Maldives of the Americas

Ray Caye Belize

We were intrigued by Belize because the coral reef off its eastern coast features islands allegedly the most similar to the Maldives of anywhere in the world. I had featured it in my popular “Maldives Methadone” post. We thought that we could enjoy the tropical island (with diving) holiday while also having a few days to explore the rainforest jungle (a bit like the Maldives+Sri Lanka combo popular in the Indian Ocean). We also thought it would be fun to try a “Maldivian” experience somewhere else in the world.

To remind everyone, the criteria for “Maldives-like” includes:

  • Small size (able to walk around the circumference)
  • Tropical
  • Accessible, quality snorkeling
  • Blue tapestry seascape
  • Remoteness (ie. “middle of the ocean” feel with mainland not in sight)
  • Calm ocean from protective atoll/barrier reef

Why bother with “Methadone” when the Maldives itself offers so many options?

  • Cost – Maldives is one of the priciest destinations on the planet so seeking lower priced options.
  • Access – Somewhere closer to North/South America especially, but also Asia/Pacific
  • Variety – A bit of a different culture, history, locale, etc.

We booked a stay a Ray Caye about 30-minute flight from the international airport in Belize City to Placencia and then 50 minute speedboat ride from there.

What was like the Maldives…

· Blind-Taste Test – If you were to blindfold me and drop me down on Ray Caye without telling me where I was and asked me if it was the Maldives, I would really struggle. It definitely has both the look and vibe of most Maldive resorts. Palm trees, coral sand, azure tapestry seascape.

  • Seascape – Green caterpillar-like islands on the ocean’s horizon with azure tapestry stretching out.
  • Landscape – Tropical, palm trees, walking pines, mangroves.
  • Warm water, ie. 26-30 degrees Celsius, where you don’t need a wetsuit for diving
  • Pricing was actually comparable to similar properties in the Maldives (we spent about $1000 BB in a oceanside luxury villa with a plunge pool)

The particular property of Ray Caye was really like the EARLY Maldives (ie. early 2000s) which might have particular appeal to those nostalgic for the simpler, less-luxurified times. Staying at several other on-land Belize resorts en route to Ray Caye, we started observing that the Belize tourism industry is considerably less mature than certainly the Maldives. Another case in point was that when I was at the World Travel Market last week, they were the only Central American country without a booth. Aspects that took us back a decade or more include:

  • One room, rustic airport arrivals with only one other plane on the tarmac
  • Top hotels really 4+ star
  • Limited modern conveniences (ie. Internet only in lobby in some resorts, no TVs)
  • Big diving draw with familiar aquatic creatures like reef sharks, nurse sharks, dolphins, turtles, sting rays, eagle rays, jacks, and even whale sharks

The mainland non-resort areas of Belize reminded me a lot of Fuvamulah in general development, standard of housing and infrastructure (eg.limited mobile data and wifi, commercial establishments).

The one aspect which actually outshone the Maldives was the coral. Belize is also facing considerable coral bleaching with its hard corals, but its soft coral is the most extensive and varied we have ever seen.

There were telltale signs that this was not quite the Maldives…

  • Seascape – Extent of the azure sea was not quite as expansive. It seems like the general ocean topology is about a couple metres deeper than that of the Maldives. As a result, few variegated blues stand out and you don’t find ocean-level features like sand bars.
  • Sealife – Not as much marine life (especially the small fish which is partially down to the scourge of the invasive lion fish that feed on them).
  • Staff freely circulate and hang out in guest areas (which is a more congenial vibe)
  • Bird life slightly different with pelicans instead of herons as the prime fishing fowl. Also, osprey and frigates soar from tree to tree instead of flying fox bats.
  • Limited spa (with therapist off for extended periods of time and only a few treatments available)
  • Less “remote” feeling as you can see the mountains of Guatemala and Belize in the western distance (even though they are not very prominent and mostly shrouded by horizon clouds)
  • Belize has a more diverse landscape of atolls than the Maldives and a good number of islands are not at all Maldivian-like as they are quite big (eg. featuring big multi-story hotels).

