TripAdvisor response

Hadley

Well-known member
Running a hotel in Blackpool can be challenging especially in these unprecedented times. Sometimes you have to have a laugh to keep sane!

A recent guest of ours complained about Seagulls keeping her awake and took to TripAdvisor to have a moan. Here is my response:

Hi Lou,
Thanks for being part of our 'Bounce Back' campaign. We are grateful for your custom.
We have had a strong word with the offending Seagulls! One in particular who is affectionately known as 'Mr Sausage' is a regular offender. We have today 'parted company by mutual consent'.
We have brought in 'Percy' from Morecambe who comes from a quiet family and we're hoping to train him up not to squawk too loudly. We have high hopes for our Percy having laid out a small fee for him.
Kind Regards

The Management
 
I don’t envy you!
I was checking out of a hotel this morning when a guy was creating Merry hell at reception.
He missed breakfast deadline of 9-30 and was demanding a discount !
I had a family who threatened to give me a negative review unless I gave them discount.
Thank god I am now out of it.
 
Running a hotel in Blackpool can be challenging especially in these unprecedented times. Sometimes you have to have a laugh to keep sane!

A recent guest of ours complained about Seagulls keeping her awake and took to TripAdvisor to have a moan. Here is my response:

Hi Lou,
Thanks for being part of our 'Bounce Back' campaign. We are grateful for your custom.
We have had a strong word with the offending Seagulls! One in particular who is affectionately known as 'Mr Sausage' is a regular offender. We have today 'parted company by mutual consent'.
We have brought in 'Percy' from Morecambe who comes from a quiet family and we're hoping to train him up not to squawk too loudly. We have high hopes for our Percy having laid out a small fee for him.
Kind Regards

The Management

Brilliant👍 I want to spend the night with your new bird.😂
 
I used to work in hotels (before trip advisor) and even then it was quite regular for someone to try it on in search of a freebie.

My favourite manager ever in any job was a lovely bloke who was completely fair with staff. He was good at his job and would take an actual complaint seriously and was generally incredibly helpful to guests.

But one night, some pissed up wanker was kicking off at the bar about something and shouting and screaming at the girl behind it about compensation.

He came in, weighed up the scene for about thirty seconds and went to the till, took out a quid and went "here's your compensation sir, now I suggest you retire to your room"

Guest goes "are you taking the piss? I want to see the manager now" and he replies "I am taking the piss and I am the manager and what's more, if you don't stand back and get out my face and stop abusing my staff I'm going to lay you out with one punch and then we'll discuss compensation, now get the fuck to bed before I lose my temper for real"

Guest scuttled off and he told the poor bar girl to get a drink and go and have a fag whilst he tidied up for her.

I was 17 at the time and had never witnessed such a controlled sense of power wielded in a kind way and I think he's still third on my list of heroes behind Brett and Billy Ayre. He left very soon after that sadly and it was a shitter place to work thereafter.

Sorry, that was utterly random but hey!

Also, great reply Hadley! Love it.
 
The bane of all of us hotel/motel managers/owners - TripAdvisor.
I've never stayed anywhere where there hasn't been at least one review completely at odds with the rest. The oddest was one for an Alpine chalet in Switzerland where someone complained that no one had mentioned the steep slopes around the place before they got there.

I now read them AFTER the holiday when I've made up my own mind. It's easier that way.
 
Tripadvisor is a place for people to be knobs. The majority of "normal" people will enjoy a stay / go / attend somewhere without even thinking about leaving a review.

It's more of a "hobby" for a huge chunk of people that use the site to leave reviews. Like any other website. And like any post based website (such as AVFTT) you get the good, the bad and the ugly.

I'd even say that you are MORE inclined to use Trip Advisor if you were not happy. Just to have a go. And then there is the opportunity for the business itself to laud itself up as the best venue ever.

All visits, trips and experiences are personal and I'd hazard a guess that NONE of the reviews give a balanced opinion of a venue. The site is completely flawed IMO.
 
One of the ongoing issues with review sites like TripAdvisor is that;
A) The property has no real right of reply. We once got a horrendous review from a known trouble maker who suffers from severe mental health issues and we couldn't do a thing about it as we got told 'thats her opinion'. Also, if you didn't cater for the guest EXACTLY how they wanted it (me, me, me) then they'll often write a bad review.
B) It has been known for rival establishments to write bad reviews about your property to gain customers and you can't do a thing about it.
 
One of the ongoing issues with review sites like TripAdvisor is that;
A) The property has no real right of reply. We once got a horrendous review from a known trouble maker who suffers from severe mental health issues and we couldn't do a thing about it as we got told 'thats her opinion'. Also, if you didn't cater for the guest EXACTLY how they wanted it (me, me, me) then they'll often write a bad review.
B) It has been known for rival establishments to write bad reviews about your property to gain customers and you can't do a thing about it.

Does a business not have the right to not appear on this site?
 
Not sure what you mean. We can reply to guest reviews but we cannot respond too negative as our comments are then not published unlike guest reviews which are always published. It's a bit of a one-way street...
 
