Ursula and I took a side trip on a recent visit to Lisbon. On 8 November 2024 we flew down to Morocco for a three-night stay in Marrakech before returning to Lisbon and hoping a cruise ship back across “The Pond.” We’d both been to Morocco before, and Ursula visited Marrakech back in the late ’80s or early ’90s, but this was a first-time trip for me. So, imagine my surprise when we took a taxi to our hotel, only to be dropped off at the entrance to a nondescript side alleyway that allowed bicycles, scooters, and pedestrian traffic, but no cars, and given vague directions on how to traverse the remaining distance to our hotel.
Rue Saâdiens (left); our alleyway, Derb Sidi Mbarek (right)
It seemed to me a case of,“You can’t get there from here. You have to go elsewhere first.” Four winding turns later, after hauling our luggage some 280 meters/920 feet, we found ourselves standing in a narrow, dusty street alive with playing children and friendly cats. Before us was a door and a call button to summon someone to unlock it and allow us entry. By now I was wondering what Ursula had gotten us into. It turned out that she had gotten us into a very pleasant surprise, for upon our entry we found ourselves standing in a luxurious 5-start hotel that looked to be ½-star at most on the outside.
The open-air courtyard of Riad Viva
As you can see above, the area just past reception is quite the contradiction to the description I gave you of our first, street-side impression. The courtyard came with a comfortable seating area and a tranquility-inducing fountain:
Riad Viva courtyard seating area, where we were served tea
Riad Viva courtyard fountain
Our room was on the first floor. Indeed, it was the first room on the left as you step into the courtyard. Here are photos of the sleeping quarters and the bathroom:
Riad Viva room
Note the high ceilings and bright lighting
Luxurious, spacious shower in a well-appointed bathroom
Riad Viva also has an incredible restaurant that serves traditional Moroccan food with a set menu that changes daily. I’ll be reviewing that little delight in this week’s Fun Food Friday. For now I’ll leave with a taste of Marrakech to whet your appetite for what’s to come this week and next:
Another special bonus blog article this week. It appears I was a bit early in my previous praise of TripAdvisor doing the right thing and reposting my revised review of Denali Fireside Cabins & Suites in Talkeetna, Alaska, and the positively abominable owner Don Devore.
To recap, Ursula and I had a run-in with this immature, insecure, post-election snowflake on May 12 of this year. We asked Mr. Devore if he had available a cabin to rent to us. Instead of getting an answer, we were instead subjected to a third-degree on our political leanings and, when we failed this intrusive and unwelcome oral exam, we were told to take our business elsewhere.
I posted on Yelp, Google Reviews, and TripAdvisor a rather scathing review. That review is still up on Google and Yelp, although Yelp has it listed as “not currently recommended.” I suspect that’s because I don’t yet have many reviews on that site. To read my revised review, go to this Google Reviews link and have some fun.
TripAdvisor initially posted the review, but soon removed it because, “… your review does not include any first-hand experiences about the facilities or services of the establishment.” After some back-and-forth, during which I proved that my review was indeed a first-hand account of the service (or lack thereof) that we received, I was told to resubmit a review and to let the moderators know when I had done so. I revised and toned down my review, resubmitted it, and notified the moderators that my first-hand account was available for them to review.
After a very short time, one hour thirty-six minutes to be precise, my revised review passed moderation, and I was advised via email that the review was online. It was . . . but not for very long. Shortly after I posted a quick blog article thanking TripAdvisor for doing the right thing, I received another message from yet another TripAdvisor moderator that the review was taken down because, you guessed it, “… your review does not include any first-hand experiences about the facilities or services of the establishment.” Now, it’s true that my review isn’t a first-hand account of facilities, for obvious reasons, but it most assuredly is a first-hand account of the service inflicted upon Ursula and me by this whiny loser who still hasn’t gotten over last November’s election.
If TripAdvisor thought I was going to let this slide, then they don’t know me very well. Hence today’s article exposing this scam they have going. As I noted in my response to this latest TripAdvisor outrage:
Okay. Got it.
In a nutshell, it is TripAdvisor‘s stated policy that an innkeeper can interrogate a customer on political leanings, deny lodging based upon that interrogation, and then TripAdvisor will remove any review that warns others of this innkeeper’s criteria for accommodations so that future customers don’t waste their time.
And I now understand that it is also TripAdvisor‘s stated policy that removal of a review can be based upon the fact that the customer was denied accommodations for failing to pass the innkeeper’s political leanings test, since the customer didn’t actually stay at the inn and thus has no “first-hand experience” with the facilities.
I assume it’s also safe to say based upon this clarification that TripAdvisor would sanction the removal of reviews from customers who are denied accommodations based upon other rejection criteria as well, such as acne, crossed eyes, weight, hair color, make and model of car, poor taste in ties, disfigurement due to a fire, race, religion, and other nonrelevant criteria.
Now that I fully understand the policy, I’ll be advising others via my blog just precisely what TripAdvisor‘s policy is on reviews and the arbitrary nature of what constitutes “first-hand experiences” for a TripAdvisor review.
Thank you for the clarification on TripAdvisor‘s review policy. I’m really looking forward to writing up this blog article.
Best Wishes,
R. Doug Wicker (Blog: RDougWicker.com)
Consider yourselves forewarned.TripAdvisor moderators are deliberately padding TripAdvisor’s online customer ratings by hiding poor reviews written by people who are denied accommodations, at least at this establishment (I’ve no reason this isn’t happening with other establishments as well). I say “people” because I seriously doubt we were the first, and I highly suspect we won’t be the last to suffer this silliness at the hands of Don Devore. How many people will make reservations at Denali Fireside Cabins & Suites this upcoming presumably busy tourist season, only to find out they will not be accommodated because upon arrival they fail Mr. Devore’s political leanings oral exam? Why is TripAdvisor complicit in aiding and abetting this behavior?
Will TripAdvisor make whole those whose travel plans are ruined by this childishness? I think we all know the answer to that one. They won’t. They will however leave you hanging out to dry because they are removing from their site any reviews warning unsuspecting travelers to Talkeetna. So when that unwary family is met with no place to stay, and subsequently tries to warn others, expect TripAdvisor to kill their review because they didn’t stay at that establishment. What kind of circular logic is that?
Google Reviews, on the other hand, is not playing this you-didn’t-stay-there-so-you-can’t-review-them game. Google Reviews accepts honest reviews on the service you can expect to receive at places such as this. Keep that in mind when you next research destinations, tours, lodging, dining, and other establishments and services.
TripAdvisor is not your friend. But TripAdvisor certainly doesn’t mind protecting splenetic business owners with an adolescent axe to grind.
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 