"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?

[jake-the-peg]

There is a subte difference not always made clear I think

You *do* have to pay for quality

You *do not* always get what you pay for!

[andy-hughes]

I agree.

If someone is advertising accomodation, then a reasonable standard should be expected by any guest.

That should include a clean room and bedding and a spotless bathroom.

To my mind, the notion of 'basic' means that there are no extra luxuries, and the room furniture would be of a basic level, but again, that does not mean dirty or broken, or in any way substandard.

You do get what you pay for - and in the case of a hotel, what you pay for is acceptable accomodation in terms of being clean and prersentable.

The sliding scale goes up or down in price depending on your own requirments, but it does not slide below basic provision of a clean room.

[rojash]

I don't bother with Trip Advisor any more (nor the book reviews on Amazon).
Any **Really** good reviews nearly always turn out to be from people with a vested interest, and any **really** bad ones turn out to be either simply malicious or posted by rivals.

[ummmm]

I agree, Rojash. Watched a programme on it and leaving negative feedback seemed to be an obsession with some.

Stayed in a hotel not too long ago, £50 for a twin room (no doubles left) it was perfect. Lovely furnishings, spotless bathroom, comfy beds...I couldn't find anything to complain about, not that I would!

[andy-hughes]

If I have a complaint, I raise it at the time, and discuss it. The British habit of simply not saying anything and then moaning to anyone who will listem is futiel, and unfair. If you don't give someone an opportunity to put something right, you have only yourself to blame.

This extends into the culture of sites like TA - where people who didn't have the gumption or the courage to advise that something was wrong, then go onto a website and *** off the venue to all and sundry, taking away potential customers who may not share that experience, or that viewpoint.

[ummmm]

Andy....you can kind of compare them to internet trolls. Some of the people that post on TA get a kick from it.

I wouldn't dream of leaving negative feedback unless I'd addressed the issue at the time and my requests were ignored. These people look out for things to complain about.

If the bedding is clean, the bathroom is clean, I really don't care if there is dust on top of a picture rail that I can't see!!

[naomi24]

Andy-hughes, it's not fair to assume that those people didn't have the gumption or the courage to complain at the time. They may well have done - but thought they'd warn others of the potential pitfalls of a particular establishment too.

I do think you get what you pay for - and I'm happy to pay for quality and service - but sometimes I definitely haven't got what I've paid for!

[237SJ]

Some negative feedback on TA can be good though. I stayed at a place earlier in the year and we had to leave really early in the morning. Although B&B was paid for, there was no breakfast when we left. We departed too early but a decent hotel would give you continental breakfast in your room in that instance. There was nobody to speak to about it as it was 6am and we went to the airport feeling really hungry. When I put it on TA, the manager replied and said they would review their procedures. You`ve got to be fair though.

[ummmm]

Some of the reviews put on TA are scathing and not deserved. 237 that's constructive feedback.

[237SJ]

True ummm. I just try to get a general overview from it and discount the odd bad review. I saw one woman mark a hotel down because her kid got bitten by a fly. That`s ridiculous. I think TripAdvisor is very good and I always post on there when I come back from somewhere. I post on their restaurant section too and have found great places to stay/eat from TA.

[jd_1984]

I agree that all hotels, regardless of class/rating should get the basics right including safety and hygene. But I admit that I have used this phrase before now.....

[237SJ]

"You get what you pay for" seems to be used in connection with Ryanair more than any other company IMO :-)

[ummmm]

I think this is the programme I watched.

http://www.channel4.c...-of-the-trip-advisors

[EvianBaby]

I don't bother with TA anymore either. I'm regularly booking hotels for staff and often the ones I book have awful reviews on TA but the lads will often ask to be put in the same hotels on repeat visits.

In fact, we've only ever had a problem once with bed bugs. But I recall that thread getting a bit, eerrr, stupid. So I won't say anymore.

[theshedman]

I do the same thing 237SJ. Just use them as a guide to the places I am looking at going to. I find it's nice to have an idea of the place and often the surrounding area and restaurants. It can give you some idea on what to expect and often places to see when you get there. The odd bad review wouldn't put me off but lots of them on one place probably would. I did go to one restaurant in Mallorca that had bad reviews on TripAdvisor and after going there had to admit they were right and I got ripped off. I will remember next time though.

[237SJ]

Yes, Shedman. Another thing they`re good for is when you decide where you want to stay and you can look at the travellers photos on TA instead of the hotel`s promotional ones. The hotel`s photos are always going to make the place look fabulous whereas you get the proper picture from the travellers` ones.

[theshedman]

Yes and sometimes the pictures the hotels put on and the ones the guests put on look like 2 different places altogether. The hotel ones often make the rooms and other things look a lot bigger than they actually are or are quite a few years old.

[andy-hughes]

237SJ - you don't say whether your accomodation was a basic B & B, or a single-owned hotel, or a chain hotel.

From a chain hotel, if i gave them notice I was leaving early, I think offering a continental breakfast would be reasonable, and I would ask for it, and be unhappy if i did not get it, and write to the manager to complain.

If it was a family hotel, or a B & B, I would think it unreasonable to expect that as a facility, but reasonable if you gave them at least a day's notice in advance.

[237SJ]

Andy - it was a 5 star hotel. Another time, I was in a posh hotel in Dubai and I filled out the questionnaire in the room before I left. They asked what they could improve on so I told them their pillows were lumpy (they were). When I`d been home about a week I got a letter from the manager apologising for the lumpy pillows! How`s that for service?

[andy-hughes]

237SJ - in that circumstance, I think the hotel were at fault. A five-star hotel should be able to provide a continental breakfast to your room without difficulty - assuming you advised them of your early departure at least the day before.

A letter to head office might get you a voucher for a free stay, or at least a free breakfast - has to be worth a stamp.