We’ve also had guests in that day everything’s fine then be two faced with reviews.
We are advertised as a group hotel and we once had a review from the male of the couple.
He said
The noise was unbearable from the seagulls
The hotel was full of stag and hen parties
They paid a fiver for breakfast and this is what we offered unlimited apple juice, orange juice . Pineapple juice tea,coffee,hot chocolate, unlimited toast, bacon ,2 sausage , egg, beans, tomatoes,mushrooms, fried bread,hash browns, and he said there wasn’t enough (greedy greedy)
As said above you can reply to reviews but it is so one sided.
 
We used to supply a free continental breakfast in our breakfast room but it was so abused (usually by the older generation) and whinged about (unlimited supply of toast, coffee, tea, cereals, orange juice etc) that we gave up on it. Also, as most people understand we HAVE to have an opening and closing time for this as we then had to get on with the rest of the work including cleaning up after the generally disgusting habits of the public; but this was STILL not good enough for some. We opened the room at 6:30am until 8:30am and yet people still rocked up at 8:40, 8:50 etc and complained they couldn't get any!
NO YOU CAN'T - YOU'RE LATE!
 
One place I would advise people NOT to go to at the moment is the McDonald's golf and spa hotel Portal.
After being assured by the manager that everything was back to 'normal' 28 golfers went on our annual Captains trip.
The only thing normal was that the golf courses were open.
When checking in we were told that dinner would be in the restraunt but breakfast would be in our rooms!
After our 1st round of golf the clubhouse wasn't open so we retired to the hotel bar. Within a hour we were told the only beverages left was Heineken on draft and bottled beer.
Dinner was a choice of Beef burger, chicken burger or overcooked pasta 🤢
Next morning breakfast was indeed room service in a box!! Luke warm at best, egg undercooked where the white looked like snot.
Monday evening only bottled beers at an extortionate price. "Don't worry we get a delivery on Wednesday ". Thanks but we leave Tuesday!!
The majority of us set off into Tarpoley to see if we could get fed and watered, same for breakfast next morning.Some of the lads like to go for a swim or a sauna either before or after the round of gold, hotel said it was open ,when we arrived were told oh not until the 1st August 😣This hotel is far from getting back to normal.

I understand that people need to make money in these difficult times but the club were disappointed that the hotel basically lied to get the money from us.
There has been a letter of complaint sent to the hotel and we await their reply.
 
The worst example for me was when I had an American family check in. I engaged the usual conversation of their future plans etc. They mentioned they were continuing onwards by train from North Wales to Plymouth and were going to book on the day. I checked the prices and it amounted to over £500! I looked at the following day and there were advance tickets which would save them over £300. They asked if they could take that offer and stay an extra night. I had one room left and was guaranteed to fill the room anyway on a Sunny July Weekend. I booked the ticket with my own Credit card, collected the tickets from station and took them on a local tour the following day.
I drove them to the station and I didn’t even have a thank you from them.
A few days later to my horror I received a two star review, being accused of touting for extra business!
Thats the thanks I received for saving them nearly £250 and effort and risks I took to provide for them.
 
I was a relief manager for a time in my early to mid-twenties for a national hotel chain.

I will always remember an incident at a hotel in Ashby de la Zouche, which had a great garden and was near the cricket pitch.

One particular morning a very annoyed guest came down without any shoes on and complained he had lost them in a tree. Unusual I thought, this is the first time I've heard such a complaint. When questioned, he said that an Owl had kept him awake all night hooting so he had first of all thrown one shoe at it in frustration, however, this had not worked so he threw his other one and hit the flat-faced f****r. The Owl retreated, but his shoes were stuck in the tree. It took about an hour with long poles to retrieve his shoes which were duly given back to him after a quick polish.

Unfortunately, this had made him late for an appointment so he complained to the company asking for his money back (no trip advisor in those days).

Staff at head office were 'owling for days about this!!!
 
I was a relief manager for a time in my early to mid-twenties for a national hotel chain.

I will always remember an incident at a hotel in Ashby de la Zouche, which had a great garden and was near the cricket pitch.

One particular morning a very annoyed guest came down without any shoes on and complained he had lost them in a tree. Unusual I thought, this is the first time I've heard such a complaint. When questioned, he said that an Owl had kept him awake all night hooting so he had first of all thrown one shoe at it in frustration, however, this had not worked so he threw his other one and hit the flat-faced f****r. The Owl retreated, but his shoes were stuck in the tree. It took about an hour with long poles to retrieve his shoes which were duly given back to him after a quick polish.

Unfortunately, this had made him late for an appointment so he complained to the company asking for his money back (no trip advisor in those days).

Staff at head office were 'owling for days about this!!!
Have people never heard of earplugs?🤦‍♂️
 
Reading these, I miss being in this business so much (NOT)

Problem is where they are legally based and the American guarantee of free speech. I had a battle with them over a review from a booking who never even came in, they removed it twice, and in the end it got left with a long explanation. Turned out the reviewer had done something similar to a restaurant in Leeds..

I do tend to put good reviews on for most places we now stay, trying to reset the balance in my mind. I have only once given a bad review, which was for a cafe which was filthy, sticky carpet floors covered in food debris, dirty tables and staff chatting rather than clearing.
 
