What Sort of Story Does a Review Tell?

For some guests, staying at River Valley is an emotional experience. I could tell you numerous stories, but will mention just two, one of which is the subject of this post.

The first one is a story I was recently told, which I got secondhand.

A Dutch woman and her husband recently visited River Valley. For those who know our driveway, it is a 1.5 km gravel road with a final steep hill at the end going down to the Lodge. The Dutch couple had not been here before.

The story goes that the wife asked her husband to stop the car at the top of the hill. Now, this is not unusual as for some people going down that hill without being able to see what is around the corner at the bottom is a leap of faith. However, she told her husband that she sensed an overwhelmingly positive vibe (or words to that effect) emanating from down below. A bit woo-woo, I know, but some people are undoubtedly more sensitive to these sorts of things than others.

However, it is the second story that I want to concentrate on.

This occurred several days ago.

After dinner one night, Nicola was having a conversation with a French couple that had stayed for several days. We shall call the wife Anne.

Anne told Nicola that they had had such a positive experience at River Valley, and could she talk to me further about it. So we talked.

Anne told me that their experiences at River Valley had vastly exceeded their expectations, and she felt that we should somehow better convey the specialness of the place on our website and through social media. While admitting she was not a marketing expert, she felt more videos and photos would be the go.

I mulled over this that night, and while admitting that more photos and videos would be good, I came to a different conclusion.

First, the internet is awash with lovely images and videos of people doing wonderful things. How much of what is portrayed is true? Who knows. Even your bullshitometer can struggle to decipher fact from fiction. Second, it is hard for a photo or video to accurately portray how some experience makes someone feel, as that was what Anne was talking about.

So where does that leave us?

I concluded that it is not always us who should be trying to tell our story. Instead, we must encourage guests who have stayed with us to tell their OWN stories. Once read or seen, those stories have that air of genuineness that more often feels trustworthy than something written by a marketing department. Those stories can resonate with others on a primal level.

Where do you share those experiences?

As I did to Anne, I would suggest that the review opportunities on Trip Advisor, Google or Facebook are the places to start. Sure, give some stars, but also tell others who read your review just how your experience made you feel. Tell the truth. Your story has way more impact than anything we can write.

If you have got this far and feel you have something to share about your River Valley stay that may help or inform people looking to visit, then please get writing. You just don’t know who your story may impact.

Brian Megaw