Some goodpoints there Traveller I alsotend to use Tripadvisor but still check out HT. The thing about this site is that you feel valued as a member wheras Trip the admin are totaly remote.

I'll be honest that I long gave up on adding hotel review on the site. I just felt there were not enough to be useful and other sites like TripAdvisor have more reviewers

if this is the general attitude of members then now we know why

What about a forum to post coupon codes

we don't have a separate forum but we have always run a promotional codes thread in the general enquiries section

Dazbo for example seems to spend a great amount of time and trouble on Holiday-truths answering (often the same) questions. Whilst he sometime receives a posted reply thanking him for his efforts (but in many cases I suspect not) - would

this doesn't only apply to the airlines and airports thread but across the board a simple thanks occasionally would give a boost the members too often no response from the questioner is the norm..

ALWAYS remember that HT is 100% independent whereas TA is owned by one of the US biggest on line travel groups [expedia] also we welcome [all be it only a few at the moment] tour operators/airlines/travel agents to join and give advice [though most who have joined do so as individuals not as company representatives]

We the admin and mods of HT put in a lot of collective time [at no cost to the site] to try and keep the site not only user friendly but in the bounds of common decency and the law.. ALL reviews and Memberships are checked as best we can to avoid erroneous hotel reports [for which TA is renowned for] and blatant advertising

we are also among the few with a tie up to FREE professional travel legal advice for our members

Yasus
Brian
The-Wizard

I must admit I now tend to use TA more for reviews but only because there are many many more up to date ones . But that is where my loyalty ends . I dont particularly like the forums there . They are a confusing mess & often unfriendly . I always still place my review here but as a thank you for help to my questions there I always leave an identical review too.

I've also looked at the travel forums on MSE & must admit do like the section where people post bargains . Often members have put them together themselves based on budget flights and cheap hotel deals. Seems friendly there too but for some reason havnt taken to it in the same way I do the forums here.

A deals forum would be a valued addition here but obviously more work for the mods. I also like the link that TA provides on their reviews to contact that reviewer but i dont think that would be possible here would it ??. I've had many contacts there from reviews I've left . Ok it can be annoying when you get loads of questions but I've always had lots of thanks for my reviews too .

I too would like it if more posters thank us all for our reply's and efforts & "thank you " style buttons are useful but I often think a little impersonal if you dont know who is thanking you and not as good as the real thing.

lyn

I think that was a good post with you Traveller. I also think that the number of posts here has dwindled - no idea why as I love the forum. Maybe this is a chance for others to give some new ideas on how to liven up the forums. I leave my reviews on here and occasionally remember to post them on TA too. When reading reviews I check out a number of sites including HT and TA. I agree with Lyn, in that the TA forum is much less user friendly than here. Topics merge into each other and many of the posters are arrogant or rude

HT is still my favourite travel forum and I will remain loyal but I wonder if there is a way we can breathe some fresh life into it

I'll be honest that I long gave up on adding hotel review on the site. I just felt there were not enough to be useful and other sites like TripAdvisor have more reviewers, better following and therefore more up to date views and tips on the best (and worst) hotels. I now post on TripAdvisor instead and I suspect I'm not the only one.

that is part of the problem why there is a drop in submitted reviews, there is no reason that reviews cannot be posted on both sites, it is very easy to copy and paste.

Worth remebering that HT is still the ONLY truly independent holiday website.

I'm with traveller on this one.. I post hotel reviews here (and also on TA), but I don't participate in their forums....
Much more friendly over here!

ATB,J.

I discovered HT many years ago when I got my first computer. Since then I have enjoyed reading reviews and comments gaining lots of information. I am spending time at present trying to decide on holidays for 2011 and each time I find a prospective hotel/destination my first port of call is HT. Yes like others I also check out the other review sites as well. Indeed having read on HT so many of the problems people have encountered I would be foolish if I just read one.

Perhaps just listing which members who have stayed at a particularly hotel and members could then just send a private message to that member to ask a question?

Some time ago I suggested that the holiday reviews be changed slightly to show the user name of those posting. If someone posts as for example "Traveller" but writes their review as "The Smith Family" it means nothing, particularly if the review is a rant. We are all used to reading the "Dont use this TO" type post. Is it genuine or as is often the case someone who would find fault no matter what. On a couple of occasions when I have been able to identify the member posting the review I have PMd them and got the help and information I needed.

HT has changed over the time I have been a member and the questions are not the same. In the past we had genuine people seeking information and advice. So often these days someone asks a question and does not have the courtesy to tell us if the help and advice we have given was of any use. Even worse (being polite here) when members have put a great deal of effort into crafting a reply the person asking the question accuses us of being in the pockets of the TO.

The independence of HT has always been its strength as those members who do post on a regular basis are real people. On other sites I often wonder if many of the reviews are posted by people who enjoy causing problems rather than helping others.

fwh

I discovered HT many years ago when I got my first computer

But surely that wasn't in 1970?


