“Clean, Great Service” - Metro Hotel Miranda

Great Location, Clean motel, friendly and helpful staff, well appointed rooms

Stayed March 2012, traveled as a couple

View Metro Hotel Miranda on Trip Advisor

View the Offical Metro Hotel Miranda Webpage

TripAdvisor Reviews: Malicious, Bogus, Vexatious says AAA

One of Asia Pacific’s largest accommodation lobby groups says dealing with powerful review website TripAdvisor has become a huge issue for its 2000 members with the “possibility for abuse” having the “strong potential to undermine a business and damage it”. The Accommodation Association of Australia says operators regularly complain of “malicious”, “bogus” and “vexatious” reviews they feel powerless to stop.

“It is here where there is a strong concern that the process is weighted against operators, with their responses more likely to be moderated than those of the reviewer,” wrote Michael Georgeson, Manager National Operations for AAA.

“In a recent case presented to us, the site was used in a personal attack on a property manager via a review where the manager was accused of inebriation (amongst other complaints) whilst on duty.

“In this case, the property was able to identify that the reviewer was the disgruntled former partner of the manager.  Despite having this fact pointed out to TripAdvisor, the site refused to remove the review.

“The property was fortunately able to go directly to the reviewer and have the listing removed. However, this case underscores the lack of control and severity of attack that is possible.

“The possibility for abuse can mean that TripAdvisor has the strong potential to undermine a business and damage it quite substantially.

“This potential has been realised quite acutely in at least one UK case, where a targeted campaign was launched by an individual posting negative bogus reviews on a restaurant they had not even visited.

“Whilst it is unfortunate that this is not the only example, it is amongst those which have led to legislative changes in the UK.

“The issues are not limited to these negative reviews and the potential for attack either – even the positive reviews have pitfalls which may be questioned.

“Ghost-writing opportunities are available for the posting of reviews, in some cases specifically identifying TripAdvisor and the process to generate numbers of reviews from multiple profiles.

“To date, the advice of the Accommodation Association to members has been to attempt to respond to reviews through TripAdvisor.

“However, the consistent feedback from operators is that getting a response from the site operators is difficult, and when successful, responses to reviews can be heavily moderated, with one member saying the final response allowed was almost pointless.

“It is here where there is a strong concern that the process is weighted against operators, with their responses more likely to be moderated than those of the reviewer.

“Regardless, at this stage a measured response via TripAdvisor seems the only productive means of engagement with reviewers.”

(Source: Travel Trends News)

TripAdvisor Reviews: Malicious, Bogus, Vexatious says AAA

“Standing Ovation” - Metro Hotel on Pitt

I spent 4 days in the Metro Hotel to lodge my mother who came to visit after several years of not seeing me during our short stop at Sydney. I wanted to impress her but the budget was limited so after careful consideration of several hotels, I chose Metro thinking it average-to-good, but fairly priced and a bit wary after reading a few very negative reviews. I was VERY surprised when I found out the spacious room, super-comfortable beds, pleasant decor and top-notch cleaniness. 

Moreover, I managed to catch a free WIFI offer and I couldn't believe how reliable and fast it was (not to mention unlimited,) I don't even get such a good Internet at home paying premium for it! As others have said, it's also conveniently located in the middle of the CBD with the Opera House on walking distance.

The only complaint was a rather ugly but not too big faded stain in the carpet which I guess is what people who post negative reviews get hung on?

If you are paying over $300 in a 5-star hotel that might be a valid concern, but when you are getting such a great value for your buck (4-star quality for under $120 a night!) you shouldn't mind secondary details like that. Old lifts were ugly and slow but I got there right when they were replacing them, now they are state-of-the-art which shows that even being on top of their game they strive to improve even further. I just hope that won't affect their prices because I'm planning to keep lodging there for all my future travels to Sydney!

Room Tip: If Internet is important to you, watch out for the free WiFi offers, or pay the extra cost if necessary. As opposed to most other hotels' free Internet, it's super fast and reliable, all in the comfort of your own room.

Stayed: April 2012, traveled with family 

Value 5 out of 5
Location 5 out of 5
Sleep Quality 5 out of 5
Rooms 5 out of 5
Cleanliness 4 out of 5
Service 4 out of 5

Total Rating: 5 out of 5 Edgar L (Melbourne)

View Metro Hotel on Pitt on Trip Advisor

“Great Value, Great Location” - Apsire Hotel Sydney

Darling Harbour is a great place to stay. This hotel is in a quiet residential street within 5 - 7 minutes of the tram and monorail stop, 5 minutes to the Powerhouse Museum and Paddy's Market. The rooms are large and well appointed, beds comfortable, good clean bathroom with plenty of hot water, and a hair dryer - nice ! Air conditioned, but also a lovely balcony door with an insect screen so I could have fresh air which was wonderful. 

I'm not sure what people are expecting for a budget hotel price but it was certainly well within what I wanted. No bells and whistles - I don't care about digital TV and DVD players, I'm not going to be sitting in my room ! It doesn't matter if the decor isn't the latest, as long as it fulfills the function, and you don't need to have food on site.There is a very nice all day breakfast cafe 2 minutes away with a wonderful menu, and several other cafes in the area. I would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone on a budget and it will be my hotel of choice the next time I come to Sydney. 

Stayed February 2012, traveled with family

• Value 4/5
• Location 4/5
• Sleep Quality 4/5
•   Rooms 4/5
• Cleanliness 4/5
• Service 4/5

View Review on trip advisor

TripAdvisor Can’t Claim to be Trusted February 6, 2012

TripAdvisor will not longer be allowed to tell British users that its holiday reviews can be trusted. Advertising regulators said that can’t be certain because there’s nothing to stop bogus reviews being posted.

