Update: In October, we’re going to focus on Videography!! And to lead the way, @SP31 is taking charge! To find out what the plans are and how to participate/collaborate, please get in touch with him!! … and… ACTION!
Welcome to another post in the Let’s Talk About Reviews series, which is part of a wider 12 Months of Celebrations initiative to celebrate 10 amazing years of the Local Guides program! Do check out the amazing posts published already; links can be found at the end of this post!! 
This year, I went on a 30 days backpacking travel across Europe which gave me lots to see and do on a limited budget. So, for my post, I wanted to focus on some niche experiences and share my thoughts and experiences with writing reviews for hostels and public transport systems.
Why do I write reviews?
I use Google Maps almost exclusively to find new places to visit and I rely on reviews to see if it’s something that I would be interested in or not. If need be, I might do more research e.g. visiting the official web site or doing a Google search.
Because I rely so heavily on Google Maps reviews, I know the value that they bring. Unfortunately, I’ve also come across many places with no (or very few) useful reviews!! Someone has to start and show the way, right?! And that’s my motivation for writing reviews! 
That said, I personally find writing reviews to be difficult mainly because I take forever to compose my reviews; have I said too little/too much, is it useful/objective, will the filters approve this review, will I get sued by the owner 
?!
What makes a good review?
What makes a perfect review changes from person to person and even by context; are you rushing and need a concise review, or are you doing a research and prefer lots of details?
As you can imagine, there are no one size solution that fits everything so for me, I try to aim for the middle ground. I still employ my structured review method but I do try my best to be as brief as possible. Sometimes I change the details (e.g. Food/Drinks, Accessibility, Atmosphere, Cost, Service) depending on the place I’m reviewing.
Overall, I think a good review should embody the following:
- brief and informative
- honest and objective
- relevant and contextual
During my travels I’ve stayed in numerous hostels, budget hotels and even AirBnBs. They come in all shapes and sizes, budgets and extra amenities. When deciding on my accommodation, I look for the following information in reviews:
- cleanliness - Are the rooms, toilets/shower areas, common areas clean enough? Do any reviews mention bed bugs? How often are the areas cleaned?
- comfortability - Are the beds comfortable? Can you hear folks snoring from next door, or traffic noises from outside? Is it a party place more suirtable for young travellers?
- amenities - Do they provide lockers in the bedroom? What size are they (can they fit my bags)? Is there a common kitchen with a shared fridge? Is there free WiFi and is it stable/fast/reliable? Do they provide clean bedsheets and towels? Are there sockets next to my bed for me to charge my electronic devices?
- location - Is it near the city bus/train station (for when I arrive and depart)? Are there grocery shops nearby? Is it central enough or near a metro station (for visiting all the tourist spots)? Is it in a safe neighbourhood?
- cost - Do they offer private rooms? What’s the smallest dorm size available as I prefer a max of 4-6 people per dorm? Generally, the type of rooms and amenities available dictates the overall cost.
- privacy - This is a very personal factor but I don’t feel comfortable if there are no privacy curtains around my bed. If it’s an open bed room, it’s a “no” for me. If the bunk beds don’t have curtains, it’s also a “no” unless I can guarantee getting the top bunk. Also, I almost always pick the top bunk because I can keep my smaller bags and electronic devices out of sight; the downside is that I usually have to do some crazy acrobatic climbing made worse at night when I can’t turn on the lights so as not to disturb my roommates.
Notes on accessibility:
- in general, hostels are not designed with accessibility in mind. Almost all the hostels that I’ve stayed at do not have accessible entrances, rooms and/or toilets.
- the unfortunate perception is that all backpackers are fit to travel and do not use or need any aid
Here are some examples:
Links to full reviews:
Zeus Is Loose hostel (Thessaloniki, Greece)
Dopa hostel (Bologna, Italy)
PLUS Florence hostel (Florence, Italy)
Needless to say, I’ve also seen enough bus/train stations during my travels as they are my main mode of transport to get between cities/towns. Most train stations are fine with decent amenities and are usually centrally located but some bus stations can be located a bit away.
