Difficulties in choosing the best motel?

After a difficult peak holiday season with the manager AWOL, we have had several people arriving – when we were already booked out – after their bookings were cancelled by the OTA’s.  (Online Travel Agents such as Booking-dot-com, Agoda, Expedia, etc.)  Other local motels we have spoken to also are having difficulties with OTA’s.  One more courageous Turangi motel complex has dumped them. More will follow…  

The following post is a repeat from last October…

 
 

Difficulties in choosing the best motel?

Tourists complaints of increasing difficulties selecting a suitable motel? 

Who do you believe?

With the proliferation of OTA’s (Online Travel Agents) all competing for your holiday $$$ budget it is so important to accurately select the right motel for your requirements.  To do that you have to believe their descriptions of your holiday accommodation?  You have now been warned – some of their comments are complete utter rubbish.  Even their motel photos can be wrong… If you think you have problems then believe me, so do the motels and other holiday accommodation suppliers who have been misrepresented by OTA’s.

 
These days the OTA’s predominate on the web above motel rankings to make sure they suck you in first to their best deals.  Of course they claim their slick on-line booking system is easier and is more convenient?  The problem is they are not the best deals.  They all have to carry hefty commissions on top of any room rates offered to pay for their services. Just for example, for this review we have chosen at random a nice friendly little motel in the middle of the North Island half way to everywhere.
 
The following is their existing description on Booking.com – it looks like it was composed by a ten year old (English as a second language?) student but apparently we are advised it was entirely computer derived – their TRM specification is as follows:
 
“Offering free bikes, Tongariro River Motel is located in Turangi, 700 m from the city centre. Free WiFi access is available in public areas. Each room here provides guests with a seating area, a flat-screen TV, satellite channels and a washing machine. There is a full kitchen with a microwave and an oven. Featuring a shower, shared bathroom also comes with a hairdryer. At Tongariro River Motel guests will find a garden. Other facilities offered at the property include ski storage and laundry facilities. An array of activities can be enjoyed in the surroundings, including cycling, fishing and hiking. The property offers free private parking. The property is 31 km from Tongariro National Park. We speak your language!
 
Tongariro River Motel has been welcoming Booking.com guests since 21 Apr 2015.”  In fact this nice little friendly motel had previously dumped all the OTA’s (like Booking-dot-com) due to their obvious incompetence with booking issues but, as indicated above, had to rejoin again in April 2015 as the OTA’s reported on all their sites that TRM was no longer in business…  Others advised TRM were permanently full?  They left no options.
 
So TRM had to reluctantly rejoin them even if we did not want to use them.  The reasons are obvious as illustrated above – no motel wants to be described like that.  It is not only quite inaccurate (i.e. a washing machine in every room?) but is a disgrace to the English language. It is so unfortunate when we have to rely on travellers’ natural cautious instincts to recognise that the OTA’s descriptions are rubbish.  The big problem is that these OTA’s have taken over the on-line booking system and then misrepresent the customers who have little choice. We only discovered this misleading description this week.  It has probably misrepresented TRM for the last year?   We had no idea the TRM write-up was so misleading. So the problem for prospective guests is to know who to believe? 
 
Recently a TRM Daily Report described how misleading these OTA’s are when they featured a remote trampers hut on the Tongariro Northern Circuit (images above) which the OTA had used to illustrate what TRM accommodation was like – complete with images of the shared kitchen!.  That is still being promoted and confirms how tourists can be misled by their false descriptions. That 31 August TRM Daily Report is repeated below.  So for this little motel alone, one OTA has the wrong property and the other a misleading incorrect description.  It does make you wonder about all the rest…
 
The unfortunate OTA description for TRM is one of the reasons why TRM decided the most effective method to persuade our existing customer/guests base and any new prospective guest is to communicate using other guests’ own comments and descriptions and experiences – far more genuine and believable than the usual tripe from OTA’s, PR agencies or even motel operators.  Now you can see why TRM had to introduce “Inmates Interviews” every Sunday in 2016 – a weekly entertaining summary of unbiased comments from guests – if you wish to view them they are stored on YouTube.  We will start these again in March.
 