As I mentioned, we combined our island stay with several nights in the Belize rainforest, specifically the resorts Caves Branch and Sleeping Giant, akin to the popular stays in Sri Lanka often combined with the Maldives. The former lodges were like screened-in porches in the middle of the jungle which made the connection with the outside surroundings very intimate. Sort of akin to what a water villa is to the ocean, the “treehouses” (more like “treetop houses”) are to the jungle. Instead of seeing marine life around you, the sensory experience hits most at night when the sounds of the jungle are around you. Especially the howler monkeys who sound like some sort of alien space saber tooth tigers when they get into their howling action.

Here is a summary of our week long itinerary (ours was stretched to 12 days for more diving and rainforest excursions) which is a good framework to start from for a first trip to the destination:

  • DAY 1:
    • Arrive Belize International.
    • Stay at Caves Branch / Sleeping Giant (90 minute transfer from airport)
  • DAY 2:
    • Excursions: Mayan ruins, Cave adventure
    • Stay at Caves Branch / Sleeping Giant
  • DAY 3:
    • Excursions: Explore Placencia, beach and beach bars
    • Stay at 3 Iguanas, Placencia (90 minute transfer)
  • DAY 4:
    • Excursions: Money River and Manatee tour
    • Stay at 3 Iguanas
  • DAY 5:
    • Relax or Water Activity
    • Stay at Ray Caye (50 minute transfer from Placencia)
  • DAY 6:
    • Stay at Ray Caye
    • Relax or Water Activity
  • DAY 7:
    • Return travel

World Travel Market 2024

World Travel Market 2024

World Travel Market 2024 gave me my annual flesh-and-blood dose of Maldives meeting with so many of the movers and shakers of the Maldives travel sector. I meet new people who have never heard of Maldives Complete (especially the new appointments in the corporate properties) and well as longstanding comrades (like Aminath Hudha, the first Maldivian in the industry to support me – see photo above).

I also caught up with folks from properties I’ve visited, eg. Emerald, Emerald Faarufushi, Sun Siyam, Nika, Centara Ras Fushi. But I also get to meet new people from properties I haven’t visited, eg. NOOE, JW Marriott, Furaveri, Barcelo, Westin, Alila Kothaifaru, Fushifaru, Le Meridien, Drift Thelu Veliga, Plumeria. And especially helpful is meeting people from the brand new resorts coming soon – eg. NH Collection, Avani+, Centara Lagoon, Ananea Madivaru.

I met industry players like Maldives.com, Paula from Magic of Maldives agency, and even Igrahim Shiuree the new CEO of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relationship Corporation. And I uncovered about a dozen new “Best of the Maldives” pieces featuring either new distinctions or ones I hadn’t yet heard about (stay tuned)

Sun Siyam Spooktacular Soiree

Sun Siyam - London halloween 2

The dress code was “black, dark, spooky or full Halloween ghouls”. So Lori and I went as the spookiest, ghoulish creatures we could think of in the Maldives…Shark Fin Poachers.

In advance of next week’s World Travel Market in London and on the occasion of the scariest night of the year, Sun Siyam hosted a coterie of writers, operators and agents for some Halloween treats with no tricks. Sun Siyam’s largest market is the UK so it invests in keeping it informed and supported. The hotel group (Olhuveli, Vilu Reef, Irufushi, Siyam World) is focusing on adding as many distinctive experiences to their properties in the Maldives so that your trip of s lifetime it not just about the great place where you are, but also great things you do there.

Sun Siyam - London halloween 1

How Much is a Pool in the Maldives?

Maldives pool

One of the very first motivations to start Maldives Complete was to get a comprehensive list of resorts with pools (which our kids loved to frolic in). Now the pervasive 5-star luxury properties nearly all have pools with every room. But, they come at a price. That is, a price uplift versus equivalent rooms without the pools. Similar to my previous, “How Much Does a Sunset Cost?”, I thought I would tap into Maldives Complete’s database of over 1200 room categories to analyse this pool premium.