These are the factors that I usually look for when reviewing public transport systems:
- location - Is it easy to get to/from my accommodation? Are there links to an inner city metro service (bus/trams/trains)?
- amenities - What facilities are available; toilets (are they clean), ticket office (staffed or automated machines), food/drinks shops (are they affordable or good), sitting areas (are there enough seats for everyone and are they clean), accessible features (ramps, toilets, entrances)?
Here are some examples:
Links to full reviews:
Union Ivkoni Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki, Greece)
Perugia Railway station (Perugia, Italy)
What about negative reviews?
I’ve never written a 1-star review but I can imagine that it’ll just be filled with a list of things that have gone wrong! 
Most of my reviews are 4-stars and the rest are either 3-stars or 5-stars. These days, I think that we have to be very careful when writing anything negative about our experiences.
My sister has an interesting take on this: if you have a positive experience, leave an appropriate review online. But if you have a negative experience, verbally communicate your concerns/problems with the staff/owner directly. This will allow you to explain things face to face and avoid miscommunications and hopefully, the staff/owner are able to react positively. This will also give the businesses a chance to fix things without having an online record of a negative review. What do you think? Is this being too lenient? 
Personally, I think it’s still good to leave a negative review but you have to be very objective (don’t let your emotions get in the way), try to leave a constructive comment (e.g. what and how could things improve) and try to be understanding.
For example, I have been to many places where the building is old with no accessible infrastructure and it is too costly for the owner to add them in. Is this excuse fair enough? No, but we need to express it in a neutral manner.
“It’s horrible that this place does not offer an accessible toilet! Do not go!!” vs “The customer experience will improve if they had an accessible toilet and they might even get more customers visiting knowing that their needs are fully supported”
What is your most unique review?
When I’m travelling I’m always worried about needing to use the toilet and not being able to find one!! As I get older.. things are not always in control so, I’m always checking and making a mental note of where available toilets are!
Unsurprisingly, my most unique review is of a self-cleaning public toilet. 
Summary
I hope that you’ve found this post useful and feel free to share your thoughts on how I write my reviews. As you can see from the screenshots, I like to try different formats (minor as they are) to see how they appear on Google Maps and whether it makes people want to click on the “…More” to read the full review. Note: I still don’t know what works best!
I do know that I am quite long winded and I wish I could write more concisely but I usually have so much to say! 
Speaking of which, we are hosting a virtual meet-up for this Saturday, 27th September to chat about reviews!
Anyway, if you’re a fellow traveller, I think it would be nice if you could share some of your reviews from your travels in the comments section below! Try to showcase some unique ones! Do you like to focus on value for money, authenticity, originality, hidden gems, popularity etc? 
Finally, when I first introduced the concept for this series and asked the wider community if they were keen to collaborate, I received interests from @rahul001, @k.k.sharma, @gasparkaren and @sarahka, and together as a group we produced a series of posts where we each got to share our own experiences with writing reviews and some tips to produce high quality contributions! You’ve all been great to work with!! 
Along the way, their posts have encouraged others like @shaileno and @ssiddharth2000 to join in and share their thoughts too! So a massive thanks to everyone who has participated!!
Special thanks too to @Rahul001 for providing the cover photos for all the posts in the series!! I’m super grateful for your support! Shoutout too to @ShifaAymal and @Rakshith_LG for their logos! 
Below are links to posts from the Let’s Talk About Reviews series; enjoy!
- Reference: Tips for contributing high quality reviews (Google Support page)
- Reviewing Connects by @SarahKa
- Planet Friendly Reviews by @K.K.Sharma
- Reviewing with a Purpose by @Rahul001
- Opinion Matters by @shaileno
- Fun Way to Write Meaningful Reviews by @Ssiddharth2000
- Stay organized while you review by @GasparKaren
- Reviewing As A Backpacker by @AdrianLunsong
- Let’s Talk About Reviews’ Virtual Meet-up on 27 Sept 2025
- Reviews with a passion by @Gurukrishnapriya
Most folks think I’m an extrovert but I think I’m more of an introvert