ATB,J.

But surely that wasn't in 1970?

1870 Some of us have been around a long, long time.

fwh

I dont think it is a contentious post at all..I am sure there are many others that feel that way or else the number of postings would not be falling.

My only loyalty is to HT. I always add a review for the hotel when we have been away on holiday..and now I am trying to get into the habit of adding a review for a hotel even if we only go away for the weekend. i dont follow TA at all as I am not into this cold and impersonal approach. I prefer HT every time but I do have to admit that I have tried to find reviews on hotels before and nothing has been added for about 3 years...

Overe here, there always seems to be someone able to help you out no matter what the dilemma is..there is always plenty of advice available.

It is a common problem that sometimes people cannot be bothered to even acknowledge or say thank you to someone who has taken the time and trouble to reasearch and answer a question..but there are people like that in every walk of life.

I am not sure what fresh ideas can be brought to HT.

Good post Traveller, I think it will lead to a good discussion. There are several reasons why I choose to use HT. I find that the reviews and posts tend to be more objective and, although they may contain a rant, they seem to be more level headed than on other sites. I also find that even when members may disagree with a post they will come on and say so in a reasoned manner rather than attacking the original poster. Most of all though, I come on here because of the moderators and admin of the site. I can say with hand on heart I have never been on a forum where the mods and admin are so level headed and fair even on the odd occasion that they have to deal with a heated topic.
There are many other reasons why I come on HT but this is just a summary, I have learned a vast amount about places that I intend to visit and for that I am very grateful. In short I say to all the members, mods and admin of HT, many, many thanks for your continuing help and online friendship, it means a great deal to me. May 2011 be all that you wish for.

John

great post, traveller, i've been a member of HT for a few years myself and thoroghly enjoy reading the posts, but, like many, my first port of call for hotel reviews is trip advisor, same thing, more up to date reviews. However, I always write in a review on both sites on return from holiday, seems a helpful thing to do seeing as this is a holiday forum ! I do like trip advisor ( i'm a destination expert , as they title you , for my home town !!) but I wil agree that the forums are nowhere near as friendly as here .
whilst TA has mods that are invisible, faceless, impersnable, our HT mods are warm, helpfull and always there for you
cheers,
juby

Firstly Traveller let me put your mind at rest....We accept all ideas at HT so please don't worry about your post.

Holidaytruths started in 1999 and at the time we were the only hotel review site...The forums sprang from a desire by visitors to ask questions of the reviewers.... I was receiving 100s of emails a day asking me what it was like at A, B or C...even though I'd never visited the places, but as I had reviews for them visitors assumed I could respond.

The main problems with the hotel reviews are as follows.

1) The number of sites offering reviews increased spreading the reviews around. This includes Tour Operators own sites.
2) The Tour Operators have one thing we don't...Return dates. They are able to email the holidaymaker asking them to review the hotel on their site as soon as they arrive home.
3) Capital..We are an independent site run by members sat at home. We don't have an office nor desks and we do it all for the pleasure. This means we are limited by funds. We have to pay for the servers to run the site and the advertising covers this. We don't have thousands to spend on advertising and we rely on word of mouth over and above anything else to drive visitors to the site. A lot of review sites have sold out to a bigger companies and I believe there is only one independent outside HT left in the reviews field.
4) Persuading people to post reviews. You yourself have said you post reviews on TA rather than here...My hands are tied...I can't force anyone and if, like you, members prefer to post reviews on TA then there's very little I can do...however that doesn't stop me from making changes on the reviews side which I've been doing for a few weeks behind closed doors...If I follow it through it'll come online soon.

Perhaps just listing which members who have stayed at a particularly hotel and members could then just send a private message to that member to ask a question?

With regard to this comment...I can see this as an addition rather than a replacement for the reviews. The forums were introduced to deal with that issue and I'd rather the info be posted publicly rather than by PM as it's available to all then.

With regard to "Thanks"...This has always been an issue on the forums. Manners cost nothing but the internet is so impersonal that manners seem to go out of the windows in many respects. We always try to be welcoming and show our faces to get across the friendly and mature nature of the forums but sometimes people just won't say thanks.

Brian's covered the voucher forum issue so I'll leave that one for now.

With regards to posts on the boards. Yes there has been a drop, however, the information is still getting out there as the visitor numbers for the same period last year are lower than this year, if only slightly.

We're constantly looking for ways to improve but some features seem to fall on deaf ears...The .tv site for example. Created for members to post their photos and videos for the world to see but the uptake has been minimal. We have doubled server capacity over the past 12 months for the hotel reviews and forums and (fingers crossed) we've managed to alleviate the speeds issues we suffered earlier in the year. The .tv is on a separate server again to relieve the strain on the reviews and forums.

We provide things like the calendars / car stickers and wristbands to increase awareness and allow members to meet in the real world if they wish. The uptake on the latest batch of wristbands has been good and I'm looking at getting some more if they continue to fly out as they are doing at the moment. The more people that wear them and get asked about them the better as the word will spread.