The Advertising Standards Authority made its ruling after receiving complaints about TripAdvisor’s own website. It said the statements had been made in a promotional manner and thus came under its remit. The ASA is an industry-backed body that rules whether advertisements are “legal, decent, honest and truthful.”

Complaints about the site covered claims that users could “read reviews from real travellers” and that the site featured “more than 50 million honest travel reviews and opinions from real travellers around the world”, along with the slogan “Reviews you can trust.”

The ASA noted that reviewers posted on the site were simply asked to declare that they were not personally or commercially linked to the hotel they were reviewing, and that there were no questions asked about whether they were a commercial rival or posting on behalf of the rival.

TripAdvisor said its users had the intelligence and skepticism to detect bogus reviews. It pointed out that because the site was so popular, any review falsely claiming a hotel was particularly good or poor would be drowned out by, and would stand out among, genuine user reviews.

The company also said it had an extensive technical system designed to filter out fake reviewers; it provided details of this system to the ASA on a confidential basis.

The ASA concluded that although TripAdvisor made efforts to make sure reviews were genuine, it simply wasn’t possible to be certain no bogus reviews were being posted on the site. With this in mind it ruled that the site could not truthfully say with absolute confidence that all its reviews were genuine and could be trusted.

TripAdvisor Can’t Claim to be Trusted February 6, 2012

Metro Hotel Sydney Central - Trip Advisor Guest Reviews

Three Recent Trip Advisor Guest Reviews of Metro Hotel Sydney Central:

“Good Central Hotel in Chinatown” - Reviewed 17 January 2012 NEW

This hotel is located in a very good location, right in Chinatown - extremely near to food shops, supermarkets, Chinatown shops - no issues finding nearby amenities. Good location for tourists as it is walking distance to some tourists attractions (e.g. Paddy's markets, Darling Harbour, City Centre), and is near to bus stops to further areas (e.g. Opera House, The Rocks, Harbour Bridge).

Hotel rooms I stayed in was a standard room (either 1 double bed or 2 single beds). Has TV (with limited cable), kettle, cups and glasses, coffee and tea, table with mirror, bathroom, and basic facilities. Comfortable room. Though, I felt that the room lighting is a bit too dim at times (with no overhead lights, only table lamps). Bathroom feels small and I had to bend down to reach the taps (not ideal for people with bad backs). Otherwise, room was clean and tidy. Good value.

I also paid for the morning breakfast, which was decent but wasn't great (it was buffet style with limited variety of food - got sick of eating the same food after a few days).
For business trips, etc. - Internet is not free, you have to pay a certain fee for it.

Pros - good value; extremely good central location; clean, basic rooms; basic room facilities present; helpful staff
Cons - small bathroom; need to pay for Internet access; very limited choice for breakfast

• Stayed November 2011, travelled with family
  • Value 4/5
    
  • Location 5/5
    
  • Sleep Quality 4/5
    
  • Rooms 3/5
    
  • Cleanliness 4/5
    
  • Service 4/5

“Steps from Chinatown, CBD, transport and markets!” Reviewed 9 January 2012

This hotel has a great location, one block up is a shopping centre with a supermarket, food clothes etc..

Paddy's market and chinatown is in walking distance, as is the Capitol Theatre and entertainment centre. Transport is all around as well as cheap restaurants and pubs.

We stayed here for NYE celebrations had no views of fireworks but we were in walking distance to Circular Quay where we had tickets for an event, the walk was about 15 minutes but this was fine, was pratically a straight line down George Street

The room was clean, bed comfy and tv worked, staff were good they refreshed coffee etc straight away when we asked

I would stay here again

• Stayed January 2012, travelled with friends
  • Value 4/5
    
  • Location 5/5
    
  • Sleep Quality 5/5
    
  • Rooms 5/5
    
  • Cleanliness 5/5
    
  • Service 5/5
    

See these reviews and more on Trip Advisor

What Would You Most Like to Get for Free at a Hotel?

The following results were taken from a Linkedin survey asking "What Would You Most Like to Get for Free at a Hotel?"

Linkedin Members: Comments:

Peter

Peter Jeffries • It seems to me that the bush is leading the charge in the area of free wifi! I also think the industry could learn from their country counterparts in the art of friendliness.

24 days ago Voted for Late check-out

Jan

Jan Dickens • Free WiFi should be available but I don't think Australia has the capacity to provide this. Hotel bookings should be for at least 22 hrs - this would enable the hotel to have 2 hours cleaning time and still keep their occupancy rates.

27 days ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Lee

Lee Oliveira • Australia is way behind when it comes to free wifi in hotels. Every hotel should at least have free wifi in the lobby. They would need to upgrade their system if a hotel was going to offer free wifi. Some hotels I've stayed at that offer free wifi are extremely slow because of the amount of people using it.

about 1 month ago

Phillip

Phillip Fitzgibbon • wifi should be free in Hotels, if you ask nicely you can usually get late check out free anyway

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Makoto "Mak"

Makoto "Mak" Arai • Free WiFi for sure - Just imagine when you have to sign in and even agree to pay for such basic infrastructure, first thing at hotel after hours of tiresome flight(s)...

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

James

James Rennie • Absolutely free WiFi. You have already paid a premimum to stay there so why not offer something that is free in other parts of the world

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Mathew

Mathew Thompson • I have recently returned from a Western USA road trip. I found it interesting that of the five hotels I stayed in, it was the "mum and dad" operators to provide free WiiFi and it was the major national chains who failed to deliver. Unless corporate's refuse to book group travel with hotels failing to step into the 21st century, they won't change their ways, vote with your feet people!

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Carmel

Carmel Hutt • I would like Free WiFI and late a Late Check Out

Ella

Ella Conway • honestly, I think Wifi and Late check outs should be at no extra charge at all.

View the Survey