Leaving hotel reviews are a great way to share your experiences, especially if your stay was so flawlessly amazing that you simply have to shout about it to everyone. Despite the fact that some people use hotel reviews to highlight the defects of their stay, elements for improvement are usually best communicated directly to the hotel or resort in question so that a speedier response can be given to your gripe (especially if you are still at the resort).
Knowing how to write an effective review is a great skill to have; it can be transferred to all kinds of situations. Here are some of the best tips and hints we have for composing a really informative hotel review:
Reveal what kind of guest you are
Giving a little information about the purpose of your trip (business, pleasure, etc) and who you were visiting with (your partner, friendship group, or family) provides a bit of context for your review, as your personal circumstances may well affect your experience of a hotel. For example, if you are complaining that the resort was too quiet and you are 20 years old on a spring break getaway, your “bad” review might well be attractive to other types of travelers. Also, let your readers know how often you travel so as to give your hotel reviews more credibility; if you have traveled all over the world for years and the hotel is the best you have ever stayed at, this has more weight than if this is your first vacation in a decade.
Focused yet concise
Let everyone know what kind of room you stayed in, whether you were all-inclusive or not, and other details which will let other travellers know if your preferences are similar to their own. If you can, add in any information you would have liked to know before you got to the hotel. You could add room service advice, or tips on how to navigate the buses into town to save on taxis. Writing about specific details and gems could get your hotel review a “helpful” check on TripAdvisor.
Remember high school English class
Make sure that when you write your hotel reviews you are as concise and eloquent as possible; it is important that you use words that the largest portion of the population will understand but avoid too many clichés. This means a basic level of good spelling and grammar if you want readers to understand you and take you seriously. Watch out for text message spellings and abbreviations.
Take photos
With smartphones, everyone’s a photographer these days, so put your camera to good work and take some photos to accompany your hotel review. If the site you are using allows pictures, be sure to put your photos to good use. Whether you are showing how amazing the view was, food porn or a picture of you with your favorite member of the activities’ team, it’s all useful to the reader.
Geographical features
Don’t forget to include information about the geography surrounding the resort in your hotel review. If the beach is non-existent, if the cab rides from the airport are expensive, or there’s a noisy night-club next door, your reader will be glad to hear it from you, rather than finding out themselves! You might also want to include recommendations for amazing tours that you can take.
Praise the best staff members
If the staff were friendly, courteous, and helpful, you should definitely give them a shout out. You can even name the people you thought went out of their way to help you or who provided incredible services: the maid who would leave you different towel sculptures each night; the concierge who got you the tickets that were supposed to be sold out; or the activities guy who made you laugh every time you saw him. These are the details that will make your hotel review different to the rest.
When you write a hotel review you have to remember to keep things in perspective and let the truth shine through.
