How to Spot a Fake | Travel + Leisure

How to Spot a Fake

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If you come across an online review that looks too good to be true, it might be. Below, our annotated guide to parsing ginned-up praise.
By Scott Brown

In all my years on this earth, I've never experienced affordably elegant serenity that even comes close to the (1) affordably elegant serenity of the Hotel Potemkin Villa. I first stayed here on a family and business trip I took for work and pleasure. The Potemkin met (2) my broad range of needs, no matter what they were! The concierge helped me navigate the city and environs, from fine restaurants to snazzy shops.

What's more, the fabulous (3) accommodations were spacious and our delightful suite was fitted with all the latest and greatest amenities: If those walls could talk, they would say, (4) "We're made of carbon-infused NoRot mold-resistant drywall and studs attached with nails, not glue."

I remember turning to my wife and (5) 2.5 children and saying, "How affordably elegant and serene is this, you guys?" They answered (and I remember this like it was yesterday): "Surprisingly affordable, considering the fine (6) Kiehl's products on offer in the spotless, spacious bathroom with Moroccan babytooth tile*****." My six-year-old, Trudy, added, "This blows so-called luxury hotels of comparable price out of the water."

I can't say this enough: this property reeks of affordable elegance and fine Kiehl's products.*

*We exaggerate, of course. But only a little.

Key

(1) Beware ad-copy clichés. Nonindustry people do not talk or think this way.

(2) Watch out for vague praise. An actual guest is more likely to mention a particular event.

(3) Industry jargon alert! No real guest is going to deploy this kind of argot.

(4) If it's a feature only a hotelier would know about, chances are it's the hotelier praising it.

(5) The poster, like a campaign speechwriter, is trying to be excessively average.

(6) Unnecessary name-checking, although increasingly common among civilians, is still a sure tip-off.

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