In anticipation of an upcoming trip to Auckland, New Zealand (NZ), I was looking for accommodation. With so many options to choose from (bed and breakfasts, motels, hostels, serviced apartments and hotels (to name a few), I finally decided to choose Auckland hotel accommodation. Now my problem has gone from: What type of accommodation do I want to stay in? ?to: Which provider do I choose?
It’s fair to say that if I had booked my trip through a travel agent, they may have been able to suggest the right provider for me, but in this day and age of online travel bookings, there was no need to speak to a travel agent. trips. So following my online flight bookings, I decided to book my accommodation online as well. First, I decided to find out what other people were saying about Auckland hotels, to see if anyone had any good suggestions for me.
I’ve heard all this talk about user reviews becoming more and more popular in today’s online environment, and now I can see why. It’s a lot like talking to your family or friends and asking if they can recommend somewhere to stay, but in this case you have access to a broader range of opinions. The other advantage is that the reviews that are posted on the site are no longer filtered by the providers so that you only read good reviews, but are a much more transparent and honest assessment of the hotel.
There are many online travel review sites available, but I must say that it is important to find one that is not just a general site that allows people to sign up and post reviews unanimously, as they are open to unverified and even overly positive reports and Sometimes fraudulent reviews from the hosting providers themselves. So my first step was to find a reputable Auckland hotel review site/s.
This came in the form of an online booking site. Reviews on these types of sites can only be posted by people who have actually booked and stayed at that particular Auckland hotel. This allows me to read honest reviews from real guests. Not only that, but it was easier to read the reviews on the same website I was able to end up booking on, than having to read one site and then find another for the actual Auckland hotel I chose.
Most of the reviews I found had a 1-5 star rating system where:
1 = poor
2 = below average
3 = value for money
4 = excellent value for money
5 = great experience
This rating method means you could easily get a general idea of value without having to read all the reviews from the last twelve months. From there, further investigation of the hotel was required, which involved reading every single review that caught my eye. At this point, it was very important for me to remember that one or two negative reviews do not necessarily reflect poor service from the hotel. People have bad days and unfortunately hotels do too. But if leaky faucets, poor showers, noisy rooms, or poor service are mentioned in multiple reviews, I think it’s safe to assume that most guests are right.
In the end, the only trend that appeared in most of the bad reviews is that sometimes people expected more from the hotel than it delivered. Complaints such as “the restaurant was closed at 11pm”, “there was no room service” or “I had to bring my own luggage” all show in the investigation that these services were not offered by the Auckland hotel in the first place. There is still the perception that a hotel has a 24-hour reception and bar, swimming pools, gyms and spas. Where today’s demands have removed non-essential offers and services to provide a better price to the consumer.
So after reading numerous reviews and now feeling more informed than when I started, I was able to find a hotel in Auckland that met my needs, not only in terms of service, but also in terms of location, price and facilities. Ultimately, the reviews were a component of my decision and needed to be viewed in conjunction with my own personal criteria, in order to make my final decision.