I compared all room types where the resort had definitively matching room descriptors of a room type with and without a pool (eg. “Beach Villa” and “Beach Villa with Pool”):

Disclaimer: Not all pools the same. Also, a number of “with Pool” room categories have larger room footprints so the room type is really more than just an added pool, but rather the pool is the signature addition that also signifies and includes other enhancements.

ChatGPT vs. TripAdvisor

ChatGPT Maldives

When I first started Maldives Complete (2009), many resorts barely had websites. When I mentioned that mine had a “blog”, most people asked “what’s that?” TripAdvisor was still in its nascent stages with the beginnings of crowd-sourced content with reviews and chat forums. Many people came to Maldives Complete because there simply weren’t many alternatives. The majority of destination research was done through paper travel brochures provided by operators and agents (which was a big source of material at the outset of the website).

As the web presence grew (as well as the number of resorts), the website was visited more for its comprehensiveness of practical information as well as ease of use in an increasingly cluttered digital landscape. The most recent stage of online evolution has been social media which has flooded the web with both casual crowd sourced material as well as more “professional” content that has shifted the online dynamics again (especially in crowding out Maldives Complete discoverability into the cut-throat search space with big budget SEO muscling to the top – fortunately, operators and agents remain long-standing, active and enthusiastic supporters of the site).

We are now standing at the dawn on the next major transformation in how online users get information from the web – AI. You’d be hard pressed to have missed the stories written (hopefully by humans) on the heels of the landmark release of ChatGPT. Perhaps Sam Harris’ podcast this week with Paul Bloom described the current developments best saying, “In one of our conversations a couple of years ago, if you’d asked when will we have a system capable of having a perfectly normal conversation saying intelligent things, I’d say, ‘I don’t know…20 years? 50 years? Maybe never.’ And yet here we are.”

I have been playing around with OpenAI and ChatGPT for a few weeks now, and I must say that I am truly gobsmacked by what it can do. It is not perfect, but that doesn’t matter. The same is true in the early days of any technology. It’s the “dancing bear” metaphor…it’s not that the bear dances like the Bolshoi, it’s just amazing that the bear dances at all.

Amidst all of the experimentation and commentary about ChatGPT, the consensus is that the dancing bear’s most nimble party piece is answering complex but fairly specific questions with information drawn from the Internet. So, I thought I would pit the engine against my Mastermind specialty subject – Maldives resort recommendations.

The three most common types of questions asked about Maldives resorts are the following:

  • RESORT RECOMMENDATIONS – “Here are my requirements, what do you recommend?”
  • RESORT CHOICES – “Which resort would you choose between these options?”
  • GENERAL QUESTIONS – “How is the weather in September?”

I went to TripAdvisor Forum to get several IRL examples of such queries and see how ChatGPT performed. The results are below. And those results echo what most commentators are saying about the AI – B+ results. They aren’t prefect but, (a) they are darn good, and (b) they seem human-like (nb. Turing Test). In my decade plus of contributing to the TripAdvisor Forum about the Maldives, I would place these responses as certainly par for the vast majority of human contributions and better than many of them. This technology is inflecting so watch this space!

  • RESORT RECOMMENDATIONS We are heading to the Maledives late July with our two kids. We are looking (preferably) for a resort on a private island with kids club, pool and good house reef with snorkeling trips to see Mantas and/or Whalesharks. Is this realistic with a budget of approximately 500 USD including at least half board or should we look for cheaper accomodation on an inhabitate island?
  • A budget of approximately 500 USD per night for a family of four on a private island resort in the Maldives with half board included may be a bit limiting. However, it’s not impossible to find some options that fit your criteria. Private island resorts tend to be more expensive than those on inhabited islands, but they offer a more luxurious and secluded experience. If you’re set on staying on a private island, you may have to compromise on some amenities or activities to stay within your budget. To find a resort that fits your criteria, you can search online travel websites like Expedia, Booking.com, or TripAdvisor, and use their filters to narrow down your options. Look for resorts that have a kids club, a pool, and a good house reef. You can also check the resort’s website or contact them directly to ask about their snorkeling trips to see Mantas and/or Whalesharks. If you’re open to staying on an inhabited island, you may be able to find cheaper accommodation options that still offer great snorkeling opportunities. Inhabited islands are more affordable because they offer a more local experience and don’t have the same level of luxury amenities as private island resorts. However, they can still offer good snorkeling opportunities and a chance to experience local culture. Ultimately, whether you choose to stay on a private island or an inhabited island will depend on your preferences and budget. Keep in mind that the Maldives is a beautiful destination with many options for families, and with a little research, you can find a resort that meets your needs and budget.
        
