Star quality: what’s in a hotel rating?

Case study two: New York Marriott Marquis
Let's do one in another packed hotel district. Make it Times Square — the New York Marriott Marquis. The tally:

Expedia:

• Expedia rating: Three and a half stars
• Traveler rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

Travelocity:

• Travelocity rating: Three and a half stars
• Traveler rating: Four and a half smileys

Orbitz:

• Orbitz rating: Three stars
• Traveler rating: 5.0 out of 5.0

Here we have a somewhat different scenario; the "pros" are largely in agreement, but are out of step with travelers by a full star or two. This time travelers rate the hotel consistently higher than do the "pros."

In reviews on all three sites, travelers consistently praise the convenience of the Marriott's Times Square location — which may help explain the discrepancy between the their ratings and the pros'. A great location near all the attractions of the Big Apple may weigh more heavily into a sightseer's rating than it would into the rating of an expert taking a critical look at the hotel itself.

However, judging by the traveler reviews, the hotel itself rates pretty highly as well; it gets kudos for excellent service, large rooms and a great restaurant. Compare that to the Days Inn, which also had a great location but got slammed for dirty rooms and an unfriendly staff. (Strangely enough, the pros at Orbitz gave both the Days Inn and the Marriott Marquis a three-star rating — talk about a discrepancy!)

Conclusion
At the heart of the discrepancies in ratings from one service to another appears to be the weight they to reviews written by us, the travelers. As I note above, in many cases, the experts and the travelers appear almost to be reviewing different hotels.

Even a quick scan on a hotel search can show you the discrepancies between "official" and "traveler" ratings; keep a sharp eye. Also, as with the elevators above, you may want to consider the date of the review, as hotels renovate and update amenities all the time.

In the case of the Days Inn, the pros want to call it a two- to three-star hotel; a lot of travelers think it is a one-star hotel at best, a tear-down at worst. (Qualifying Note: There is dissension in the ranks. My thinking is that it's not terrible to have a low-priced chain right on the ocean in South Beach; at least folks can still get a room where the other half lives and plays.)

At the Marriot Marquis, the pros want to give it a three-star rating; in most cases, travelers rate the Marquis a solid four or more. Of 154 reviews on Expedia and 46 on Travelocity, travelers appear almost universally to rate the hotel a notch higher than the "experts." Whether it is the hotel itself, or the brightening influence of Times Square's lights outside the front door, it's hard to know!

The bottom line? Take every rating with the proverbial grain of salt, check multiple sources, and look for reviews from travelers who sound like you.

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