TripAdvisor Abandons List of Dirtiest Hotels – NYTimes.com

EACH January in recent years, the online travel review site TripAdvisor.com has kicked up storms of publicity and protests by releasing its scathing lists of the “dirtiest hotels” in the world.

But not this year. TripAdvisor has abandoned the widely cited lists of the grungiest lodgings in various regions of the world, including the United States. “We want to stay more on the positive side, so we’ll continue to feature the best destinations, the top hotels,” said Stephen Kaufer, the chief executive. “We’re slicing and dicing the ‘best of’ in different ways this year, more than focusing on the negative.”

So that’s the end of annual collections of reviewer comments like these about various unfortunate properties that made previous world’s dirtiest lists such amusing reading (assuming you did not own any of the hotels in question): “Made me think of my own grave,’ ‘A level of filth and discomfort that mere neglect could never produce,’ ‘If Hell had a hotel it would be something like this.’ ”

The insults ranged from the hyperbolic if plausible “Dust so thick we could have knitted our own blanket.” to the clearly absurd “Chewing-tobacco spit oozing down the halls and corridors.”

As I note their passing, however, allow me to employ the same kind of sarcasm that characterized the lists: “Looks like snarky TripAdvisor pulls its punches, accentuates the positive, eliminates the negative, now that it has been spun off by Expedia as a separate publicly traded company and it feels competition from the new Google travel site breathing over its shoulder.”

via TripAdvisor Abandons List of Dirtiest Hotels – NYTimes.com.

Strange Random Bad Hotel Quote:

“I stayed in a really old hotel last night. They sent me a wake-up letter.” – Steven Wright (American Comedian, b.1955)

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Voucher Codes – UK shopping for less

With the emphasis squarely on saving money nowadays (and rightly so), a number of websites such as Groupon have introduced the idea of savings in group purchases. However, it is also possible to find restaurants, supermarkets and retailers offering temporary deals or discounts by means of a special code, without the need for joining a group. Given that many of these retailers are available online, this makes them a good choice even if you don’t live in the UK and want to buy something as a present or just for yourself.

For example, a quick look on VoucherCodes.co.uk for Amazon brings up a special offer on DVDs and Blu-Ray discs of between 75 and 99%. The page gives details of any specific details that apply, the length of the promotion and  a direct link to the store.

There are thousands more like this and if you want to, you can also sign up for  a free newsletter and get the offers in your e-mail.

VoucherCodes.co.uk is one of many sites offering this service and if you do shop online, it’s worth checking with them first before you buy. You never know what you might find …

Strange Random Shopping Quote:

I went to a general store but they wouldn’t let me buy anything specific. – Steven Wright

Related articles

• Sony PSP tops 2010 list of ‘most returned tech gadgets’ (your-story.org)
• One in five accident-causing motorists lies to their insurer (money.marksandspencer.com)
• Online Shoppers Can Save Using Free Delivery (prweb.com)