Focus on guest reviews published in the last year.

If you choose to read guest reviews on TripAdvisor, Google and other sites, it can be difficult to interpret reviews. Some hotels five years ago were fantastic in terms of management, facilities and service and therefore may have received an overwhelming number of positive reviews. However, a lot can happen in five years, such as a change of ownership, new decor or the hiring of new staff. Therefore, positive reviews from five years ago may overshadow negative reviews from today. So when you are researching, you should focus on reading reviews from the past year. This will usually give you a good idea of what to expect during your stay.

Read the ‘terrible’ and ‘bad’ reviews on TripAdvisor.
This is probably the best advice for anyone looking to book a hotel room, as this is where you will find the most sensitive part of a hotel’s problems. Read reviews from last year and you’ll see a pattern of problems. It could be Wi-Fi connection problems, cleanliness issues or complaints about reservations; in any case, look at the trend and ask yourself if these bigger problems will be a problem for you. For example, the lack of air conditioning in a hotel is not a problem for all guests, especially if they travel to London in December where it is not necessary.