Earlier this month some of the smoke from California fires placed a haze over the Tahoe Basin. Conditions have been back to normal this past week and the skies are as deep blue as the Lake! Speaking of clearing matters up, I would like to share some thoughts on online travel reviews by our fellow travelers. They are GREAT!
That is to say, when travelers post them and not “others” interested in promoting a particular property or travel service. One of the reasons I think they are great is that a single lodging property or resort can’t be all things to all people. Legitimate user reviews go beyond the Inn’s photos and verbiage and typically speak more to the users actual “experience.” What excites one traveler, may turn-off another visitor. Case in point, I was interested in staying in a well-regarded boutique hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. Checking it out on TripAdvisor.com, a posting gave “rave” reviews including how “cool” it was to be able to hear the group performing in the lounge until 2:00 AM in their room. Not quite the experience I had envisioned.
Getting back to bogus consumer postings, I make the following suggestions:
My father always told me “Don’t believe anything you hear and nothing that you read.” I always considered this one of my Dad’s most profound thoughts until I learned it came from Abraham Lincoln.
Read as many reviews as possible. Consider throwing out the best and the worst.
I recently read that out of the millions of people that visit TripAdvisor.com, less than 2% post comments. Be leery of properties that have 5 star postings each day of the month, week after week.
Some sites provide a summery of posting grades. They usually look like this.
Example:
5 Stars - 25
4 Stars - 20
3 Stars - 15
2 Stars - 5
1 Star - 2
Ran across a local property recently where they had 50 recent 5 Star ratings, a smattering of 3, 4 and 2 grades followed by 39 1 Star rankings. This, I consider questionable.
You know how you can tell the difference between a guest posted photo and a “plant?” If it is of a guestroom interior the guest photo is rarely flattering. Try this at home. Take a picture of your unmade bed in the morning. Would you pay to stay there again?
Hope some of this helps in your future online travel planning. Happy trails!
Best Regards,
Dan
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Don't delay your travel plans too long...
Sorry, Inn by the Lake is sold out over 4th of July. Promises to be a beautiful day at the lake. As many “regulars” know, our front lawn is one of the best vantage points in town to watch the fireworks. We will have chairs and blankets available for guest comfort. Ace, our landscaper, assures us that the lawn sprinkler system will not go off, like last year, in the middle of the display. Rooms remain available over Labor Day weekend when there will be a similar display, plus a soon to be announced special treat!
We have experienced a very short booking window this summer. This is industry terminology for the time frame between reservations being made and guest arrival. Our guess is that this is being caused by outrageous gas prices, worries over the economy and all the other negative “stuff” that are being reported and repeated on the news. Record oil prices seems to have impacted all of us personally and they have taken their toll on Inn by the Lake margins. Unlike other businesses, we do not feel it appropriate or prudent to raise prices. Thus, same room rates as last year prevail, enhanced with some attractive mid-week specials that you may check out on this site.
Visitor traffic from far and wide seems to be down this year. Fortunately, Tahoe and Inn by the Lake in particular qualifies as a “one tank holiday” for our primary Northern California and Nevada markets. So even at $4.19 per gallon the cost of many of your much deserved Tahoe Holiday is up roughly $20 to $40 over last year.
My “travel tip” this posting is to go for it! Whether you head for Tahoe or tin-buk-tu, these are depressing times and we all need a break to recharge. Check out the Internet for the best values. By all means, research the 3rd party sites like Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, etc but make it a point to also go directly to the supplier’s site for more detailed information. Call the 800# and speak to a real person with real knowledge. Read visitor reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor.com and others. Don’t let one review; good or bad overly influence you. Read as many as possible and determine if what is crucial to others is important to you.
Wherever, that full tank of gas takes you, have a restful holiday and a great summer!
Best Regards,
Dan
We have experienced a very short booking window this summer. This is industry terminology for the time frame between reservations being made and guest arrival. Our guess is that this is being caused by outrageous gas prices, worries over the economy and all the other negative “stuff” that are being reported and repeated on the news. Record oil prices seems to have impacted all of us personally and they have taken their toll on Inn by the Lake margins. Unlike other businesses, we do not feel it appropriate or prudent to raise prices. Thus, same room rates as last year prevail, enhanced with some attractive mid-week specials that you may check out on this site.
Visitor traffic from far and wide seems to be down this year. Fortunately, Tahoe and Inn by the Lake in particular qualifies as a “one tank holiday” for our primary Northern California and Nevada markets. So even at $4.19 per gallon the cost of many of your much deserved Tahoe Holiday is up roughly $20 to $40 over last year.
My “travel tip” this posting is to go for it! Whether you head for Tahoe or tin-buk-tu, these are depressing times and we all need a break to recharge. Check out the Internet for the best values. By all means, research the 3rd party sites like Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, etc but make it a point to also go directly to the supplier’s site for more detailed information. Call the 800# and speak to a real person with real knowledge. Read visitor reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor.com and others. Don’t let one review; good or bad overly influence you. Read as many as possible and determine if what is crucial to others is important to you.
Wherever, that full tank of gas takes you, have a restful holiday and a great summer!
Best Regards,
Dan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)