The Hotel Horror Story That Started This Movement
Our weekend getaway was meant to be simple, just an overnight stay followed by a day of touristy adventures a few hours from home. My wife and I were longing for a break from our daily routines, so we decided to book a hotel we'd discovered on a popular travel site. We leaned on the reviews and glossy images on the website for guidance, so, we weren’t expecting luxury, just comfort in a clean room, since there were some great posted reviews but even more terrible ones. Surely, the truth had to lie somewhere in between.
Arriving at the hotel, the relief that we had reached our destination quickly turned to disappointment because the building in front of us certainly had much more wear and tear than the one on the website's glossy photos. Nonetheless, we decided to stay optimistic and we approached the front desk, hoping the actual experience would be better than our first impressions.
...we weren’t expecting luxury, just comfort in a clean room, since there were some great posted reviews but even more terrible ones. Surely, the truth had to lie somewhere in between.
And the room, at first glance, seemed pleasant enough - ...but the devil was in the details. It was clear that the room had been tidied up but not cleaned up.
The front desk attendant was kind and welcoming, giving us a glimmer of hope that it’s true that you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. And the room, at first glance, seemed pleasant enough - ...but the devil was in the details. It was clear that the room had been tidied up but not cleaned up. A few long hairs on the shower floor indicated it hadn't been cleaned since the last guest. Then we found a streak of something unsavory along the inside of the toilet bowl.
My wife's disappointment was evident, and I couldn't hide my frustration. But we decided to not spend the evening complaining to the attendant, instead we would just endure the night since we were only staying there for a few hours. We would leave first thing in the morning and salvage the rest of our trip and enjoy our planned day. But the next morning was another letdown.
While my wife was straightening up the bed before we left, she discovered a slip of paper beneath her pillow. It was a receipt from a local restaurant that was dated a few days before our arrival. It was clearly left by a previous guest, and it became evident that the bed sheets hadn't been changed since that guest left. The thought of sleeping on unclean sheets horrified us.
As we checked out, frustration, disgust, and disappointment loomed over us. This was a well-known hotel chain; we had expected a more pleasant story to share when we got home. Unfortunately, this wasn't our first encounter with these kinds of hotel disappointments. This had happened too many times before.
...and it became evident that the bed sheets hadn't been changed since that guest left. The thought of sleeping on unclean sheets horrified us.
We didn’t want to just write yet another review that would get lost and dismissed in the sea of other unreliable online reviews. The whole experience left us feeling helpless.
On our drive home, we expressed grief and horror that the same experience was likely awaiting the next guests who checked in that evening. We didn’t want to just write yet another review that would get lost and dismissed in the sea of other unreliable online reviews. The whole experience left us feeling helpless.
That’s why we created "JustTellItLikeItIs.com," an app for guest-generated video hotel reviews. We wanted to provide a platform that is completely independent of the power and influence of players in the hospitality industry so we can provide our own genuine, emotional, and compelling experiences, just like my wife and I encountered.
Our mission is crystal clear – we help travelers make informed decisions, while also holding hotels accountable for living up to their marketing promises. "Just Tell It Like It Is" emerged from our determination to establish a dependable community where travelers could access honest, evidence-supported, video-based accounts of their potential future stays.
We've turned our nightmarish hotel experience into a force for change. "Just Tell It Like It Is" is more than an app; it's a movement. We invite you to join us and countless others who want to ensure that honesty prevails in the world of travel. Together, we can make informed choices, hold establishments accountable, and transform adversity into constructive change. Let's take this journey together and redefine the way we experience our travels. It’s your travel, your truth and our movement: Just Tell It Like It Is!.
We invite you to join us and countless others who want to ensure that honesty prevails in the world of travel. Together, we can make informed choices, hold establishments accountable, and transform adversity into constructive change.