Time to get real with hotel guest reviews

Hotel guest reviews have been a hot topic in the news recently. With rumours of people posting fake or manipulated reviews on some travel sites, it seems the enthusiasm for this once-championed form of 'citizen journalism' has waned a little, their credibility at risk.

So at a time when hotels are reported to be sneakily leaving positive reviews for themselves or unscrupulous 'guests' are leaving negative feedback having never even stepped foot in the hotel - just who do you trust in the world of hotel guest reviews?

You trust only the reviews from genuine guests who have actually booked and stayed at the hotel

LateRooms.com has over one and a half million such reviews, and counting.

Only real customers who have booked through LateRooms.com and actually completed their stay are able to access the guest reviews and leave feedback. So you can be sure you're reading an opinion that's 100% genuine.

And when you can trust what you're reading, customer feedback will always be a fantastic way to help you choose the ideal hotel for your next stay.

So now you know where to find these trustworthy hotel guest reviews, here are a few tips on how best to use them:

At a glance

To make it easier for you to see a hotel's guest ratings at a glance, LateRooms.com always asks reviewers two simple questions; 'Would you stay here again?' and 'Would you recommend this hotel to a friend?'

You can see the results for each property displayed as percentages, and they're great for getting an instant impression of a hotel.

Consider what type of traveller you are

If you're delving further into the reviews, seek out those left by travellers most like you. On LateRooms.com you can split a hotel's reviews into ones left by business travellers or leisure travellers.

You can also filter further, choosing to see feedback left only by certain traveller types like 'female travelling alone', 'groups of males' and 'families with small children'.

The most relevant reviews to you will be the most useful.

Know what's important to you

It helps if you know exactly what you want from your stay. Someone else's gripes might not matter that much to you. For example, if the food in a hotel is rated as a tad iffy, but you plan to be out experiencing the foodie delights of your destination, would you be dining in the hotel anyway? Then again, if the convenience of eating in the hotel is what you're after, knowing about the standard of the food is a real bonus.

One person's 'small' is another person's 'cosy'

People can see things differently, so remember to read between the lines a little. Don't take every word at face value and think back to the above point about knowing what's important to you.

Manage expectations

Consider if people's expectations are reasonable before you let their review influence your decision too much. If someone seems to be expecting a 3 star hotel at £30 a night to resemble The Savoy, you might want to re-read the review with more realistic expectations in mind.

Look at the hotel's own responses

With transparency at the heart of LateRooms.com's guest reviews, the hotels are given the opportunity to respond to customer feedback, both positive and negative. It's worth checking out what the hotels are saying in their reviews, just so you get a nice rounded and balanced picture.

To put these handy hints into practice, head on over to LateRooms.com and let their genuine guest reviews help you choose your next stay.