  • RESORT CHOICES – We are planning a trip in early August. I have narrowed our resort to Anatara and Amila based on my previous question looking for luxury and good snorkeling from the beach. I would really appreciate feedback from people that have been to both. One of my concerns is the extra expense for drinks at AK. Amilla has a package that includes drinks for $170 pp per night. I have read that drinks run around $30++ which could add up quickly. I like the rooms much better at AK.
    As an AI language model, I don’t have personal experience of visiting these resorts, but I can offer some general guidance based on my knowledge of the hospitality industry and online reviews. Both Anatara Kihavah and Amilla Fushi are highly rated luxury resorts in the Maldives, and each has its own unique selling points. Anatara Kihavah is known for its stunning villas and underwater restaurant, while Amilla Fushi has a more laid-back atmosphere and a wider range of activities for families and couples. In terms of snorkeling from the beach, both resorts are located in areas with good coral reefs and marine life. Anatara Kihavah has a coral reef surrounding the island that can be accessed from the beach, while Amilla Fushi has a house reef that can be explored by snorkeling or diving. Some reviewers have noted that the reef at Amilla Fushi is closer to the shore, making it easier to access. Regarding the expense of drinks, it’s worth considering the package offered by Amilla Fushi, which includes drinks for a fixed price per person per night. This can be a good option if you plan to consume a lot of drinks during your stay, as the cost can add up quickly at luxury resorts. However, if you don’t plan to drink much alcohol, or if you prefer to order drinks a la carte, then the extra expense of drinks at Anatara Kihavah may not be a significant concern. Ultimately, the choice between these two resorts may come down to personal preferences and priorities. It’s a good idea to read online reviews from other travelers, compare the rates and packages offered by each resort, and consider any specific needs or preferences you have for your trip.
      

  • GENERAL QUESTIONS – Is 10 1/2 months before to early to book? Last year I left it and prices went up and up and I was only saved by booking direct (I think they made a mistake with the price). OH wants the same hotel, flights and dates so can’t look for offers. I have a price about 16% up on pre pandemic price which is a price match by a ABTA / ATOL agent. I want to book tomorrow for 3/3/24. I worried for months last year as the price rocketed. Is this a bad idea?????????????
    Booking 10 1/2 months in advance is not too early, especially if you have a specific hotel, flight, and date in mind. In fact, booking early can sometimes result in better prices and more availability. It’s understandable to be concerned about prices going up, as this can happen in the travel industry, especially during peak seasons. If you have found a price that is 16% higher than the pre-pandemic price and it is a price match from an ABTA / ATOL agent, that could be a good deal. However, it’s always a good idea to do your own research and compare prices from different sources to ensure you are getting the best deal possible. Ultimately, the decision to book now or wait is up to you. If you are worried about prices going up, booking now could give you peace of mind and ensure that you secure your desired hotel, flights, and dates. However, if you are willing to take the risk and wait, you may be able to find a better deal in the future.

   

Things I Haven’t Seen Yet in the Maldives #19

Havent Seen - island shirt

We are off once again to the Maldives today! For the first time ever, we will be visiting the Maldives twice within a twelve month period for gathering information and material.

Claudio Lugli Island Shirt [ABOVE] – Unfortunately, the Claudio Lugli fish shirt has been out of stock since its introduction, but this latest style is a reasonable alternative for your Maldives resort wardrobe.

