19 Oct 2014

Hotels use online reviews as blueprint for renovations

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Hotels like the Omni are basing their renovations on reviews from websites like TripAdvisor. They say that since the customers are so candid, it gives them a good opportunity to understand what is lacking in their hotels, and where they can improve.

So, the hotels are upgrading items like the lighting in the bathrooms and the number of outlets. Other online complaints that they take into consideration are low-pressure showers, uncomfortable beds, and the television and its TV lineup.

Some of the items I would like them to take into consideration (beyond, obviously, clean room) are:

  • outlets next to the bed stand. Even today's Luddites have at least a flip phone that they want to charge at night.
  • a sink outside the bathroom. If you are traveling with others, one sink in the bathroom means that it will take forever to get ready - especially if you are traveling with females.
  • a way to watch television without climbing into bed. Many hotel rooms have the television directly facing the bed, with no way to turn the screen. So, those people that don't like to live in bed can find it almost impossible to watch TV.
  • the sheet/blanket/sheet combination that many hotels are adopting. It just seems cleaner than those hotel bedspreads that have an unknown cleaning cycle.
  • a mini-frige and microwave in the rooms - even in 3 star and above hotels. 

So - hopefully, if we all band together to improve the hotels via our comments, we will get better accommodations - and the hotels will get more business: a win-win solution. Just don't put egregious comments on an online site without taking the issues up with the hotel management. You don't want to ruin a hotel's reputation for issues they don't even know about.

Read the full article here:
Hotels use online reviews as blueprint for renovations

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Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

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