Avoid a Honeymoon Disaster

Edited by Jennifer L. Price

Was your honeymoon a disaster? What was the biggest problem? Honeymooner's Review Guide reports that often couples just choose the wrong resort. For the lowest scoring reviews, these top four categories accounted for 95% of complaints:

Room Related Complaints 35%
Poor Service, Unfriendly & Rude Staff 33%
Property Poorly Maintained 16%
Cleanliness and Health Issues 11%

Hotels ranged in price, size and chain affiliation. Many are well known chains, several all-inclusive, and one that targets honeymooners. Were these inferior resorts? No, nearly 85% of the resorts were rated by our website and another major travel site at a "good" or above. Nearly 50 % were rated 4 or above on a 5 point scale, and 12% were rated as "Excellent". So, what's going on? Why such low scores? Although highly rated, many did not score high for honeymooners or romance. A resort which is great for families, young children and teenagers may not be a good choice for a romantic couple. Low scores in major resorts reflect that couples sometimes choose their resorts based upon general ratings rather than whether the resort is suitable for a romantic stay.

Those dissatisfied with major chain hotels which cater to honeymooners had specific complaints. Couples arrived to find that the rooms that they booked were unavailable, overbooked, or came with a long delay and hassle. A few had nice rooms but with 2 double beds, not a good thing on a honeymoon. Often complaints were not addressed satisfactorily and some felt that resort staff were unsympathetic and even rude. The study found that both the highest and the lowest of troubled reviews were in the same hotel chains. The lowest scoring had guest relations issues rather than issues of poor property maintenance or cleanliness. Another common theme was related to perceived value. Of disenchanted honeymoon couples, nearly half (47%) considered their stay overpriced and of poor value. Resorts otherwise viewed and rated as good to exceptional were seen as negative due to unfulfilled expectations.

The message to resort management is that guest relations is paramount. For couples, the message is: do your homework. After choosing a destination and 2 or 3 potential resorts, check them out, not on one website, but on many websites. Visit forums, check out blogs, read reviews, and be sure that resort is meets your personal tastes and preferences. If you do not want young children and teenagers, be sure that your resort does not cater to them. If a pristine beach is all important, be sure to check out that resort, you may end up with a rocky, yet beautiful setting. Food is paramount? Be sure that if you are considering an all - inclusive, that it warrants your taste buds.

Research, research, and more research is the best advice from those that have been there. To read true life honeymoon disasters, go to http://www.honeymoonersreviewguide.com/planning/disasters.html .

To read more about how to avoid them, go to http://www.honeymoonersreviewguide.com/planning/avoid_honeymoon_disasters.html