Marine Conservation Society Official Clothing – Sustainable and supports a good cause, but most importantly, very stylish.
Havent Seen - Marine Society

Greg Norman Shirt – For just a subtle touch of shark fashion, you can opt for this very lightweight sporty shirt from the shark of the fairways.
Havent Seen - shark logo

Shark Socks – Or for a more dramatic sartorial shark, check out these paws Jaws.
Havent Seen - shark socks

Hannah Blount Jewelry – A recent discovery by my sister (much to the delight of Lori) is designers Hannah Blount who specialises in exquisite sea themed jewelry. A delightful signature touch are the little gold barnacles she puts n the pieces.
Havent Seen - Hannah Blount

Lounge Chair Towel – Something we came across in Miami, a lounge chair towel with a pocket sewn into one end to facilitate hitching it to the top of lounge chair (without it slipping down especially if you slip off to doze and slide down the chair back).
Havent Seen - lounge towel

Glass-Bottom Transfer – When we took our first trip to the Maldives, we were immediately struck by all of the colourful tropical fish swimming by the transfer boat jetty. A glass bottom boat would let you enjoy the underwater spectacle all the way to your resort (thanks Paola).


Beach-to-5K – Holiday version of popular “Couch to 5k” with the resort organising a programme of gently increasing exercise (and recovery spa treatments) to get people to the point of running a full 5k distance at the end of their stay.
Havent Seen - couch to 5k

Healthy First Buffet – A Cornell study found that “With buffet foods, the first ones seen are the ones most selected. Over 75% of diners selected the first food they saw, and the first three foods a person encountered in the buffet comprised 66% of all the foods they took. Serving the less healthy foods first led diners to take 31% more total food items.
Havent Seen - healthy buffet

Sauna with a View – We saw these at a local outlet and thought they would be perching on jetty or even just waterside of a beach so people could look out over the ocean while soaking in the heat.
Havent Seen - sauna with a view

Moveable Bed – Soneva Jani’s retractable roofs bring the outside in, but this innovation brings
Havent Seen - Moveable Bed

World Travel Market London 2021

WTM 2021 1

Another milestone in the return to normality is the resumption of the World Travel Market this week at London’s Exel Centre. A traditional opportunity for me to escape the increasing Blighty chill and immerse myself in all things Maldivian for a day.

Despite the broad-based enthusiasm for this big step of some face-to-face time with the opportunity for serendipity of connections and information sharing, the WTM was a more muted affair than previous years. The crowds were much smaller. This made the queues for coffee a lot shorter, but also made the event less advantageous for the participants. Next to the Indian Ocean (and I didn’t see Seychelles or Mauritius there), was the “Africa” section which had only a half dozen sub-Saharan countries.

The “Maldives” hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and its Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) arm made a huge effort to make a dominant presence. In addition to its usual pole position stand location at the entry to the “Indian Ocean and Asia” hall, it had filled the Exel centre with floor markers and video billboards (see photos below). With the lower attendance, I suspect that the WTM was selling floor space more cheaply which the Maldives took advantage of by doubling its stand footprint and removing the cost of its traditional two-level stand build.

I filled my day meeting long-standing friends, associates and supporters (like Pullman, Emerald and Ritz Carlton’s Scott Le Roi in the photo with me above), as well as made new acquaintances and introduced more industry folk to the website. I got a chance to learn about some of the newest resorts (eg. Cora Cora, Rita Carlton) as well as a some other players I hadn’t met previously (eg. Hummingbird Travel).

As a bonus, for the first time ever at WTM I have included a video tour of the stand.

WTM 2021 2

WTM 2021 3

WTM 2021 4

How to Pick the Perfect Maldives VILLA

Perfect Maldives villa

By far the highest engagement post of Maldives Complete is the post “How to Pick the Perfect Maldives Resort” (200+ comments and new ones coming in every day). But now the destination landscape has changed so people are looking as much for the perfect “villa” as the perfect “resort”. It used to be that the resort choice drove most of the variation in experience. The few room categories on offer simply provided some modest variations in size and location of your room. Most of the amenities (eg. pool) were shared across the property. Today, resorts typically offer over a dozen different room/villa categories with massive variations in size, amenities, and of course budget.

