Before.
We've booked a holiday!
WOW = Where you going?
Costa de - oh whatsits name - it is in the brochure.
That looks fantastic.
Yes TV - Jacuzzi - Olympic size pool - 24 hr bar - Entertainment and look at that beach.
Oh lucky you.
After
How was the holiday?
A NIGHTMARE
Oh my god - what was wrong?
Well you had to pay for the Jacuzzi and the air conditioning - It was full of Germans and Dutch and Italians and Russians - There were hardly any English there - They only had one kind of beer - the karaoke was terrible - nobody could sing a note - the food was all foreign - do you know they did not have a McDonalds - and the beach - it was packed - I am going to complain - the BROCHURE said it was an ideal get a way for a relaxing holiday - it was worse than Margate on a bank holiday.
Well what does it say in the brochure?
Well it did say it was a lively resort for 18 to 30s - a chance to enjoy foreign culture and food with an international clientele - and in right small print is said you had to pay for the Jacuzzi and air con - but I did not bother to read that bit - well you expect them to be included don't you. And why do they let foreigners go?
We might be a bit blasé when we read such as the above - most of us here are reasonably seasoned travellers but I do suspect that most of the complaints are simply because people do not bother to read the brochure.
Look at many of the complaints here on HT and it is obvious that a little bit of time just reading the brochure and T&Cs would have prevented it. Because it says great in two inch letters does not mean that it is. Even the word great can be said and mean different things.
In my experience agents really do want to help you get a good holiday. If you do you will come back and book another - If you don't it is not only the destination that will get bad publicity - you will also tell your friends it was the fault of the agent.
I do wonder sometimes if in the complaints section we would be better having a matrix asking questions rather than suffer the tirade we sometimes get. Yes people do sometimes get horrible holidays and yes they are right to complain, but so often the problem is that people have only looked at the pretty picture in the brochure.
fwh
LOL fhw you do make me laugh.
I can agree about complaints about foreigners and no English food. One of our reps has a one of these folks at the mo. She had to do a written complaint form with him
I can agree about complaints about foreigners and no English food. One of our reps has a one of these folks at the mo. She had to do a written complaint form with him
I saw one review of a hotel in Turkey (the visit was in July!) and one of the dislikes shown was -
'How hot it gets'.
Naughty hotel not to do something about the weather!
'How hot it gets'.
Naughty hotel not to do something about the weather!
I have just booked next year's holiday with Thomas Cook and couldn't be happier with the advice they offered.
I originally went to the travel agents with 2 hotels in mind having researched them on here but when the lady did a search she found another hotel which looked just as suitable for about £200 less. As I am now a single parent taking my 8 year old away for the first time I need to make sure I'm going to the right place etc being as I have to pay full price for him.
She looked at the gazeteer on line but there weren't many recent reviews so she then had a look on trip advisor for me - first time I have ever had that kind of help from a travel agent. Whilst I understand that she was keen for me to book, there was no pressure even though it was coming up to closing and she really made sure it was suitable before I went ahead and booked.
I think it's like anything, there are some agents who will really go out of their way to help and others that don't really know much about the places they are sending people. I think sites like this are invaluable in making decisions but I also agree that you have to read between the lines when looking at some of the reviews.
I originally went to the travel agents with 2 hotels in mind having researched them on here but when the lady did a search she found another hotel which looked just as suitable for about £200 less. As I am now a single parent taking my 8 year old away for the first time I need to make sure I'm going to the right place etc being as I have to pay full price for him.
She looked at the gazeteer on line but there weren't many recent reviews so she then had a look on trip advisor for me - first time I have ever had that kind of help from a travel agent. Whilst I understand that she was keen for me to book, there was no pressure even though it was coming up to closing and she really made sure it was suitable before I went ahead and booked.
I think it's like anything, there are some agents who will really go out of their way to help and others that don't really know much about the places they are sending people. I think sites like this are invaluable in making decisions but I also agree that you have to read between the lines when looking at some of the reviews.
As I mentioned in my earlier post I tend to do the 'homework' myself before decided to book at the hight street travel agent. Having said that, not once has any advice or additional information been volunteered to me by them, they have always been polite and pleasant and took my booking and money, but did not give any information at all.
leisurelad,
do you still send people to the casino royal in lloret? would you advise anyone not to go there if they wanted to book it?
i personally do not like the hotel primarily because of all the steps, and it is definitely not a place i would recommend to families. it is however in a good location and provides cheap(ish) accomodation for a spanish 3* hotel.
i know this hotel very well and, although i did consider staying there once because it was so cheap common sense prevailed, it does get some great reviews. i know these are mostly from the 18-30's in the summer, but they also get very good reviews from older people who stay there in the off season. i know older people who have stayed there over christmas who were very enthusiastic about it and have returned.
have you actually stayed/visited the hotel, or do you just go on feedback you have received.
i am not having a pop at you, but am just interested.
do you still send people to the casino royal in lloret? would you advise anyone not to go there if they wanted to book it?
i personally do not like the hotel primarily because of all the steps, and it is definitely not a place i would recommend to families. it is however in a good location and provides cheap(ish) accomodation for a spanish 3* hotel.
i know this hotel very well and, although i did consider staying there once because it was so cheap common sense prevailed, it does get some great reviews. i know these are mostly from the 18-30's in the summer, but they also get very good reviews from older people who stay there in the off season. i know older people who have stayed there over christmas who were very enthusiastic about it and have returned.
have you actually stayed/visited the hotel, or do you just go on feedback you have received.
i am not having a pop at you, but am just interested.
