We were booked in at the Lion and Lamb but they have sadly closed down. I tried get a room at Guy Fawkes Inn but no one ever answered the phone, replied to my email and returned by answerphone message.

Gloria – I do try to explain the good and not so good points of accommodation in which I stay and of course you are never going to please everyone as different guests are looking for different things. However I believe that photos/videos give the reader a better opportunity to assess my evaluation.

So, the only thing I wanted to add to this discussion is that reviews are ultimately a very subjective opinion of the reviewers, and depend on their tastes, habits, culture, etc.

I like the fact that Karen gave her own evaluation of this stay explaining exactly what she liked and what she didn’t like. Some other travelers might think the attic room is very cosy, and different and love it for that reason. Others might find wi-fi not as interesting as the tv in the bathroom. Others might instead find the decor hideous and the view uninteresting.

So, I think that when you offer something in exchange for a review, you should be aware that what you think it’s your best room, might in fact not be your guest’s first choice.

Readers are subjected to their own opinions, but as long as the writer expresses what she thinks of the hotel and that honesty comes true in her writing, who cares about anything else?

Kudos to Karen! ;)

Abi – That’s exactly the point, readers are much more likely to believe the positive things that I write if there is some justifiable criticism (not just nit picking for the sake of it) too.

Keith – My aim is for all my hotel reviews (whether I’ve paid for them myself of they’ve been complimentary) to be honest and as objective as possible. Otherwise hat’s the point in writing them from Europe a la Carte readers’ perspective?

Andrew – Why are all travel writers/bloggers not producing full and truthful reviews, surely these are the only kind that are useful to potential guests? Of course most hotels will be doing better in some areas than others but it serves no one in the long run to gloss over any negativity.

Andy – I feel exactly the same way if I read hotel reviews written by travel writers/bloggers on complimentary stays that are always 100% positive.

Annie – I’m happy to hear that my review comes over as authentic and plausible and that you would consider staying at the Grange on the basis of my review. I do see it as my job to highlight good and not so good points, so that the reader can make their own evaluation according to their own preferences.

Hotel owners obviously want to see their own gushing advertising copy or press releases reproduced as editorial. Many addicts of ‘warts-and-all’ consumer reports, like tripadvisor, prefer instead to see a place totally rubbished.

The truth is always much more like Karen has written it – some good, some not so good. The effect of this article is that, on considered opinion and so long as you choose the right room, the Grange Hotel actually sounds like a pretty good place to stay in York.

One of the best hotels in the world? Maybe, maybe not – but then, the whole idea of a ‘Top 100′ is a nonsense that intelligent people would take with a pinch of salt.

Complete with sensible advice to both hotel and potential guests, this is travel reporting at its best.