Hi!

I am about to write my first ever Hotel review and to ensure I don't leave anything out I'm asking you...what do I include?

Here is my list of things I want to discuss. Did I miss any important elemants? Please let me know! I figure it's better to ask before I write than to find out after I write. Thanks!!

-Price
-Booking a Reservation
-Location – Getting there and Visiting other places
-Room Size
-Beds
-TV
-Heaters
-Bathroom/Shower
-Extras (soap, cups, coffee etc)
-Magazines
-Cleanliness
-Service (valet, front desk, maint man)
-Parking

This seems like all the info I would need, please let me know if I missed anything! Thanks a lot :-D

Looks like a good list of inclusions to me, even if I don't necessarily put all of those in my hotel reviews. I like to mention the interaction with staff when checking in. You might already have that in mind for your "staff" area. I generally like to know what I'm getting for my dollar (or euro), so a sense of the cleanliness, restfulness of the room, and the level and tone of the service are usually top priority for me in a hotel review. If there are significant extras, inside or outside the hotel, then obviously that affects the price to value ratio, so I'd want to hear about those.

Just write about the things that would help you make a decision about whether to stay at a given hotel or not.

Thanks :) I listed those things because they were things I did want to explain more about. I wouldn't necessarily consider all those topics when booking a room, but after I stayed there I found something I liked/disliked about those topics. My review is almost finished, so if I missed anything you can tell me there :-D

Thanks!

I see you've posted it already, and I haven't read it, but one thing I'd add to the list is atmosphere. It's really a combination of a bunch of things in that list, but having a firm idea on whether it is a newish place where you can mellow out or if the last decor update was in the 70s, is something I like to see.

I tend not to have too much of a mental list of things to write about, in order to put some variety into the reviews I write. However, I often include most of the things you included in your list.

I tend to more reflect on the things I liked about the hotel, and the things I didn't, throw in comments about the obvious (bathroom for example) and go from there.

I think you have the right approach, if it's important to you, then it's probably important to others too :o)

One thing that I do always like to mention is where you can get food and drink. What's the hotel bar/restaurant like? and are there any alternatives within walking distance of the hotel?

There can be some quirky things too... I know some folk gauge the quality of a hotel through the towels they provide. I've subsequently tested the theory and it seems to work well!

Chris

Although I don't think readers should EXPECT any kind of firm formula throughout the category, it sure helps writers to have some idea of things to ponder.

A couple things that are important to me:
* recreational amenities: is there a pool? (and is it GOOD?)
how about tennis courts? exercise room?
* if it's a resort, how are the resort amenities? beaches,
ski lifts/slopes, golf courses, spa services, or whatever.
* what's the hotel like in general and how is it situated?
is it a restored castle on the banks of a meandering
river? is it a rustic lodge type place? a cozy B&B? a
sophisticated and cosmopolitan city-center tower? big?
small? urban? rural? suburban? nondescript? trendy?
romantic?
* service: not only do I want to know if employees are
polite and on the spot, but I desperately want to know if
the hotel is mismanaged, which can include refusal of
desk clerks to let you speak to a manager when a problem
arises, sticking customers with unwarranted extra fees (be
they labeled "energy surcharges", "resort fees", "security
fees" or whatever) --- and I would hope a good reviewer
would have the guts to drop stars off the rating for bad
service or bad management practices (too many don't)

Just a few thoughts.
M

Everyone here has offered you lots of good suggestions to consider when writing a hotel. The thing I really like when rating a hotel review is hearing the writer's personal experience while staying there. There are a lot of reviews posted about what hotels have and the services they offer, but I look for the type of details you can't find in marketing info.

Also, if you're booking at a historical or backward modern facility, it is also very helpful to let users know if they lack any common amenities a guest usually expects to find, such as TV, hairdryers, phones, etc.

Adrienne

You forgot the two basics does the place fluffy bathroom towels and/or serve a continental breakfast

Funnily enough...

it was either Tom or Rex who told me an age ago that they take great store in checking out the quality of the towels in hotels!

Apparently, it shows whether the establishment have a good eye for detail. Generally, the better the towel, the better the hotel experience.

I've tried out the test, and it's almost always true. It seems to be similar to the "quality of cutlery in restaurants" rule.

Chris

There's actually some merit to that.

I'm surprised sometimes to find threadbare towels in seemingly "5-star" hotels. Could work the other way too and you get a thick plush bath blanket at an Ibis or Motel 6...NNNAAAAAAHHH!
;-)

Or live ones