Did you complain when you got home?
Yes and also in resort and got a 3rd of the money back but I'd rather not have had the building work!
Hi jimd-f,
Yeah, we do still send people to that hotel, it isn't one that we generally reccommend but in the way that we advertise all the information about the hotel is seen first before they contact us.
If someone wants to book it i will book it but i will also try and upsell to a better one that we know, again you can sometimes sense from the call what kind of hotel they are looking for.
Like you say, for some, its great, cheap cheerful and they are not too bothered about the hotel but we have had some people screaming down the phone to us complaining. However, saying that, it was quite a popular choice for people who wanted a cheap 3/4 day break especially when you pick up on the ryanair £10 flights !!!
Yeah, we do still send people to that hotel, it isn't one that we generally reccommend but in the way that we advertise all the information about the hotel is seen first before they contact us.
If someone wants to book it i will book it but i will also try and upsell to a better one that we know, again you can sometimes sense from the call what kind of hotel they are looking for.
Like you say, for some, its great, cheap cheerful and they are not too bothered about the hotel but we have had some people screaming down the phone to us complaining. However, saying that, it was quite a popular choice for people who wanted a cheap 3/4 day break especially when you pick up on the ryanair £10 flights !!!
leisurelad,
thanks for your reply.
i do understand that people are different and that people want different things.
just for your information, although neither hotels do AI, the aquarium and fenals gardens are both far superior to the royal star/beach.
the samba(which does AI)currently is on par with the royal star.
hope this may be of use to you.
jim
thanks for your reply.
i do understand that people are different and that people want different things.
just for your information, although neither hotels do AI, the aquarium and fenals gardens are both far superior to the royal star/beach.
the samba(which does AI)currently is on par with the royal star.
hope this may be of use to you.
jim
My favourite review for a holiday hotel I was looking at was......
'Clearly not a 5* hotel - there wasn't a trouser press'
John
'Clearly not a 5* hotel - there wasn't a trouser press'
John
My favourite was a couple of years ago someone complaining about the turtles on the beach - they werent able to sunbathe because of them! 
My favourite review for a holiday hotel I was looking at was......
'Clearly not a 5* hotel - there wasn't a trouser press'
John
Strangely I believe that used to be one of the things a UK hotel was measured for before being given an official rating - no trouser press = no 5 star! I hope that's no longer the case!
My (least!) favourite review was for a hotel in Ubud, Bali that complained about the 'Peasants in the field outside hotel room'. Considering that having a room with a view of rice paddies is one of the highlights of Ubud I found it rather offensive (however Trip Advisor didn't uphold my complaint and I think the review is still there!).
I read the reviews and try to make up my own mind because my theory is that more people complain than compliment!
But ......... if I read about advice on how to avoid tummy upsets before you go to a particular hotel or people getting ill when they are there, for us, we will not risk it.
In the past, we always said that tummy problems could be caused by over indulgence of drink and a different diet - i.e. olive oil/water etc.
A while back, my Husband was very ill for nearly half the holiday-he could not leave the room and it was a scarey experience.
I really don't think there is anything worse than being ill on holiday.
But ......... if I read about advice on how to avoid tummy upsets before you go to a particular hotel or people getting ill when they are there, for us, we will not risk it.
In the past, we always said that tummy problems could be caused by over indulgence of drink and a different diet - i.e. olive oil/water etc.
A while back, my Husband was very ill for nearly half the holiday-he could not leave the room and it was a scarey experience.
I really don't think there is anything worse than being ill on holiday.
Well, I'm a definate researcher, gawd, I spend hours looking at reviews on a particular hotel and destination to get the holiday we want.
Before we had our daughter, I wouldn't have even looked at a brochure, always did 'allocated on arrival' as it was the cheapest option and we never struck lucky with a fancy hotel, proper flea pits really, but hey ho, you pays your money and takes your chance !! Incidently, even though we were in these nasty hotels, we always had a great time !
But now, I wouldn't dream of going on holiday with our 8yr old to somewhere awful, my hubby reckons I take the surprise out of the holiday as I'm obsessed with getting it right and know everything about the resort/ hotel, but we've never had a bad one yet, so yeah, I would always urge people to do their homework before commiting themselves, after all, its a shed load of money to pay out most of the time !
