Under the influence of the R E V I E W

Reviews, critiques and ratings are now an integral part of our lives. The World Wide Web is flooded with reviews and ratings... they are incentives to persuade customers to choose the right product .

The scores are thoroughly researched worldwide  by customers and agencies. They usually base their reservations on them. They are indispensable and form an important part of your accommodation.

I have never been confronted with this before. Booking com, Airbnb, Google Maps, TripAdvisor, etc. encourage accommodations to achieve the highest possible score in order to outperform their competitors. It is a full-time job in itself.

What are we doing?

One accommodation is not ‘better’ than another.

It may not be better, but it is ‘different,’ and that is what makes the stay so unique.

We all work hard to run our guesthouse, hotel, ecolodge or Casa as well as possible.

Fair scores are extremely important.

Last week, we had a chat with a colleague from the Paúl Valley who is also very concerned about the reviews. You can't do anything about it when a customer writes a comment on a booking platform, whether it's justified or not. Often, guests think everything is fantastic until they leave ‘De Casa’ and write a review that doesn't match what you expected them to write. That's painful, difficult to let go of and... life goes on with a score that rounds down from 10 or 5.

Scores are given in the form of a number.

For example, 10 on Booking.com or 5 on Airbnb, Google Maps and Trip Advisor is the maximum score.

These numbers are obtained by first answering a number of pre-formulated questions that you can only answer with yes or no or by colouring in a number of stars. At the end, you can add written comments. In the comments on Booking, for example, you first list the positives and then the negatives. You are (un)consciously encouraged to think about what was not good.

I don't know whether Booking.com checks what customers write. I do know that our comments or responses as hosts must first be approved by Booking.com before they can be made public.

The host cannot formulate their response as they wish. There are very strict guidelines that we must adhere to.

Airbnb has a different policy. They use stars and ask for an honest review at the end. This review is only read by the host once they have also written an honest review about the customer. If the host does not respond, the customer's review is posted after 14 days.

On both platforms, there is no further discussion possible once the review is made public.

FALSE reviews

Unfortunately, these also exist.

Google Maps is open to anyone to write a review, even if you have never visited the accommodation. This can sometimes leave a false impression.

Fortunately, we have not yet received any reviews from such people.

What we did experience a year ago was a customer who wanted to buy back his review on Airbnb. He wrote a bad review on Airbnb, 2/5, and demanded his money back. At the time, I didn't realise that customers could go that far. Airbnb didn't realise either and, after a discussion, decided to accept the customer's unfair review.

That was very disappointing and our score was seriously lowered on Airbnb and Google Maps because they posted the same review on two different platforms.

So there is also money involved in manipulating reviews, even in the other direction. It's a mess.

YES, that's right,

I'm working on it and it's not letting me go. Unfortunately.

Our message is this:

If you enjoyed your stay, write something that the accommodation can be proud of.

If something is not right, please inform the host first and do not write a review or give a score.

Be honest in your review and help each accommodation to develop further.

PALMEIRA book

This is a guest book in which guests have written wonderful stories. Stories about their experiences with us at Palmeira Da Cruz Ecolodge. Stories to cherish. We would be delighted if you would leave your own experience in our book. Nothing is compulsory, only if you feel like it. You can look at the book in our private restaurant.

THANK YOU to our guests, thank you to the reviewers,

Palmeira Da Cruz Ecolodge is proud of its reviews and this encourages us, our staff and the villagers to make the best of it.

Dany and Guy