Oyster's reviewers stay in hotels anonymously, systematically evaluate the properties on more than 70 different dimensions, and take hundreds of photos. They sleep in the beds, swim in the pools, eat the food, and interview other guests at the hotel to ensure an objective, comprehensive analysis according to the comprehensive hotel review guidelines that Oyster created. Every review looks at service, design, dining, cleanliness, nearby nightlife, and even the thread count of the bed sheets. In addition, the site considers the specific needs of different types of travelers, including families with children, honeymooners, weddings, business travelers, pet owners, and those looking for exceptional value.
"Hotel stays usually account for the biggest portion of your travel expenses, but a hotel is not something you can return if you're unsatisfied and before Oyster, a hotel was not something you could see before you checked-in," says Oyster CEO and Co-Founder Elie Seidman." Oyster helps travelers find that perfect hotel by providing a comprehensive review with a level of detail not seen elsewhere -- online or off. Only on Oyster.com can a traveler narrow down the search results to find, for example, a hotel with a gym that provides free-weights, free Wi-Fi, babysitting, and rental-car service onsite. Plus, with more than a hundred photos of each hotel to peruse, travelers won't be surprised -- we back up our opinion with honest, undoctored photos."
The Best of Boston
After careful deliberation, Oyster editors awarded top Boston hotels with an "Editor's Choice" award in several categories, including luxury, value, kid-friendly, and romance. Additionally, the editorial team compiled "best of" lists and slideshows for niche travelers planning a Boston vacation including those looking for pet-friendly hotels, gay-friendly hotels, hotels near sports venues, and hotels for college visits.
Editor's Choice Awards for Boston include:
Best Value Hotel: Radisson Hotel Boston
Best Luxury Hotel: Four Seasons Boston
Most Romantic Hotel: Fifteen Beacon
Best Boutique Hotel: Fifteen Beacon
Best Kid-Friendly Hotel: Marriott's Boston Custom House: A Marriott Vacation Club Resort
Best Historic Hotel: Omni Parker House
Best Hotel Restaurant: The Eliot Suite Hotel
Oyster will be adding to existing coverage of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York in the upcoming months. The site will launch coverage of Washington, D.C., hotels in December and Orlando hotels in January. Additional U.S. cities and popular European destinations will be added during 2010.
In addition to reviews, the Oyster Blog provides pearls of wisdom and fun travel gems. The site's popular Photo Fakeouts spotlight misleading images found on the hotel websites -- from disappearing views to tiny pools made to seem far bigger than they are. Oyster editors answer travel questions via Ask Oyster, evaluate the value of package "deals" in the Bundle Breakdown, and provide entertainment in Hotel Humor and Marketing Mishaps. Stay Here, Not There helps travelers hone in on the perfect hotel.
To insure that Oyster readers find the best value for their chosen hotel, Oyster provides rates and availability from several online travel agencies. Further, flexible travelers looking for the best bargain can use the site's rate calendar to choose the most affordable dates of travel. The rate calendar displays the average price per day found across several travel sites and can uncover deep discounts. When users make purchasing decisions, they can click on the rates provided by their preferred travel sites and within seconds be sent deep into the site's booking path for a seamless purchase.
About Oyster Hotel Reviews
Oyster Hotel Reviews (www.oyster.com) is the first and only travel site dedicated to publishing objective, in-depth reviews, written by trained journalists, of the world's hotels. Oyster reviewers stay in hotels anonymously while systematically evaluating the properties and taking hundreds of photos of every hotel. Oyster Hotel Reviews adheres to the highest editorial standards; it does not accept compensation or incentives from hotels, and pays for all travel expenses. Hotels cannot pay to be reviewed nor can they influence the reviews in any way. The site aggregates hotel prices from leading travel sites and provides several booking options for each hotel. Oyster is financed by Bain Capital Ventures and is led by an accomplished and experienced management team including Oyster co-founder Elie Seidman and executive editor Scott Medintz.
SOURCE Oyster Hotel Reviews