Actually, one could argue this thread is just as misleading as you believe the TA ratings are. ;-)

Something has caused the rating to slip. Unfortunately, only TA knows what has caused it because their, "system", is not clearly published.

Our 3rd trip to ME is coming up in April.

I know what to expect so I don't pay attention to the ratings.

If the ME would to be suddenly re-branded to another chain and the staff was replaced....

I would worry about the drop.

I wouldn't be concerned......if travelers select other resorts, due to a previous bad experience or just a personal preference, more room for you! Sounds like a positive to me.

Just my personal opinion but ranking as the 4th best resort in punta cana is more misleading than 15th if the rankings are not explained, ranked 4th I would guess is very difficult to live up to expectations, I agree there's a lot of resorts on the same level that only personal prefference can tell the difference

I never really go by the ranking. I go by the rating (number of blobs) initially, but then read lots of reviews to get a better idea of what to expect.

I've some some resorts in places like Turkey get 4.5/5 simply because they're 'good value'; good value for me doesn't equal 4.5/5, when I write a review I try to be objective and take what I paid out of the equation, and focus on what the hotel offers etc.

So yeah, I don't pay much attention to the rankings.

I never paid any attention to the TA Ranking/Rating when choosing a property.

We know what we want/await at a resort, like for example Swimup Suite, no Reservations at a la cartes, small property without the need to use a Tram to come around, 2 room suite so we do not bother our baby gal when napping etc etc, and then we check which properties provide what we have as preferences.

so a property which provides what we want, will be on the list of the ones to choose from, independend of a TA Ranking.

as for the above mentioned Majestic Elegance, we spent there 5 vacations, 4 of them within 12 months only, we've always been perfectly satisfied by our expectations/needs, so of course we would book it any time again even if it would drop on #50 of the rankings, as long as our Expected amenities are still available.

Mike

The number of circles has nothing to do with the rankings. The rankings are based on ratings by TripAdvisor users. The star (circle) rating comes from travel companies, and are more reflective of the level of luxury, amenities available, etc.

When you see two resorts with 4.5 stars, it doesn't mean they're tied even with star ratings. A 4.6 and a 4.2 would both show pictorially as 4.5 stars. Expedia shows it both pictorially and the actual rating.

Mark

I pay no attention to ratings and reviews. Would only use reviews to pick up specific pointers. PM,s , emails and asking questions on the forum is a much better way to help in making a decision.

I was worried when I saw it drop so quickly in such a short period of time only because I helped my best friend choose this resort for her wedding and feel somewhat responsible because now her worry is my worry lol!

I have forwarded her desiwoods blog on her current travels there and it has made a world of difference in that "peace of mind" knowing someone is currently there having a blast!

I lean towards the forum more than the reviews for answers and info.