Like the Maldives Complete “Resort Finder”, the companion “Room Finder” was developed to filter a short list down from an even more overwhelming number of room types to choose from – 1,137 Room types versus 164 (active) Resorts. Below is a guide to the top considerations and what to take into account when considering them:

  1. BUDGET!! – As with the “Perfect Resort” piece, the very first question is your budget. Choosing a general star-category (eg. 4-star, 5-star) no longer narrows down the expected expenditure. The top of range villa can be many times the price of the entry-level one. The majority of resorts, even some 4-star ones, seem to offer a blockbuster “Presidential” villa which is many times the cost (and size) of their standard lodging.
  2. ISLAND – While the villa is the focus, you still have to consider your surroundings and ask yourself the other questions about the “Perfect Resort” (eg. size, house reef, public facilities).
  3. LOCATION – Location, location, location. For resorts themselves, that question is usually about transferring and distance to Male. With villa types, that question refers to a spectrum of possibilities essentially stack-ranked by proximity to the ocean:
    1. Water Villa (Middle of the Ocean) – Completely detached from the home island (with a shuttle boat service).
    2. Water Villa (Jetty) – In the middle of the water with jetty to the island.
    3. Water Villa (Water’s Edge) – Sometimes referred to as a “Lagoon Villa” or some other slightly different level. The front of the villa rests over very shallow water with the rear of it pretty much over land.
    4. Beach Villa – On the island typically within a few dozen metres of the water’s edge.
    5. Garden Villa – Typically tucked deeper in the island often without even a view of the water.
  4. PRIVATE POOL– When I first started my Maldives Complete research 20+ ago, a main focus was to identify which resorts had a pool for our kids to play and it’s #7 on the “Perfect Resort” check list. Now, the majority of 5-star resorts (and 5-star properties are the majority of resorts) feature your own private pool with your villa. Even these have a bit of a sliding scale with the most luxurious at the top:
    1. Luxury Pool – Some pools have special feature like glass sides or slides.
    2. Swimming Pool – The standard in this consideration of something that you can more than immerse yourself in, but even move or play around in (maybe even swim laps).
    3. Plunge Pool – Too shallow to swim, but plenty big enough to immerse yourself for a refreshing dip.
    4. Jacuzzi – Some villas feature a jacuzzi which does allow you to immerse yourself, but the inability to move around much is compensated to some degree by soothing bubbles.
  5. SUNRISE/SUNSET– The last I checked, a sunset view is going to cost you on average $200 per sunset. I’m happy watching the sunset at the bar with a fresh cocktail in my hand, but enough people must value watching it in the privacy of their villa. If this matters to you, it will affect your price. This variable is not (yet) in the Room Finder as the majority of resorts don’t make this distinction, but it is something you might want to consider in your final choice. Either in looking at the published room categories or, if not a distinct category by the resort, submitting a preference when you book.
  6. SIZE– Both in number of bed rooms and in square footage. Not a big deal to me, but if it matters to you, it is something that is easily filtered on the Room Finder.
  7. FAMILY– Minimum age. For Resort’s, it something people seek. For Room’s it’s something people need to avoid (if you have children that age).

The Room Finder also allows you to filter on “Glass Floor”, but primarily because that it relatively easy data to get a hold of, but frankly sure aesthetic touches are not something I would recommend using to guide your choice.

There are actually dozens of amenities and features that vary by resort and room (eg. hair dryers, bidets, safe, kettle, deck chair). I’ve never felt these were serious determinants of where to stay so I haven’t done the work to put them in the database, but if you are interested in such details (maybe to split hairs on a toss up choice between options), I recommend Mondo Maldives whose website does a thorough job of tracking this information.

