How about splitting hotel forums? - FlyerTalk Forums (2024)

FlightNurse

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: PHX & AGP

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Canarsie

Join Date: Dec 2002

Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States

Posts: 25,036

Could you imagine if every lodging company had separate forums according to region?

As a moderator, I have to wade through this forum often as well — but I use the Search function on FlyerTalk to assist me; and it does significantly help me.

More information about using the Search function on FlyerTalk is found here: Using the Search Feature on FlyerTalk: The Definitive Thread

Also, Destination forums are available on FlyerTalk — but they are more generic, of course: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/destinations-704/

Moderators also have the ability to consolidate similar discussions into one, if that helps.

What were your thoughts in more detail about how the Hilton forum should be divided, FlightNurse?

FlightNurse

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: PHX & AGP

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Posts: 11,719

How about North America has it's own forum, Central/South America it's own Forum, the UK has its own, and the EU has its own?

Using the search function doesn't work all that great, I have used it and just wanted the subject it still comes up with hotels, not in the area I'm searching. I don't think it would make more work for you, it sure would be easier to search for certain hotels in certain locations.

SPN Lifer

Join Date: Mar 2002

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Posts: 15,560

I skip the threads for properties that don't interest me. The only FlyerTalk (FT) hotel or airline forum for which I read every post in every thread is United.

For finding properties I use the hotel websites. Once I have property names, it is easier to search for them on FT.

JJeffrey

Join Date: Feb 2001

Location: RDU <|> MMX

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Posts: 12,793

I don't ever bother with the FT search but just use Google. Search Flyertalk + the specific forum + whatver subject/thread you're looking for.

A Google search of "Flyertalk Hilton Amsterdam" will quickly give you links to 6 separate threads on properties in Amsterdam, for example.

aww3583

Join Date: Jul 2013

Location: Gulf Coast

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Posts: 2,365

This is what kills this forum. Topics about one-off issues (walked, FDA unable to process Hilton gift cards, bedbugs, etc.) get buried in the property-specific threads that no one reads.

Canarsie

Join Date: Dec 2002

Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States

Posts: 25,036

I am not concerned about more work for me.

Rather, I do not know if more forums will actually be more difficult for FlyerTalk members.

Are you suggesting that more discussions about those specific topics would improve the Hilton Honors forum?

If so, how do you envision it?

lincolnjkc

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet

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Posts: 4,277

Not the OP but
(a) I don't think more forums are the answer
(b) I think more threads

the answer.

The property threads kill my experience in this forum -- as very rarely am I looking for (or interested in) "Property X" per se and I feel like they are unwieldy and meandering. I feel like shorter and more focused threads (at least for specific problems/issues) would make the form easier to handle and more likely to get participation.

That way specific topics would be visible at a glance from the forum index -- right now if I look at the forum index most of the threads are just "(property name) (location)" and have thousands of posts which makes it quite imposing to try to jump in and difficult to judge the freshness of the discussion. Is there a problem that members not familiar with the exact property might be able to provide advice on? Is it a property review? etc. etc,

Wading through a Christmas tree thread with 4,200 posts (that started in 2004) to determine if something has already been covered (or if something said 20 years ago is still relevant today) makes me, personally, not want to bother

I know modding is a thankless activity and no one will ever be 100% (maybe not even 90%) happy and I'm not even sure I agree with myself but that's my initial opinion coming at FlyerTalk as a "browse and discover" rather than a "search and acquire" user.

aww3583

Join Date: Jul 2013

Location: Gulf Coast

Programs: Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond; National Car Rental Executive Elite

Posts: 2,365

Issue-specific threads instead of hotel-specific threads.

The issue is analogous to an airline forum moving an “involuntary denied boarding” post to the airport-specific forum.

If you move a “new breakfast item spotted at the Hampton Inn El Paso” thread to the hotel-specific thread, it’ll get 1/1000th the visibility and utility it would have if it was left alone. The vast majority of us care more about breakfast than the Hampton in El Paso.

Last edited by aww3583; Jun 29, 2024 at 5:48 pm

FlightNurse

Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: PHX & AGP

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Posts: 11,719

This right here speaks volumes, its not about you, however, many Mod's do. My suggestion is more about easily finding certain hotels...

soy

Join Date: Dec 2008

Location: DUB-BOS

Programs: various

Posts: 3,752

Region specific forum would be worse IMO.
If the issue is being able to find threads, then the answer is to use google as suggested by JJeffrey, its way better than FT search

notquiteaff

Join Date: Dec 2006

Location: Pacific Northwest

Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA ExPlat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...

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And what would you do with “Elevator broken at Hampton Inn El Paso”?

I don’t care about a new breakfast item at the Hampton Inn El Paso, and I am confident that a dedicated breakfast item thread will be started quickly when it becomes clear it is a generic location independent issue, either by some mod or some other forum member who spots the pattern. You can also flag a mod if you feel such a post should be broken out into its own thread.

On the other hand I frequently research properties using the property specific threads.

It works for me.

What is not working for me and reducing my participation in a lot of threads is the decision by Internet Brands to remove the quote notifications (see my signature) in the June 6th update. That makes it hard to respond to replies I receive in threads such as property threads where someone asks a follow-up question to something I posted a while ago.

serpens

Join Date: Sep 2015

Location: flyover country

Posts: 2,490

FWIW, I agree with the "fewer forums" crowd. I also believe in putting posts that address issues at a specific property in a thread dedicated to the property. And wherever a poster chooses to make a comment, I wish the poster would use the exact property name from the chain's web site. This would make it a lot easier to find comments on a specific property using Search.

Exactly.

It would be difficult to overemphasize what notquiteaff is saying. If FlyerTalk (IB) wants discussions, it will bring quote notifications back. Not bringing quote notifications back is a sign that FlyerTalk wants a bunch of disjointed thoughts without follow-up. (Of course, in that case, it wouldn't matter if there were several forums. For that matter, each post could go in its own forum.)

aww3583

Join Date: Jul 2013

Location: Gulf Coast

Programs: Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond; National Car Rental Executive Elite

Posts: 2,365

Those will be in the paid version, rolling out soon, I'd imagine. The college sports forum I've been a member of for 20+ years did this. PMs and notifications were moved to "subscription only". The forum could only be used with a paid version, or an ad-based version. Any use of an ad-blocker rendered the page unusable.

Absolutely killed the forum.

Canarsie

Join Date: Dec 2002

Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States

Posts: 25,036

Moderators can do that on a case-by-case basis; and we will be more than happy to do it if the discussion warrants it.

Moderators obviously have no control over that.

This discussion about quote notifications is off-topic here and is really better suited for this discussion: JUNE 6TH, 2024 UPDATE Tech Issues Thread