May I ask the origin of the belief that a “deal” is made between hotel PR and reviewers exchanging a comp stay for a favorable review? As I state above, I regularly accept comp stays, but I have never had a PR rep mention or insinuate in any way that the comp was being provided in order to cultivate a favorable reivew, nor has this been my tacit understanding. Certainly, they are *hopeful* for good press, and they are invested in showing us a good time, but the folks that I deal with seem mildly fearful of journalists and are keenly aware that I could write anything.

Do PR Reps try to sell me on whatever they are marketing at the time? Of course. Yet, when it comes time for me to write my articles, I write what I want to–not what I’ve been spoon-fed. I can count on one hand how many times (out of dozens) that I’ve written about a special or an event they were actively selling, and in these cases, the events and deals were truly noteworthy.

I come up with the article concepts. I pick which places to write about. And when the time comes, I write the articles. I am really curious as to whether others have seen evidence of “dealmaking”, or whether this is simply an assumption.

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I think also that you can judge in advance if a product or hotel is going to be a good or bad experience, and I personally wouldn’t agree to review something if I didn’t believe in advance that I would be able to recommend it to my readers. I agree with Pam that you need to disclose to your readers what you are receiving.

I also think that when writing a review you can do so in a fair way but one which highlights the good things. You can point out that it might suit a certain type of traveller – I have stayed in hostels which would be fantastic for younger travellers looking for great nightlife but totally unsuitable for those looking for a calm and relaxing holiday. Even if the decor is dowdy the friendly welcome might make up for it.

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Bloggers need to disclose when they get stuff for free, if it’s a stay or a product. That helps establish trust. And they need to be up front with their hosts, too, saying that they will review honestly, they’re not for sale. That’s what establishes trust.

I do think it’s more difficult to write a critical review on a comp, but I don’t think it’s impossible to be honest about the terms of your stay, the cleanliness and/or comfort of the facility, etc..

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I appreciate your concern about blogger reviews and people who accept freebies. And it’s a valid question.

Over at markstravelnotes.com, I’ve been including accomodation and restaurant commentary and recommendations since it started – and have been more than a little critical about some places by taking a no-tolerance approach to bad service.

Conversly, I also would like to recommend places that have really have been good – places really I do go back to in the the real world – and do so.

IMO, this provides some balance.

To date, I’ve not been offered and have not sought a freebie in exchange for any kind of review – positive or otherwise – and would have turned out this request before they lost interest. Such conditions are not good – it’s tantamount to a bribe, imo.

I can, however, see the attraction of taking a freebie and how some may be tempted to take it – even with the condition that only a positive review can be written.

If you do take a freebie (no matter what the conditions) and blog about (or make a post on a consumer site) that fact and any conditions must be declared and the reader can take that into account when making their decision. Your honesty and transparency will serve you well.

In my view, it’s dodgy that the PR company wants positive reviews /guaranteed/ although it’s their job to solicit positive publicity for their client. In my opinion, a review should cover both the goods and the bads (sometimes there’s only good or only bad!) and whomsoever runs the establishment should pick up on the bads and act on them. By improving /fixing the bads (aka weaknesses) they can improve their product offering and, consequently, improve the reviews they receive without such conditions.

Personally, I would have turned down a request for a review with a condition of “good reviews only” before they lost interest. It doesn’t do my credibility any good – I speak my mind and require the liberty to do so.

Mark Sukhija

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In this day and age, the structure of the writing world has changed so much (i.e., newspapers and magazines are firing staff writers and buying content from freelancers, who rarely get their expenses paid), and the pay has become so abysmal, that it is hard to know how any travel writer who writes reviews could possibly afford to bankroll their own travel.

I am a luxury travel writer who regularly stays in $900/night hotels, and the only way to do this is to accept comps. Fortunately for me, I am rarely presented with the moral dilemma of reporting a bad stay–since the places I review are already well-vetted, the focus of my pieces is to recommend spa treatments, cocktails, and odds and ends I like about a given resort (not to make a stay here/don’t stay here recommendation).

Last weekend, I did stay at a resort that, in my opinion, had not rightly earned its four stars. The conversation I plan to have with the Director of Sales is that I don’t think it’s right for my luxury travel column but that I will consider it for other freelance travel articles that I write in the future. I will also offer candid feedback detailing my reservations about reviewing it.

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