Trip reports, hotel and book reviews and so on...from the point of view of the client

The aim behind reviews is somewhat forgotten in the modern frenzy for putting things on the internet.  We now have a voice that can carry all over the world, and there is a good side to this, and a bad.

The aim, when all this started, was so that we could warn people if we had a genuinely dreadful experience.  That is how it began, starting with cheap hotels in Spain and people who came home, having paid for a holiday, disappointed and angry because the hotel was only half-built, or there was no running water or the WC was three floors down and so on.  Some of these early experiences were truly horrid, and as a direct result of it the reviewing system was born.

Owners of hotels especially had, and still have, a responsibility to provide what they say they will provide.  If it says there will be a TV in the room, then there must be a TV.  Likewise owners of restaurants, villas or whatever.  The system has spread to books, cars, washing machines … and so on.  And has, in many ways, got out of hand.

People will now post any kind of nasty thing on the internet, just because they can.  Many tradesmen have become the victims of unnecessary and unfair criticism that could ruin their business.  Writing a bad review can do real damage to a small business. And that is not fair.  And no, you do not have that right.

The tables are turning, mercifully, and tradesmen can now reply to most – if not all – reviews.  When you give the name of the business, if it is a small business, you are in effect giving the name of the owner, so you can now expect the owner to reply using your name.

Something that a lot of people say is “but I have every right to say what I think!!”

No, not always.

You should always try to write a good review if you really liked the hotel/book/villa/restaurant.  Trade makes the world go round. It creates employment, and encouraging trade can only be a good thing – for theentire world.

If you didn’t like the hotel/book/villa/restaurant it is unkind and unfair to say so on the internet just for the hell of it.  By all means do so if you genuinely feel that the public at large should be warned about this book/hotel or whatever … there was hard porn everywhere when it said it was suitable for kiddies, for example.  Or there were rats running under the dining tables.

But if it was a something personal to you that you didn’t like, e.g your napkin looked a bit grubby, the bed had not been properly made, the book was boring – no, you should not put that on the internet.  What would be your aim ?  By doing so you are saying to people “do not buy this book” or “do not eat in this place” … which is ruining trade (yes, it seriously can) and why would you want to do that?

If your napkin was grubby and you feel this is something that should be pointed out to the owner, write him a private letter.  He will probably be glad of it and rectify the matter immediately.

To post a bad review on the internet when you know the owner did everything he could to rectify whatever had gone wrong is really unforgiveable.  I quite often see that.  If you badly want the internet public to know about your personal experience and what went wrong, do not name the hotel (or whatever it was).

Last but not least, remember that trade now has a voice too.  I know a man with a small hotel in Cyprus.  In reception he has a big notice which says: IF YOU WRITE A BAD REVIEW ABOUT ME, BE SURE I WILL WRITE A BAD REVIEW ABOUT YOU!  Not very professional, and arguably childish …. but I can see where he is coming from!

Catherine Broughton is a novelist, a poet and an artist.  Her books are on Amazon and Kindle, or can be ordered from most leading book stores and libraries.  More about Catherine Broughton, to include her entertaining blogs and sketches from around the world, on http://www.turquoisemoon.co.uk

Trip of a Lifetime by Maurice Chapman

Here is an amusing little tale from a friend, an example of the good old British spirit!

Concord to New York, 2 nights in the infamous Waldorf Astoria and sailing back to Southampton on the QE2!  What could possibly go wrong?

We left Bristol and drove up the M4 to Heathrow and managed to park up with plenty of time on our hands…our dream holiday had begun!  When the gates opened we were first in the queue with our best friends who were travelling with us.

“Four non-smoking in a row, if possible.” I asked

“Oh, deary deary me Sir.  We are unable to seat any of you together as regular Concord travelers have priority.”

This was a bit of a shock, but it didn’t really matter, we were only going to be on the plane for a short amount of time, after all it was a Concord!

In the Concord lounge everything was free, even the telephones and you could even make international calls.  Carol, my wife, just had to make a quick call to her mother, but unfortunately she was out of course.

We settled down and ordered ourselves a bottle of Champagne and some cucumber sandwiches…as you do!

Once on the plane I sat down next to a very nice gentleman who asked, “Do you travel on Concord often?”

“No,” I declared, “this is my wedding anniversary and I can’t even sit next to my wife!”

The old gentleman was very sympathetic and offered to change seats with my wife after lunch.  We had a fantastic silver service lunch, but before we could change seats, the pilot came onto the tannoy and told us there was a problem with one of the engines and that we would be returning to Heathrow.

Back in the lounge, we had more Champagne and we were given £250 each for the inconvenience.

One hour later we were on another Concord, less the businessmen that had missed their meetings, so we had plenty of room to sit together.  We received all the Concord goodies a second time and off we went to New York at Mach 1.

The Waldorf Astoria…what a hotel!  We were in heaven, until the early hours of the morning, when Carol went to the bathroom.  The door would not open.  Someone in the room above had left the water running and the ceiling of our bathroom had caved in!  Not exactly what you would expect from a 5 star hotel.  Apart from lack of sleep it was not a serious problem, it just meant that we had an early start to discover New York.  When we returned, the receptionist gave us a key to another room, and all our belongings were moved for us.

They say things come in three’s…we left the hotel and we were chauffeured to the port where we boarded the QE2.  There was a band playing and ribbons decorated the ship.  We felt like royalty!  But, sadly, not for long.  Mid ocean the ship entered a hurricane.  Most entertainment was cancelled, no-one was permitted on deck, the use of the lifts was forbidden, and most passengers were sea-sick!

Other than that, everything was fine…we arrived back in Britain 1 day late and very weary.  Yes it was the trip of a lifetime, and if I am honest, I loved every minute of it!

With the compliments of Maurice and Carol Chapman, La Tremblade.

Catherine Broughton is a novelist, a poet and an artist.  He books are on Amazon and Kinlde, or can be ordered from most leading book stores and libraries.  More about Catherine Broughton on http://www.turquoisemoon.co.uk