online hostel reviews - what do you think?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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dsealand
Posts: 1
Joined: 30 Jun 2014, 11:00am

online hostel reviews - what do you think?

Post by dsealand »

Hello fellow travelers!

I'm hoping you can help me out - I'm a masters student working on my thesis regarding online hostel reviews. I'm looking to understand how people use reviews, who they trust, etc. If you've booked a hostel in the last year and have read some online reviews, you're perfect! It takes just 5 minutes...please follow the link https://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/coventry/hostelreviews !

thanks so much for your support! diane

psst....you need to be 18 or older!
Vorpal
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Joined: 19 Jan 2009, 3:34pm
Location: Not there ;)

Re: online hostel reviews - what do you think?

Post by Vorpal »

I did the survey, and for very many things, i thought 'it depends' and I answered 'neither agree nor disagree'. Why? Well, there are some issues that are more important that others when it comes to where I stay. I care about both cleanliness and whether I have to pay to use the showers, but cleanliness is far more likely to influence my choice of hostel. Similarly, it's hard to say how many negative or positive reviews will influence my decisions. I picked '2', but if there are 2 negative reviews and and 100 positive, or there other way around, I'm not inclined to pay so much attention to those that are in small numbers. If there are only two reviews, and they are both negative, well, that means a bit more. But the survey only asks about numbers, not proportions, ratios, etc.

Good luck with your thesis.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
randomblue
Posts: 224
Joined: 28 Aug 2013, 5:09pm

Re: online hostel reviews - what do you think?

Post by randomblue »

Just done it :)

As Vorpal said, perhaps it's worth discussing more about the percentages. For example on hostelworld I'll only consider a hostel with 80% or higher global rating and cleanliness rating as I made the mistake of staying at one that had a really high location rating which canceled out the terrible cleanliness one xD its not so much about the individual reviews but more about the ratio of good to bad as Vorpal said :) Good luck with your course!
andymiller
Posts: 1716
Joined: 8 Dec 2007, 10:26am

Re: online hostel reviews - what do you think?

Post by andymiller »

Diane

One issue is that outside of big cities you don't really have a choice of hostel. OK if you're backpacking by train say, location isn't such a factor, but if you are cycle touring then the choice may come down to stay at the hostel or stay at somewhere more expensive.

Vorpal wrote: Similarly, it's hard to say how many negative or positive reviews will influence my decisions. I picked '2', but if there are 2 negative reviews and and 100 positive, or there other way around, I'm not inclined to pay so much attention to those that are in small numbers. If there are only two reviews, and they are both negative, well, that means a bit more. But the survey only asks about numbers, not proportions, ratios, etc.


I apply the rule of 'there's always one'.
eileithyia
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Joined: 31 Jan 2007, 6:46pm
Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)

Re: online hostel reviews - what do you think?

Post by eileithyia »

A bit useless, as I have never used an online review all other questions became irrelevant.
I stand and rejoice everytime I see a woman ride by on a wheel the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. HG Wells
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: online hostel reviews - what do you think?

Post by Psamathe »

Count not answer the survey because you have questions labeled as optional (questions that should be optional) but if you don't answer them the survey is rejected due to the optional question being mandatory !

Ian
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