I usually find the low-star reviews more informative. What can the 5-star reviews do other than affirm the quality claims of the reviewed book/movie/hotel/restaurant? I read 1-star reviews for a laugh and 2- and 3-star reviews to be informed by reviewers who care enough to write a review but whose opinions are not extreme.
Indeed. While there's always some one-star reviews no matter how good the thing being reviewed might be, the best guide is just to read them and see whether they sound like rational complaints from sensible people. If the one-star reviews say things like "the checkin girl rolled her eyes at us the third time we asked for our room to be changed to one with a better view" then it's probably an alright hotel. If they say "filthy, noisy, unsanitary" then I'm probably not gonna stay there.
I usually do the same thing with Newegg reviews. I find the low reviews more telling than the high reviews. The tend to list issues like driver problems or it didn't work with Linux or the like.
Have to agree with you over ditching one-star reviews. There was a classic I discovered on TripAdvisor on a recent trip and which quickly became a catch-cry for my brother and I. The reviewer (female) complained that she had broken up with her boyfriend that day. There was no issue listed with the hotel itself, but the review finished with something like, "I cried all night. 1 star."
