Do you write online reviews for restaurants, hotels, etc. on travel sites, and if so, how much detail do you give about your experiences?

Yes I do. I don’t do it very consistently though (maybe I write 5 reviews a year) and mostly I write about hotels and restaurants while on vacation. I think I have reviewed a local restaurant only once, maybe twice at most.

I rarely mention a specific employee. For a hotel I write about the cleanliness, location, and overall experience. If the bed is very uncomfortable I mention that too. For a restaurant I discuss the food and location. The service would have to be pretty bad for me to bother to mention it. I can only remember one time writing negatively about service, and it was because the service was extremely slow. I just gave it as a warning to consider not going there if you are in a rush.

No, I’ve never been a big fan of that kind of thing and I put little stock in what some random internet stranger says who has different ideas of what a quality establishment is.

I don’t mind product reviews as much because at least there’s quality control there.

I should mention I only do it on Tripadvisor and I consult Tripadvisor when booking trips.

I am also a Tripadvisor user. I will only bother to write a review if I liked the place and there were some really negative reviews in the past. Tripadvisor tends to force the reviewer to be a little more specific than “Dude, The waitress and the fries were so hot. 5 stars”. Their reviews are moderated and they make you consider all aspects of the experience.

I’ve only written a few. As many, if not more glowing reviews than scathing. If a place is just amazing for some reason I’ll look them up and leave positive comments. There was recently a cockroach crawling over the sushi at the local buffet, so I made mention of that.

Most of my reviews are local. I realize that different regions have different expectations, so I don’t rain on someone else’s parade.

Every now and then. generally I write these only if something was bad or disturbing. I don’t write them if something is good (or normal )—my expectation is that things should be good – just doing your job right doesn’t buy you a compliment.

Right now I am tempted to make a major negative complaint about a hotel I stayed at in Colorado last week…

yes I do. I keep it short and to the point. usually about cleanliness, quality of food, prices, sights in the area and if it is a good location for families or singles. Also the best time of year to go if a person wants to avoid crowds or get a bargain.

I rarely say anything bad about a place unless it was really really really terrible.

Yes I do. I wouldn’t mention any names, even if the service was fantastic, because some people are very private (myself included) and wouldn’t want their name mentioned out in a public forum, and it could lead to legal consequences. I might say that I had a terrific waiter, or that the waiter seemed untrained or overwhelmed on the night I was there.

If I had a specific problem (or particularly great service) I would be inclined to write to the manager of the restaurant/hotel/store.

Otherwise I stick to the details of the meal; the size, decor, and cleanliness of the establishment; the wait time; the parking situation; the convenience or inconvenience of the hours. Stuff like that.

I rarely write a bad review, mostly because I’m very tolerant and easy to please, so I hardly ever have a bad experience, at least not at a restaurant.