The Hidden Dangers of Hotel Booking: How to Avoid Travel Disasters
After nearly 3,000 consecutive days traveling the world, I've developed what feels like a scientific approach to travel. Packing my entire life takes mere minutes, and researching flights has become second nature. However, when it comes to securing accommodation, I've learned through painful experience to follow a strict verification protocol before clicking that purchase button.
When Travel Dreams Turn Into Nightmares
Over the years, I've experienced too many "Instagram versus reality" moments that have taught me valuable lessons. From a room completely covered in cat hair in Okinawa, Japan—which my partner and I still refer to as "cat piss house"—to a windowless cell in Taiwan, these experiences have made cross-referencing reviews and searching for authentic traveler photos my most crucial travel advice.
I'm far from alone in these experiences. Travel journalist and content creator La Carmina discovered this during a girls' trip to Las Vegas when she booked what seemed like a budget-friendly steal near the Strip. The hotel had only a few Google reviews, and official photos showed clean, modern rooms. "When our Vegas Uber driver realized our destination, he uttered a premonition of doom: 'Uh, are you really staying there? Are you sure?'" she recalled to HuffPost.
"As soon as we walked in, we were welcomed by a dead cockroach on the bathroom floor. I squealed when I saw another perched on the shower curtain; my friend somehow launched it in the air, and it landed in the toilet as well," she recounted. Since that traumatic experience, Carmina refuses to trust any hotel with only a handful of Google or Tripadvisor reviews.
The Rise of Hotel "Catfishing" on Social Media
In recent years, travelers have increasingly turned to TikTok and Instagram to expose being "catfished" by hotels. One particularly viral example comes from a picturesque oceanside town in Germany, where a couple booked a room promising stunning views of sea-swept sand dunes, only to discover the "view" was merely a computer-generated photograph taped to their window.
Another widely-shared video shows a flight attendant entering her ninth-floor hotel room in Mexico, supposedly overlooking a historic cathedral. She quickly realized the breathtaking scene was actually printed onto a roll-up curtain, while her actual view consisted of nothing but a blank white wall.
Even hospitality professionals aren't immune to these scams. During a vacation in Thailand, hotel public relations expert Hannah Loughlin fell victim after booking what appeared to be a charming boutique hotel in Bangkok. "The lobby was beautifully finished, but the floors above were completely under construction," she explained to HuffPost.
"We went up the stairs, and all rooms except one were covered with tarpaulins to contain the dust. The room I was shown matched the photos exactly, but everything inside was literally for show. The electricity wasn't connected; the bed was a hard, solid platform with decorative bedding; the wardrobes wouldn't open; the television was a demo unit; and the shower room contained workers' personal items," Loughlin detailed.
She immediately left and booked a room at a well-known, reputable hotel brand instead. "Now I plan more meticulously and only stay in hotels personally recommended to me, or those I've thoroughly researched or brands I know I can trust," she emphasized.
Expert Strategies for Smart Hotel Booking
Since most of my travels occur throughout Asia, Agoda.com has become my primary booking platform. After narrowing down potential hotels based on location and price, I meticulously examine the images. Rather than focusing on professional photographs that could easily be AI-generated, I specifically search for authentic photos taken by fellow travelers. If a hotel lacks these real images, I immediately close that tab and move to my next option.
Emmy award-winning travel host Samantha Brown of PBS's "Places to Love" shared her verification method with HuffPost: "I check out hotels on YouTube to see if anyone has created an on-camera review showing the actual hotel and its amenities."
"These video reviews provide more reality and less fantasy than advertising materials would have you believe," Brown explained. "They also show actual people in the rooms, giving you a better sense of human scale than staged photographs."
Brown then turns to written reviews with a strategic approach: "When comparing hotels with similar ratings, I pay closer attention to the property with the highest number of reviews. Sometimes one hotel will have a 4.5 rating with 134 reviews while another has the same rating but with over 1,000 reviews."
Personally, I always begin by reading the lowest-rated reviews first to identify a hotel's most significant problems. This approach helps determine whether the establishment is genuinely problematic or simply suffers from common issues like unreliable WiFi or uncomfortable mattresses. Next, I examine the most recent reviews, as hotels often improve or change management over time.
Since many hotels unfortunately purchase fake reviews, it's absolutely crucial to cross-check feedback across multiple booking platforms including Booking.com and Google Reviews. Again, start by examining the most common complaints travelers mention and work from there.
Once you've completed this level of due diligence, you can book with confidence, knowing that your chosen accommodation—whether for a weekend getaway or month-long stay—will deliver what was promised in the listing.
