"You get what you pay for."

[Le Chat]

As an avid contributor to Trip Advisor, I have a weird obsession with seeking out and reading the worst reviews for various hotels.
Time and time again, I come across the above phrase as an explanation for a hotel not being as good as it should.
If I were to pay, say £30 for a room for a night, I certainly would not expect mouldy bathrooms, a bucket in the middle of the room catching water, filthy floors, broken windows, no heating etc.
I might expect basic but I would never use the above phrase to justify filth!
The most usual place I have found this comment is for Pontins in Southport (which is near me) and is an absolute dive!
What do other ABers think?

[Flyhalf]

My daughter religiously consults TA, but I take it all with a pinch of salt, on the basis that most people if satisfied won't bother to post, and some fellow holidaymakers I've met have moaned about everything where everyone else was happy.
We once stayed a week in Tallinn, and had several issues with the hotel. We left them details on their "happy sheet" and a week later when the manager (oddly enough, an Englishman) returned fromhis own holiday, he rang us to apologise, and refunded the whole amount of our stay.
On another occasion, in an apartment in the Algarve, again before we left we objected to the lack of hot water, which they failed to address during our stay, and received a 20% rebate on the cost.

[chaptazbru]

I read on TA once about a hotel I have stayed in and was very happy with, some of the comments were awful, even nasty about the owner who I found to be charming and quite shy. So I sent in a review myself praising it. The hotel was slightly old fashioned, but very clean with comfortable beds and not far from the front. I hope he was happy that someone stuck up for him.

[237SJ]

I was talking to the sales manager of a hotel group that`s spread over the Indian Ocean islands in June. He said they really value TA. He urged me to post my thoughts and said it`s a really good guide for them to see how they`re doing.

[Le Chat]

I always post on TA and have, as others have said, found some great restaurants and hotels. The thing with Trip Advisor is that unless you are a regular contributor, contributing in order to assist others in selecting their hotel or eatery if they are undecided, then then people are generally prompted to review if their experience has either been very bad or very good.
I think it is an excellent medium to use.
There are not that many hotels that give you a questionnaire to fill in before you leave....plus, if you did have any comments and told the receptionist, you would never know if they reached the person who cared.
I have only once been asked to fill in a questionnaire in a restaurant and it was on my last holiday. The restaurant manager said that he owed his good name to TA, as the restaurant was not on the main drag, so did not have much passing trade.