I suppose it had to happen

The response from friends and family when we told them that we were moving away from Edinburgh to Inveraray to start a Bed and Breakfast was sceptical to say the least. So, the wonderful feedback from guests has been overwhelming. Our main source of reviews has come from booking.com but we have had reviews on TripAdvisor and Google.

In just seven weeks we have had 43 reviews; 65% the maximum 10; 33% at 9 and above. All were described as exceptional.

Then yesterday, a score of 5.4; the stay being described as ‘passable’. Sue and I were poleaxed by the review, especially since we received a 10 from two Spanish couples that day and they even left a bottle of wine as a thank you.

This review marked us down in all areas which was upsetting enough. But the score of 5 out of 10 for staff was particularly bewildering. We pride ourselves at being customer-focused. We want to go the extra mile in terms of service, advice and comfort. For these reviewers, I found it particularly galling, as after they had finished their breakfast, I spent ten minutes looking through maps with them to help them plan their next stop. For Sue, who interacts with the customers when breakfast is being prepared, it was devastating.

I suppose it had to happen, that we would receive a bad review eventually. But it has been a shock to the system. Its difficult not to take it personally. However, the customer is always right and we have to analyse what were the issues. One comment was that the mattress was too soft. There is not much we can do about this, as just as many tell us that they love the bed in the Campbell Room. And they did state that it was a great breakfast. They might just have exacting standards and that is how they score all Bed and Breakfasts.