Anyone who knows anything about the subtleties of a language can tell immediately if a review has been-let's say "planted". Some companies are obviously planting these fake reviews in there to tip the balances. Fortunately with a bit of an imagination we can usually tell the fakes.

For example: When you see the following review (A) for a particular five star luxury hotel mixed with a lot of other reviews stating the exact opposite i.e. (B), then you realize (A) must be a plant.

(A) ?This hotel is truly fabulous, we flew in from Thailand to stay at this hotel; the d'cor of hotel was very clean and modern. We had luxury rooms which were spacious, modern and beautiful. The service was very friendly and excellent. I will definitely stay here again!!? Way to go [Name deleted Hotel] Five luxury STARS!!

(B) "Refurbished rooms" are large but with old carpets, curtains and furniture. Balcony furniture is cheap plastic, weeds were growing through tiles. Old bathroom fittings with tiny baths. Concierge service is indifferent. Pool area is awful. Staff couldn't care less when you ask them anything. Lobby old needs a complete makeover. No way five star.

Even without reading the other 25 or so poor or average reviews, you can see immediately which one is NOT telling the truth. Conclusion: don't stay at these hotels.

Service with a smile-Thailand

On the other hand when it comes to service, the degree of service is a grey area for a lot of people. It really depends on what they are used to. Most of the service industries in western countries like USA and the UK etc are famed for their lousy service. Of course the saying that the "rot starts at the top" is usually true to this and "pay peanuts get monkeys? is another good analogy. But this really only applies to the western cultures where the ability to serve is almost non-existent. Another recent review I read (below) was a bit of an eye-opener; and it goes to show that there are people out there who realize the potential and who know that with good management skills a service worthy establishment is actually possible. "As is common in Australian hotels, the staff are nice but the overall management is lacking. Hotel management here frequently demonstrates to the patron that its priorities are the dollar before the service. While we all know this is the reality of business the key to being a great service provider is making it feel like the opposite. Words well spoken-now how much longer will it take.

Thailand hotels

On the other side of the coin, you only have to take a trip to places like Thailand or Japan to realize that, even though the workers are on a"peanuts? in comparison to the west, they are actually trying their very best to produce good service. And they don't even expect a tip! A lesson that should be learnt throughout the west. Hotels and hotel staff take pride in all they do to make their guests feel accommodated in luxury surroundings ?not the "what do you want? " type attitude that we are used to. In my opinion, if you are seeking great customer service in luxury hotels in western countries, then all I can say is "good luck". This is not going to happen anytime soon. In fact, when I stay at these so called luxury hotels I try to avoid the hotel staff like the plague-which is after all what they really want isn't it? In a nutshell, the hotel star rating system in the west is certainly not equivalent to the rating system in the east so, don't expect a thing. On the other hand, when reading these reviews for Aussie or UK/US hotels etc try to ignore the service aspect of them and try and look out for shabby rooms, broken fittings and worst of all "thin wall" complaints. After all service was born in places like Thailand or Japan, don't expect it anywhere else.

A prime example of service to a tee and luxury to its optimum has to be the Dusit International hotels found in Thailand and now the Middle East. These hotels pride themselves not only in excellence but also in every single detail of hotelier management. They don't pay their staff peanuts either; which spells out only one thing: that of luxury, opulence, real five star services and a setting fit for kings and queens.