We want all of our guests to have a fantastic time on their holiday, and we do not want a single guest to be taken advantage of by scam reviews or internet safety traps. Your peace of mind, and protecting your information is a high priority, and that is why we have suggestions for how to securely, and safely book a hotel room.
Do not rely on just one website
We are all in a big hurry these days. We have very little time to spend on things like reading reviews and checking facts. That is something that a lot of less than scrupulous hotels, booking sites, and travel sites are counting on.
When you have chosen a hotel or resort that you want to know more about be sure to visit several different places and read the reviews posted on them. You can start by going to the website of the hotel or resort, and then look for reviews on booking sites like Tripadvisor, Travelocity, Booking.com, and Expedia.
By visiting several different sites to read the reviews you are going to get a better picture of the hotel or resort. The diversity of clients will be greater, and there will be less of a chance that you are just readding reviews written by hired reviewers, to get more tips for the Passover niche market read this post offering guidelines for Passover programs bookings
Social media sites are not that trustworthy
If you are gathering the majority of your information about a program, hotel or resort from social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook there is a good chance that you are not getting the whole story.
A large number of the social media posts are created by people who are affiliates of the hotel so they tend to post things that are more flattering and not always totally truthful. You can read social media posts but take each thing you read and question its validity.
Read a variety of reviews
If you want to get the true picture of what a place is like you have to read the good reviews and the bad reviews. As you read make notes of how often you read something referring to the same problem or same great feature.
If the problem is mentioned by more than one person then there is a good chance it is a real problem that the hotel is not taking seriously. If you read only one or two posts complaining about the lack of towels you could just be reading something from a disgruntled guest.
When reading reviews try to find out details about the quality of the accommodations and services. It is vital for you to try and find out if the advertisements of the establishment were found by guests that stayed there to be truthful and accurate descriptions of the facility.
Look at any reviews that offer photographs or videos to back up their statements.
Do not judge too harshly
Everyone has good and bad days. This is applicable to people and to businesses. You need to remember that when you are reading reviews. If the majority of reviews are positive, and then you see several written at the same time that are negative, consider the problems being complained about and the possibility that something was causing the establishment to have a bad day.
Water heaters break, elevators break, employees can sometimes be harsh with guests, and other problems can happen. Try to see the bigger picture when you are reading these comments. You can also look for reviews where someone is telling you they experienced a problem, and how the hotel responded to their problem.
Ask Questions
Do not simply read reviews and hope to discover what you really want to know. If you have specific concerns, like whether a program that is kosher in observance of the Pesach holiday send a question to the establishment via the contact information listed at the bottom of the website page.
Asking questions can help you to plan your holiday and it shows you how quickly the establishment responds to questions, and will give you an idea about to what lengths they will go to make you comfortable during your stay.
Be specific with your inquiries
If you are truly wanting to get a Pesach friendly environment, that your family can use according to the way you normally celebrate the holiday you MUST be specific with your inquiries. Do not simply ask if the establishment is kosher.
If you want to be certain the establishment is Chametz free, be sure to ask that question. If you simply ask if the program is kosher the person answering you may think you only want to know if they have kosher foods available.
If you want to know about children’s programs, or whether the food preparations are done under the guidance of a Rabbi then you need to be specific with your questions. Do not worry about offending the establishment. This is your holiday and you need as much pertinent information as possible before you make a decision on where to stay.
Do not give out personal information
Be very careful about who you give information to, and what information you give out. You do not want to post a question on a social media website detailing where you live and what dates you plan to be traveling on.
When you ask questions through the contact sections of websites do NOT detail your current location or the exact date you will be traveling. Give generalized information like “if we visit at Pesach with children”. Keep your home phone number, your social security information, your home address and exact location private and only reveal that information when confirming a booking using a secure server.
Final Thoughts:
The vast majority of Pesach Programs are reliable programs that truly are Pesach ready. There are a few bad apples out there, but with a little research you can quickly discover which programs are the best ones for your needs.
