I want to share this story to help others understa...

I want to share this story to help others understand how the rating review system works. If you write a mediocre review about a supplier, inevitably a response comes telling you how sorry they are, how whatever happened is unacceptable etc. What is less obvious is that these responses, of which there are many, make the supplier look good when in fact they have done nothing and will do nothing to fix the problem.It is so easy to write ""we will look into that" or similar words. I now realize that the system is warped in favor of the supplier, with the interest of the traveler coming a distant second. TripAdvisor and similar sites enable the supplier to register their responses and nobody is checking to see whether the supplier has done anything to help the poorly treated customer.

I attach my original review to TripAdvisor about the Cleveland Hyatt. One of my main complaints was that the hotel is all talk and no action. Hyatt is quick with the e-mails to say they will discuss and/or do something but they do nothing. As I note above, my TripAdvisor review was (of course) followed up with one of the many false corporate responses; in this case from the General Manager of the hotel.

The Hyatt response is also attached below. You can plainly see the master double talk of the corporate supplier. There is no obvious way to discuss the problem with Hyatt. Numerous reach outs to the manager by e-mail were not returned and no contact information is provided for the General Manager.

I wrote to TripAdvisor to ask how to rectify the situation. No response was received. I removed my original review from TripAdvisor and updated it to include this new concern. Here's a shocker (sarcasm); TripAdvisor has not published the updated review.

I have now taken a closer look at many reviews on similar sites. Typically, very legitimate complaints by travelers, followed by false (form/platitude) responses from the supplier that makes the supplier look good. I do not have many ideas of how to stop this behaviour other than the relevant web site, like TripAdvisor, refusing to publish the supplier response without clear evidence that the supplier has made amends or provided a real opportunity for the traveler to discuss the situation.

The current system must change!

Original review (on TripAdvisor and since removed):
I have now stayed in this location two times and my experience is the same both times. The building is beautiful and the staff (generally) are kind and helpful. The problem is the rooms are old and worn; our room stank like cigarette smoke, the wifi is mediocre to awful, the tvs work intermittently and the price of the room is extremely high. Sure, everyone who goes to an event in the arcade will likely be happy as they will enjoy the building and may be too drunk to notice their rooms after the party. They will also be enjoying the noise; the rest of us will not.So, if you are looking for a nice place to stay in the sense of an old building in a good location, this is it. If you are looking for a nice place to stay in the sense of a modern room, top services, quality finishes and food and fair pricing, this is definitely not it.

Last but not least, they are more talk than action. I did receive a note from the manager to help me find a "quiet room" next time. Unfortunately, the manager ignored my message before arriving at the hotel, and ignored my response to his subsequent message, and also conveniently ignored all the other issues in the hotel except the noise (which is too blatant to ignore). So, in the end, nice place for a party but you may want to stay next door.

Response to my original review from Hyatt [ a good example of the problem - leaving a nice impression with readers but really doing nothing]
[Name deleted], General Manager at Hyatt Regency Cleveland

Dear "x"I appreciate your thoughtful review as it allows us to grow and improve. I apologize that we failed you on so many levels as this is totally unacceptable. I am happy to discuss in greater detail.
Cordially,General Manager