Also below is a more realistic description of Tongariro River Motel.  They may prefer their version and not like to promote the truth from motel owners?  Tongariro River Motel has been serving the needs of local anglers and tourists for over fifty years. 
 
“The completely self contained motel units vary from studios style to large 2 bedroom units with seven different designs and layouts sleeping up to six to provide for every requirement.  Being ‘self contained’ means they have fully equipped kitchens with every unit having full size ovens, microwaves and fridges.  The larger units have full sized fridge freezers and even a pantry.  Other features include sky tv with 50 channels, free wifi, under cover parking for every unit.  Special features include free bikes available, commercial smokehouse, fish cleaning facility, large freezer capacity, plus rod racks inside units, heaps of fishy books and maps and magazines in the library, free fully equipped laundry, etc. “
 
The mighty Tongariro River is only a few minutes walk.  Other local tourist attractions include the Tongariro River Trail for bikers and hikers nearby, many other bush and alpine walking tracks plus a shuttle bus service to the Tongariro Crossing is available..  The Turangi town centre is 5 minutes easy level walking distance. 
 
  Following is the false misleeading OTA description from TRM report dated

The images – supposedly of TRM – indicated tramping hut up Mt. Ruapehu instead of Mt. Ruapehu!  Would you trust these OTA’s to do your holiday bookings?

Tongariro River Motel‎‎

A great 2 star hotel in Turangi‎ Low Price Guarantee. Book Now!‎‎

OTA’s = Online Travel Agents… Their images are supposed to be of Tongariro River Motel?  I’ll bet you have never seen TRM looking like this? This is to explain again why we have to go on and on about them and why you should not rely on them…  Even though they are our photos that have been used,  TRM is not featured.  If they cannot get the correct basic info would you trust them with all your confidential cc details. ?? SWMBO blames DOC of course.  That is their Waihohonu Hut featuring as Tongariro River Motel?… The following is the sort of nonsense you can expect when you troll the internet looking for the best deal…  we have no idea who this OTA is, apart from the fact they have obviously pinched the info with no understanding of what TRM is, but no doubt will get a commission for on-selling your enquiry to booking-dot-com or a similar OTA. They have no idea of what they are even describing.  This one describes Tongariro River Motel as a two star hotel (?) with but then goes on to say:

Tongariro River Motel 8.8 stars Very Good

“Overview

The Tongariro River Motel enjoys a prime position right in the centre of the town. Lake Rotopounamu is within a 10-minute drive away, and the property offers free parking. Guests of the Tongariro River Motel can enjoy a range of services, including free bike rental. Facilities at the motel include laundry facilities, a playground and free Wi-Fi. The motel also offers ski lockers during the ski season. Included in the rooms are a refrigerator and a microwave. The motel has several oversized rooms to accommodate families. The Tongariro River Motel has its own on-site restaurant, perfect for those wishing to dine in. The motel enjoys a prime location, allowing guests easy access to a range of popular attractions. Taupo Airport (TUO) is within a 40 minute drive away.”
 
Oh Really?  What a load of misleading nonsense info!!!.  i.e.
 
TRM is not in the middle of town.
TRM does not have an on-site restaurant.
TRM does not have shared kitchen facilities as shown in above photos. 
I am still looking for the ski lockers… etc.
 
Amazingly, even though they are our photos that have been used,  TRM is not even featured.  They cannot get the correct basic info yet prospective guests trust them with all their confidential cc details.  Would you trust them?  Yet thousands of tourists do – for the ‘convenience’ of booking online via their cell phone?  If you want to stay at the real Tongariro River Motel then it is far better to contact SWMBO directly –

ross@tongarirorivermotel.co.nz or phone 0800 187 688

 

 

TRM’s conspiracy theorist, SWMBO, is certain that DOC put them up to it?