In an era where online reviews make or break company reputations, from restaurants and hotels to services and products, the distinction between a fantastic and horrible review is far too often one powerful and oft-overlooked factor: expectations.
What one person considers a five-star experience another will find deficient—regardless of the absence of failure in service or quality, but merely because their expectations were not met.
The Subjectivity of Satisfaction
At the heart of each review is a personal experience, and experiences are highly subjective. A guest checking into a boutique hotel expecting luxurious amenities and being offered stripped-down, eco-friendly accommodations can be disappointed. But another guest, expecting a cozy, low-profile stay in an earth-friendly setting, can be thrilled. The difference? Not the hotel itself, but what each guest was expecting.
This isn't limited to hospitality or travel. Picture a movie billed as "the greatest film of the decade." If you go in with expectations through the roof, even a phenomenal film may fall short. Meanwhile, another person who catches it without any foreknowledge may be pleasantly surprised by it.
Expectation vs. Reality
When a customer books a service or purchases a product, they're applying a set of expectations—some formed by advertising, some by individual requirements, and others through word-of-mouth. If the experience measures up to or exceeds them, the review tends to be favorable. If it disappoints, then disappointment can distort the perception, even if the quality was subjectively fair.
This phenomenon explains why the same restaurant can post a five-star rating one evening and a one-star rating the next. Service and food may have been identical, but the expectation, mood, cultural setting, or previous experience of the customers weren't.
Understanding that reviews are expectation reflections is good for business and customers alike. For business, it means being truthful and honest in advertising, setting fair descriptions, and not exaggerating. When truth catches up with the promise, satisfaction follows.
It also suggests that businesses should view negative reviews with a critical perspective. Is the issue a result of poor service, or did the visitor bring an expectation that wasn't made of the service? That detail can speak to more successful communication strategies, not just operational adjustments.
For customers, it's an invitation to refine expectations. Before striking a service off the list as "bad," consider whether it actually failed—or simply didn't meet a personal, possibly unrealized, expectation.
The Takeaway
A good or bad review isn't always a matter of the objective quality of a product or experience. It is a matter of whether it met, exceeded, or failed to meet expectations. Recognizing that can foster more empathy between service providers and customers—and lead to more thoughtful, fair reviews.