Those planning a family holiday usually make their hotel choices based on photos, descriptions, and service promises. However, TripNest's new research revealed that marketing messages and guest experiences do not always align. Within the scope of the study, 43,061 advertising promises from 7,672 family hotels were compared with 963,217 guest reviews on Booking.com and HolidayCheck.

The Discrepancy Between Additional Service Promises and Realities

According to the research results, 59.2% of advertising promises were confirmed by guest reviews. While 32.8% were partially confirmed, 8% were explicitly refuted by guest experiences. This situation indicates that a total of 41% of advertising promises did not meet expectations.

The biggest discrepancy emerged in services for which families were willing to pay extra. 65.7% of spa and wellness promises and 62.9% of food and buffet services did not fully meet expectations. In children's club and animation services, 61.3% of promises were not confirmed. This category had the highest rate of completely false advertising promises, at 26.4%.

More concrete information was found to be more reliable. While only 17.2% of statements regarding service quality and staff were not confirmed, the phrase "beachfront" was among the most reliable promises, with a rate of 20.8%.

Promise Reliability Varies by Destination

The research also showed that the reliability of hotel promotions varies by destination. Crete ranked first in "Promise Reliability" score with 8.11 points. Croatia's Dalmatia region followed Crete with 8.08 points.

Mallorca with 7.85 points and Hurghada with 7.68 points were in the middle ranks. The Bulgarian Black Sea coast with 7.62 points and the Antalya-based Turkish Riviera with 7.60 points were at the bottom of the list.

Families Book Based on Hotel Promotions

TripNest Founder Florian Gansmeier evaluated the research: "Families plan the most important holiday of the year and often book six months in advance based on marketing texts. We wanted to find out how reliable these promises are. The good news is that most hotels are more honest than the general perception of them. The bad news is that the discrepancy between advertisements and reality reaches its highest level in childcare and wellness services, for which families pay extra."

Artificial Intelligence Compared Advertising Promises with Guest Reviews

For the research, TripNest analyzed publicly available reviews on Booking.com and HolidayCheck using an artificial intelligence model. The model compared hotels' official promotional texts with guest experiences in categories such as children's club, pool, food and beverage, room, and noise. Each advertising promise was classified as confirmed, partially confirmed, or refuted.

The study included 7,672 family hotels operating in 23 destinations, 43,061 advertising promises, and 963,217 guest reviews. The database is based on data up to July 23, 2026. Visual: © AI-generated illustration