How to Interpret a Resort Review

Review maldives

Ratings are often the first thing people turn to in deciding on their resort of choice, but these handy shorthands are also fraught with biases and confusion. I thought I would pull back the curtains a bit on these metrics and badges to makes then easier to use and interpret when research your perfect resort.

  • Industry star ratings indicate how many boxes a property has ticked against a list of criteria
  • Social media star ratings (mostly) indicate how a property has performed against expectations.
  • Industry awards are (mostly) just pay-for-cachet shills.

INDUSTRY STAR RATINGS

Traditional “star” ratings (eg. “5-star hotel”) were developed by industry bodies and were determined by a methodical list of criteria. The advantage to this approach is that is objective. The problem was that the checklist reflects quantitative metrics, but not qualitative aspects. It counts things like the number of electrical sockets and whether the bathroom has a bidet, but doesn’t assess the quality of design, materials, aesthetics, etc. Resorts quickly learned to game this system by installing the cheapest versions of anything that would tick the assessor’s boxes to get a coveted “5-star” designation for a fairly chintzy property.

SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW RATINGS

The Internet and social media introduced the notion of crowd-sourced reviews. The stars that visitors gave were anything but methodical or defined. The reviews were completely haphazard with “1-star: Terrible” reviews going to exceptional properties who made one slip-up during their visit, and “5-star: Excellent” reviews going to mediocre properties visited by people who were just delighted to be on holiday or wanted to boast to the world how amazing it all was.

The notion is that a savvy reader will dismiss the outliers and focus on the shape of the score histogram (eg. shifted more heavily to positive or negative side). Social media does add the richness of two features: (a) the text review itself (so you can drill down into the specifics of the assessment as make your own judgement about whether the attributes focused on concern you or the assessment seems justified), and (b) the authority of the writer (based on reputational scoring like “Helpful” votes).

Seth Godin articulates this dynamic well in this piece “I Hate This Restaurant” (and this is just the inadvertent failure ignoring the deliberate toxic practice of social media extortion where people find tiny failings and demand a big discounts or compensation under threat of them unleashing their condemnations all over social media):

  • ·If you look at many 1-star reviews (of books, of music, of restaurants) this is precisely what you’re going to see. A mismatch of expectations. A mismatch that is blamed, completely, on the person who created the work, not the critic. It doesn’t matter that the thing was clearly marked. It doesn’t matter that the thing was extraordinarily well-produced. And it doesn’t matter if just about everyone else experiencing it was thoroughly delighted. Because for this spoiled, under-informed and impatient patron, it failed.”

As a result of this “expectations driven” reviewing, many resorts have shifted the direction of their approach to ratings. Instead of trying to goose their rating as high as possible with covering the official bases as expediently as possible, now many properties voluntarily downgrade the advertised “rating”. So they might officially be a “5 star” property, but they advertise as a “4+ star”. That way, guest come expecting one standard of quality, but find a higher than expected one. Exceeding such expectations is the key to strong social media ratings. Better to be a 4-star on the profile but a 5-star on TripAdvisor, than visa-versa.

INDUSTRY BODY AWARDS

Whatever you do, dismiss the press releases and website merit badges from industry awards (eg. “Best Hotel in the Indian Ocean by the So-So-So Travel Group”). Said industry body charges X-thousand dollars for a resort to buy a table at their award ceremony and pretty much makes sure that everyone who attends, walks away with an award. In fact, in some cases, the more awards a resort flaunts, the more likely they are trying to cover up major inadequacies by buying endorsements (Yes, I know, I have featured some awards on the website and my email signature, BUT I did not pay anything for these and would never).

So with all of these review shortcomings, how is one to assess the quality of a resort in researching a holiday? I do check out the social media ratings (mostly TripAdvisor). I look at the shape of the star distribution (eg. how many 1-stars, how many 2, etc…). I will take a peek at a couple of 1-star reviews our of curiosity to see if they had identified anything truly serious, but in nearly all cases it is just the rambling trolling of a disaffected whinger. I do select for the most highly rated reviewers (eg. most Helpful votes) as these folks are likely to have sensible perspective so that their review will share useful insights.