Articles
Can you trust a hotel's average star rating? I dug past the top reviews into the buried 1-stars.
A ★4.0 inn with 200+ reviews. A worked example of reading past the average — pulling in the buried low ratings to see the concerns a star average hides. For anyone who doesn't want to take hotel reviews at face value.
Is a ★3.9 restaurant just "average"? I read 400+ reviews down into the low ratings.
A ★3.9 restaurant with 400+ reviews. A worked example of reading past a middling average — pulling in the buried low ratings to see the split a single number hides. For anyone who doesn't want to take reviews at face value.
That Five-Star Review Might Have Been Written for 5,000 Yen
"Leave us a five-star review and get a discount" — drawing on a case Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency actually acted against, we consider how we should engage with online reviews.
Google's AI Review Summary vs. WasaView — What's the Difference?
Google Maps now has AI review summaries too. So where does WasaView fit in? We lay out the difference in their roles, based on Google's own description.
Why High Ratings Aren't Enough for Hotel Reviews — Lessons From a Trip Gone Wrong
A highly rated hotel was nothing like its reviews. What a trip gone wrong taught me about reading hotel reviews — owner replies, low ratings, and choosing without regret.
7 Signs of Unnatural High Ratings in Google Maps Reviews
Even 4.5 stars isn't always safe. 7 signs to spot unnatural high ratings in Google Maps reviews, plus why reading the low ratings helps you choose without regret.