should my review mention only the guest, or people with them too?

[Joe16]

I've been careful to mention in our reviews only the person who booked with us, and not refer specifically to the boyfriend or wife or friend(s) who may have been with them.  I figure that this is a good practice for purposes of privacy, as maybe some people would not want the whole world to have a record about their travels with others.

But it leads to some stilted reviews from us, particularly if our interaction was largely with the other party.    In our reviews, we mention our guest by name and then try to refer obliquely to the presence of others later.   It's funny just to refer to Bob alone or reference "Bob and his guest" when our relationship was with Bob and his wife.   But, we're thinking, that's the way we need to do it. 

What's your thinking on how to manage the presence of others in a review?   Do you leave them out, or do you reference them?  And if you reference them, how?

[Jeet0]

Hello @Joe16,

That's quite an interesting question, thanks for bringing it up 🙂

If my guest is travelling with his family (family in legal terms), I refer to them as 'Bob' and and his family or 'Bob' and his wife/kids/parents based on who he is travelling with.

In case 'Bob' is travelling with his friends/girl-friend/partner/colleagues/pets...I refer to them as Bob and his friend(s) or Bob and his pet dog/cat/hamster.

I never mention the names of the other guests in the review.

Good day 🙂

Jeet

[Robin4]

@Joe16 Hi Joe.....you are 100% right with your approach. As you say, provided the guest has adhered to the rules, then it is not up to you to make judgement calls about the naming of others that may be with the named guest. The only time I deviate from this same policy is if I receive a booking request worded...'My name is Joe and my wife Fiona and I would like to stay in Comfotable Hills Studio for 4 nights starting ------------'! If the guest names the other person or persons in the booking request then I will mention them by name in my review....that is just a common courtesy. But if the guest has not seen fit to put a name to a companion then respect his, or her, reasons and don't mention them.

I would not even name the accompanying person if the guest had simply introduced her by title.....(wife, daughter, partner) ....many people have been caught out passing another off as their partner....ie Secretary, Fitness Trainer.....

I would not personally use @Jeet0 s approach for the above reasons, you can't be sure the significant other is who they are supposed to be, and that could lead to considerable embarrasment!

Joe, as a rule of thumb, if you are invited to name a guest companion then by all means do so but, always run it past the guests...and I mean, both of them!

Say something like...'You and Fiona have been wonderful guests and I will make sure I recognise both of you in my review'!

But unless you can check all these boxes Joe....just acknowledge the main guest....cheers......Rob

ps: Thanks Joe for a good well thought out question....it's questions like this that help improve all of us!