We are often asked: How did you find this hotel?
This is a question that we’re often asked. The hotel is great, how did you find it? The restaurant is wonderful, how did you find it?
The ability to find great places is one of the secrets of Travel Fever Tour’s success.
There is no real secret to it. To some extent, it’s a question of developing a sixth sense for quality. But before relying on that sixth sense, it is a question of conducting thorough research.
Information is scattered across the internet, if you know where to look and how to interpret it. Any hotel or restaurant can have a nice website if they pay enough money. And we all know that photos can lie. But they still can be good indicators.
For small hotels, a creative website is a sign of professionalism.High quality photos show the same. There are of course exceptions, but these are signs of a well run establishment. In particular, we always look at the photos of the bathrooms. If you see antiquated fixtures and decor from the 1950s, it is safe to assume the rest of the hotels will match.
Next, there are online reviews. These can lie as well, but here are a few suggestions:
Look especially at the most recent reviews, as a hotel may have just undergone renovation and older reviews no longer apply. Or conversely, the hotel’s standards may have deteriorated recently and this will only be evident by recent reviews.
It is better to rely on reviews from sources like Booking.com where only people who have made reservations on the platform can leave reviews.
Look for consistency in the reviews. Even if the hotel is generally reviewed highly, a small grouping of negative reviews can be a warning sign. But don’t listen to everyone who writes a review. Use your judgement.
Look for reviews that praise the hotel staff. Even the nicest hotel physically can be miserable if the staff is miserable. Warm, helpful staff can transform your experience at a hotel.
Restaurants
Restaurants are a bit more difficult, as the quality can go up or down rapidly (and new, potentially superior restaurants may open). Sources like TripAdvisor reviews can be helpful. More helpful still are the past diners who upload current menus and their own photos.
Food, and restaurants in particular, must be judged with all your senses. Online information is not all that helpful. While we will use TripAdvisor to identify a group of the five top-rated restaurants in a town, we are always sure to lay eyes on a restaurant in advance. Even if the restaurant is closed, this is still a useful step. And if it is open, you have the chance to look at actual food on people’s plates. Also, by speaking with a real human being you can size up the professionalism of the staff.
Even if you have eaten at a restaurant before, a pre-dinner visit is recommended. Again, restaurants can change quickly.
Then, after reviewing all this information, it helps to have that sixth sense for quality. The more you travel, the more refined your sixth sense will become. So keep traveling!
