I’ve traveled a fair amount on business and unfortunately stayed in more than a few b&bs when hotels were full. Now, some folks absolutely love b&bs. But for the business traveler, it’s like staying with my eighty-eight-year-old Auntie Clara. That is to say, the furnishings are decorative, often uncomfortable and malfunctioning, and basic amenities are nowhere to be found. And did I mention chintz? B&Bs love La Chintz in all incarnations.

I usually do not remember to read the trip advisor reviews before I book a room. Why? I get distracted by getting the best price online. I always get around to reading these reviews eventually, including those of a particularly strange place in Austin, Texas, which seems to have left a trail of misery. Apart from the fact that the wireless access wasn’t accessible in my room, and the wine that their web site promised was not freely offered (it was bartered for, mind you), there was the matter of foraging for food in the morning and grumpy owners. I considered my experience normal for a business traveler in a b&b. But no! Roughly half of all the trip advisor reviews are vehemently negative. These folks have been leaving a long trail of anger and hostility.

Now I know folks who own a b&b and lots of folks who have worked in hotel management, which is probably one of the best ways to learn about the underbelly of humanity. So I do know both sides to this: people act like rude slobs when they are guests in hotels, especially b&bs, and the hosts and owners end up acting equally rude. Still, it would have helped to read the reviews first.