Glad i've started a little debate about internet reviews. I tend to be pretty bullish in my responses which comes from a background of public service over many years. I have a dry sense of humour in the 'Jack Dee' mould. I've actually have a small following who look out for my Tripadvisor responses and Booking.com reviews. My favourite response to a moaning minny was 'we were so happy that your group left the building that my staff and i did the conga down Reads avenue'. We fall into the 8/10 category due to the limitations of our building but receive reviews ranging from 1/10 to 10/10. Thankfully we have strong backs and don't take reviews personally. I have almost 100% occupancy for the next 12 weeks with Visit England protocols in place. You simply can't please all of the people all of the time.
 
I am a trip advisor reviewer and can honestly say that I give my own unbiased review of the hotel that I stay in. I guess it is a lot about standards and your own personal ones weighed against those of the hotel. I have only ever given one really bad review and that was for Tiffany's hotel in Blackpool. There was blood on the toilet walls - the toilet was filthy and there were bits of kebab - probably pork belly on the floor under the bed. It was pretty disgusting. I told the reception and they offered to clean the room but couldn't or wouldn't move me to another room. I agreed and sat in reception for 25 minutes waiting alongside a few other very unhappy guests who all had complaints. I went back up to the room and wasn't impressed by the attempt to clean up so I left. This is one of the problems you get when you book and do not check the room before paying. I have stayed in quite a few hotels and guest houses in Blackpool and most were excellent and provide a good level of service. Agree though there are some right clown reviewers who mark the hotel down for stupid reasons such as pigeons - noise of the trams - seagulls - loud holidaymakers on the prom at 9.30 etc etc...
Good luck with your place Hadley if I knew where it was I would try yours out !
 
We hotel owners should get together. I'm sure we could do something constructive or at least compile a book of crazy guests' antics. The biggest problem with Tripadvisor is that you don't even need to stay somewhere to give a review. That means you can give a bad review of your competitors or a good review of your own place.

I've recently had an odd experience with a group of Canadians. They were the loveliest ladies and gave us a fantastic written review, but then they added guests photos with the accommodation full of their luggage, shopping, rubbish and unmade beds. That's there forever and I'm sure nobody will book when they see it 😫
 
In Oz we have a forum for motel/hotel managers; it's called Motel Mingle and we do indeed have a forum section called 'Guests behaving badly' where we can vent together and share info. There's some classics in there!
 
Glad i've started a little debate about internet reviews. I tend to be pretty bullish in my responses which comes from a background of public service over many years. I have a dry sense of humour in the 'Jack Dee' mould. I've actually have a small following who look out for my Tripadvisor responses and Booking.com reviews. My favourite response to a moaning minny was 'we were so happy that your group left the building that my staff and i did the conga down Reads avenue'. We fall into the 8/10 category due to the limitations of our building but receive reviews ranging from 1/10 to 10/10. Thankfully we have strong backs and don't take reviews personally. I have almost 100% occupancy for the next 12 weeks with Visit England protocols in place. You simply can't please all of the people all of the time.
Your sports bar looks ace. Is it open to non-residents?
 
I am a trip advisor reviewer and can honestly say that I give my own unbiased review of the hotel that I stay in. I guess it is a lot about standards and your own personal ones weighed against those of the hotel. I have only ever given one really bad review and that was for Tiffany's hotel in Blackpool. There was blood on the toilet walls - the toilet was filthy and there were bits of kebab - probably pork belly on the floor under the bed. It was pretty disgusting. I told the reception and they offered to clean the room but couldn't or wouldn't move me to another room. I agreed and sat in reception for 25 minutes waiting alongside a few other very unhappy guests who all had complaints. I went back up to the room and wasn't impressed by the attempt to clean up so I left. This is one of the problems you get when you book and do not check the room before paying. I have stayed in quite a few hotels and guest houses in Blackpool and most were excellent and provide a good level of service. Agree though there are some right clown reviewers who mark the hotel down for stupid reasons such as pigeons - noise of the trams - seagulls - loud holidaymakers on the prom at 9.30 etc etc...
Good luck with your place Hadley if I knew where it was I would try yours out !
You can look at us Nick at www.sandringhamcourt.com or http://www.sandringhamcourt.com/legends-sports-bar/ The bar is rammed with Blackpool FC Signed shirts and photographs and loads of other sporting memorabillia collected over many years.
 
I find it stressful using booking.com / trip advisor as your business is at risk to some of these Harrods shoppers in Primark .
After many 10/10 reviews I got a 7.2 review where she complained there was no Netfix! Sad cow.
Luckily I have many regulars and I can relax more.
Certainly these booking sites , who we pay , not the consumer, should give us the right to remove clearly vindictive reviews.
 
Not sure what you mean. We can reply to guest reviews but we cannot respond too negative as our comments are then not published unlike guest reviews which are always published. It's a bit of a one-way street...
Not entirely true about a one way street. I put in a review of an establishment which had been very poor, was not a scathing review but not complimentary either. Their reply was incredibly rude and vitriolic and was allowed by TripAdvisor and I then had no right to respond which was incredibly unfair as their response was so overly aggressive.
 
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