I see it's been mentioned about the mods and admins at HT. It's always been my belief that there is no need for rudeness and arguments in a mature site and I've always tried to train the mods and admins to my line of thinking...Frank, fair discussion can achieve so much more than a "he said this so I said that..." situation. I like the mods to be in the thick of it helping where they can and offering their own opinions, they're as valid members as anyone else and I'm glad to see it's appreciated
Moving on to Simpson Millar solicitors. We always want to offer the best we can for our members / guests. Since Ros retired we've managed to sort things with SM. Myself and Glynis had a meeting with them last month and I'll be meeting with them in January.

I think I've covered most things...If there's anything I've missed just holler...

I'm actually overcome by the comments about the mods and admin...

Please feel free to continue the discussion and let's see what ideas we can come up with...It's your forum...your space...get yer thinking caps on!

Regards

Van

like most others, i use HT predominantly, but am also a Destination Expert on Trip Advisor.
i post hotel reviews on both sites under my name, as i think that it gives anyone who reads them the option to see who exactly is posting the rubbish i normally write.
i personally find that TA has more current reviews than HT, only to be expected really, but i think this may be partly due to the number of members here who go back to the same place/hotel each year.
i am sure at one time that you could not post another review for the same hotel on here, but maybe that has changed.
it was mentioned on here a while ago that we had a lot of 1 or 2 post people, who tended to come for help (or a rant) about a problem on holiday, but they then did not come back. is there not a way to e-mail these people every 6 months say to remind them that we exist.
i also like the forum on MSE, and a lot of people here and on TA seem to make use of this forum as well.although it does offer some good advice sometimes, i find that i am very wary of the knowledge of some of the posters as it is a general type forum and you do not get the same feeling that they offer any real expertise. on TA you have the destination experts, and like on here you can see postings in a select area that interests you, and get the feeling that you "get to know" the regular posters for that area, and so you can evaluate the advice you get more easily.
i do like their thanks button, and if it could be incorporated here i think that would be a good idea.
i also used to use the Holiday Watchdog site a lot, but they undertook some major changes to their forums, as well as selling out to a tour company,and their admin failed to provide what the members wanted and that site has ground to a halt over the last year or so.
so we have to be careful in making changes just for the sake of change.
a few minor tweaks like the thanks button, and following up on 1 post wonders may help.

Firstly many thanks for all you comments regarding the mods and Admin

I'd be in favour of the 'like' / 'thanks' button as long as it didn't stop people from actually posting their comments (ie not an easy way out of saying thank you).

I have also thought that destination experts was a good idea as, it gives something back to the members who are knowledgeable in certain areas and can also be reassurance for a new member who's seeking advice within that area.

Reviews - My problem with reviews is, not only getting the visitors to post, but also keeping on top of the hotel listings. I've often wondered if it would be a good idea for all concerned (HT & it's loyal members) if some assistance in getting the hotels added would be a good thing. IE any Destination Expert could also keep track of the hotels we don't have listed that could then be added. Or, maybe members who particularly like a certain area share in assisting us to ensure our hotels listing is up to date.

jimd-f wrote:

i am sure at one time that you could not post another review for the same hotel on here,

This has never been the case Jim, we often have reviews from posters who are revisiting a hotel
Many thanks for all your constructive comments.

Have popped back into this thread as here is an example of where I'd find a 'like' button helpful. emdia43's post. :-

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=149592

Well I think HT is the best.
My family think I am very clever when booking holidays because I always seem to get it right,little do they know that it is all down to the invaluable advice I get on here! in fact they always ask my advice before booking, and by the way I always say thank you.
When I was looking for a cruise I was pointed towards cruisecritic and although there was some very good advice I found some of the posts very abrupt.
Long live Ht.
Jeanie

very interesting thread, with some excellent comments & suggestions. I've been around HT for yonks, and was a mod for a bit too, and I still think it is one of the best resources for information around; I tend to ask questions in the forum rather than check the hotel reviews, simply because so many of the reviews are 2 or 3 years old - although I always post a review, but a lot of people obvioiusly don't. The depth of knowledge here is greater, in my opinion, than the likes of TA (where I also leave reviews), and perhaps we could acknowledge that by having a sort of "destination expert" equivalent. I also like the idea of a thanks and/or like it button as sometimes that's all there is to say, and a lot of people won't bother to post - rude I know, but

Traveller, this is a great post and has made me really think. I dont often post reviews of hotels, as I think "who wants to know what I think" crazy but true. but We go away about 4 times a year so I shall endeavour to review. I usually ask my questions on here as it is a much friendlier site. On the other site, you tend to get a weblink thrown at you, i want peoples views, I am perfectly able to look at websites myself. I think a thank you button would be a great idea, I sometimes worry it looks like im bumping my post when I go on and thank people.
We have great mods on here and people who take a lot of time to answer and help so to you all