most of my trips. If posted TUG reviews are not sufficient to help me decide, I'll post questions here.

 

[jackio]

I read reviews on TUG, RCI and Trip Advisor, but also give most weight to the TUG reviews. I try to find reviews that are pretty current. I also look at the average rating to get a feel for what most people are thinking.
If a resort is where I want to go, and the reviews are mediocre, I still will probably go, unless the concerns mentioned are worrisome. I figure you take your chances with a lot of hotels also.

 

[dms1709]

I always read the reviews on tug first, if they are current, then I branch out to trip advisor.

 

[bbodb1]

Once I settle on the destinations for the upcoming year of vacation scheduling, I will start doing some reading of potential resorts on TUG. As others here have mentioned, I'll look for trends in the reviews, comments that justify the ratings, things of that nature that substantiate ratings (both good and bad). I've found some good reviews on Trip Advisor by looking for reviews with detailed explanations but they are not the norm (sadly).

TUG reviews tend to be better but there are still too many reviews lacking depth and explanation for their ratings - too many high ratings that simply state we loved our vacation and would stay here again WITHOUT explaining the why.....

To answer the OP though, I do pay attention to resort reviews, but I try and make sure any conclusions I draw from the reviews are based on information and feedback seen across multiple reviews.

 

[WinniWoman]

I always read reviews. In fact, just this weekend while booking a hotel for our Vegas flight in Sept. I inadvertently booked (on Booking.com) at a La Quinta Inn by the airport that seemed to have decent reviews that were from Trip Advisor, but posted/linked on the Booking.com website.

The next day something told me to go directly to Trip Advisor and double check the reviews and low and behold most were not good. Turns out there are 2 La Quintas by the airport- one North and one South. I had booked the North one, but it was the South one that had the great reviews.

So I quickly cancelled the North one and booked the South one.

I like the reviews on Trip Advisor the best- even for timeshare resorts- though I will check RCI and TUG for timeshares as well.

I very often will ask other travelers questions on Trip Advisor, just as I would do on TUG.

 

[mbh]

Always check TUG reviews first, with special interest to reviews by exchangers, as owners generally rate their resort higher than exchangers. If that is not sufficient, then on to Trip Advisor, with a special interest in looking for consistency. It's like Olympic judging, throw out the high and the low and average the rest.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I read tripadvisor and Tug reviews. I look at them in aggregate and particularly look at the negative reviews. That is, if I read a single negative review, it doesn't freak me out. I look for commonality between reviews and trends. I also discount people complaining of "no room service", "no daily maid service", etc.

In some cases on the negative reviews I make note of things that I may be able to avoid. Like: don't stay by Cook Street. I also make note of things that were positive highlights with the thought of trying to seek them out.

I have written perhaps 10 plus Tug reviews and have written a ton of TA reviews. Last count, 130,000 people had read my TA reviews. On TA, I tend to be a positive reviewer. So perhaps 90 percent of my reviews are either positive or largely positive, but I have posted a few negative reviews. But I felt that they were justified. In two cases we were contacted after my review by that company and they tried to make things "right".

 

[hjsweet2002]

In the past we have read them and evaluated the content. We decided to visit the resorts despite the negative points. We found that the resorts always met our expectations. Therefore, we decided that if we wanted to go to a specific resort, we would go and check it out. If we didn't like it we would not go back. I guess we don't really have exaggerated expectations. In our travels, we have decided on two resorts we wouldn't go back to due to being to spread out or too large, too busy. The units were nice but the atmosphere was not to our specific likings.

 

[sfwilshire]

I read TUG reviews for timeshares and TripAdvisor for hotels and sometimes for timeshares if there aren't a lot of recent TUG reviews. I especially read the bad reviews to see if the issues reported are things that would concern me. Major lack of cleanliness is usually a deal breaker. Any mention of bed bugs ends the research. Not being fancy doesn't really bother me. I also consider the timing of reviews. If they have gotten significantly better or worse, it sounds like things are changing at the property. For example, I gave a Minneapolis hotel a pretty bad review a couple of years ago, but more recent reviews were very favorable. I stayed there last week and really enjoyed my short visit. The things that were disappointing during my first stay had been resolved when they finished their major renovation.

Sheila