Before we had our daughter, I wouldn't have even looked at a brochure, always did 'allocated on arrival' as it was the cheapest option and we never struck lucky with a fancy hotel, proper flea pits really, but hey ho, you pays your money and takes your chance !! Incidently, even though we were in these nasty hotels, we always had a great time !
But now, I wouldn't dream of going on holiday with our 8yr old to somewhere awful, my hubby reckons I take the surprise out of the holiday as I'm obsessed with getting it right and know everything about the resort/ hotel, but we've never had a bad one yet, so yeah, I would always urge people to do their homework before commiting themselves, after all, its a shed load of money to pay out most of the time !
Being disabled, research is essential to ensure getting accessible facilities, you get so little information online or in brochures. Even phoning or visiting a travel agent doesn't often give you the full picture. So far I've only made one bad choice, a hotel with building work both on site and next door which wasn't advised by the TO and we did get a part refund after seeking legal help.
Having said that, before disability made all this necessary and due to financial restraints we've had some fabulous AOA holidays, in fact we didn't have a bad one in about 5 years of going for the cheaper option, including two weeks AI in Barbados at an unbelievable price.
Perversely I actually miss the surprise element of where we are going to end up, now I sometimes feel like I've already been before I get there as I do so much research.
Having said that, before disability made all this necessary and due to financial restraints we've had some fabulous AOA holidays, in fact we didn't have a bad one in about 5 years of going for the cheaper option, including two weeks AI in Barbados at an unbelievable price.
Perversely I actually miss the surprise element of where we are going to end up, now I sometimes feel like I've already been before I get there as I do so much research.
This is a link to the article;
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/07/22/31505/tripadvisor-tight-lipped-over-review-validity-warnings.html
fwh
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/07/22/31505/tripadvisor-tight-lipped-over-review-validity-warnings.html
fwh
As the saying goes "there's nowt queerer than folk"...
We've looked at reviews on hotels where we've stayed and seen some of the complaints written there that just are not justifiable. So you really do have to take a lot with a pinch of salt. Check when they stayed, how many complaints were from the same period and if there are a lot of reviews try to look for the same period in another year to see if the same occurs then...
I remember getting to the top of the steps on disembarking the aircraft on arrival at Palma airport quite a number of years ago. We booked a really cheap deal on half board in January. We arrived on a dry and breezy day.
The elderly lady who was just below me on the aircraft steps turned to her friend and said "it's not like it is in July, is it?"
Now, you just knew there would be no pleasing her!
CwB
We've looked at reviews on hotels where we've stayed and seen some of the complaints written there that just are not justifiable. So you really do have to take a lot with a pinch of salt. Check when they stayed, how many complaints were from the same period and if there are a lot of reviews try to look for the same period in another year to see if the same occurs then...
I remember getting to the top of the steps on disembarking the aircraft on arrival at Palma airport quite a number of years ago. We booked a really cheap deal on half board in January. We arrived on a dry and breezy day.
The elderly lady who was just below me on the aircraft steps turned to her friend and said "it's not like it is in July, is it?"
Now, you just knew there would be no pleasing her!
CwB
I tend the read loads of reviews on various sites before I book, and can't actually get my head around people who book after doing no research when they have access to such information(fair enough if they don't).
The only thing I would do different to some on here is take the risk if problems with food have been addressed in a previous season. I look on it that problems can and do happen but assume that for any business to continue these problems must be addressed and rectified and a new season should prove to be completely different.
I also laugh at some comments in general about chavvy all inclusive accomodation because it appears to me that any AI property that is family friendly now earns itself that label in peak season. I find that it may well be a case of people getting their hard earned moneys worth and prehaps at times going a little over the top with this.
The only thing I would do different to some on here is take the risk if problems with food have been addressed in a previous season. I look on it that problems can and do happen but assume that for any business to continue these problems must be addressed and rectified and a new season should prove to be completely different.
I also laugh at some comments in general about chavvy all inclusive accomodation because it appears to me that any AI property that is family friendly now earns itself that label in peak season. I find that it may well be a case of people getting their hard earned moneys worth and prehaps at times going a little over the top with this.
Neighbours of mine booked a holiday through a travel agent, making it quite clear that the husband had severe walking difficulties. They were put in a hotel up a steep unmade road and had to get a taxi whenever they went out. These are the sort of things of which agents should be aware. I always read brochures and if the beach is said to be 15 minutes walk down from the hotel I reverse it to the hotel being 15 minutes up from the beach and avoid it like the plague. We should all be aware that 'lively' means 'noisy' and 'secluded' means 'nothing much to do in the area'. Reviews are usually subjective, for example if people praise the many karaoke bars in the area some would decide to give it a wide berth, whereas it would be simply perfect for others.
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