Tripadvisor - Useful Website or Pure Hokum?

[C. Flower]

I used to rely on Tripadvisor user reviews to choose places to stay outside Ireland. It worked pretty well.

Last week there was publicity about some Irish hotels that were supposedly in the top ten globally based on Tripadvisor reviews.

They were not hotels otherwise of world-beating reputation.

Yesterday, my one and only attempt at a Tripadvisor review, for an Irish hotel, was returned to me, with a generic letter saying it did not meet their terms of publication. The review was generally negative, mentioned some positive points and was definitely not libel. It was exactly the sort of information I would like to be able to get in a user review.

The other, published, reviews of this hotel were absurdly enthusiastic.

The only review I could relate to was one in German, that seemed to have slipped through the net.

Conor Pope in the IT has exposed a case in which one Irish hotel seems to have plotted to subvert Tripadvisor.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/0131/1224311004417.html?via=mr

Is Irish Tripadvisor pure hokum ?

[Baron von Biffo]

On Six One now.

[fluffybiscuits]

Its one site that I have never been a fan of based on the design of the site alone. Its too cluttered for my liking and the information is a bit patchy . If you are ever going to book a trip anywhere and want to research a destination use wikitravel.org or try virtualtourist.com, both fantastic sites written more or less by the locals. Trip advisor would really want to tighten up their hotel reviews and address the issues ....

[Baron von Biffo]

Its one site that I have never been a fan of based on the design of the site alone. Its too cluttered for my liking and the information is a bit patchy . If you are ever going to book a trip anywhere and want to research a destination use wikitravel.org or try virtualtourist.com, both fantastic sites written more or less by the locals. Trip advisor would really want to tighten up their hotel reviews and address the issues ....

The concern about TripAdviser was that those writing the reviews might be a bit too local. ;)

[BARNEYKX]

The concern about TripAdviser was that those writing the reviews might be a bit too local. ;)

I tell the Wife that but she always checks everything out there

[mutley]

I used to rely on Tripadvisor user reviews to choose places to stay outside Ireland. It worked pretty well.

Last week there was publicity about some Irish hotels that were supposedly in the top ten globally based on Tripadvisor reviews.

They were not hotels otherwise of world-beating reputation.

Yesterday, my one and only attempt at a Tripadvisor review, for an Irish hotel, was returned to me, with a generic letter saying it did not meet their terms of publication. The review was generally negative, mentioned some positive points and was definitely not libel. It was exactly the sort of information I would like to be able to get in a user review.

The other, published, reviews of this hotel were absurdly enthusiastic.

The only review I could relate to was one in German, that seemed to have slipped through the net.

Conor Pope in the IT has exposed a case in which one Irish hotel seems to have plotted to subvert Tripadvisor.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/0131/1224311004417.html?via=mr

Is Irish Tripadvisor pure hokum ?

Strange on Cactus, did you ask them why your review did not meet their requirements?

Cutting Edge did a documentary called 'attack of the trip advisors' which highlighted the effects on negative feedback on the hospitality industry in the UK
so Its hard to find a reason why a negative review would not be allowed

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/attack-of-the-trip-advisors/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1

[Baron von Biffo]

Strange on Cactus, did you ask them why your review did not meet their requirements?

Cutting Edge did a documentary called 'attack of the trip advisors' which highlighted the effects on negative feedback on the hospitality industry in the UK
so Its hard to find a reason why a negative review would not be allowed

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/attack-of-the-trip-advisors/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1

Do hotels pay to be listed on review sites? If they do it would mean there's an incentive for the site to control the number of negatives.

[C. Flower]

Strange on Cactus, did you ask them why your review did not meet their requirements?

Cutting Edge did a documentary called 'attack of the trip advisors' which highlighted the effects on negative feedback on the hospitality industry in the UK
so Its hard to find a reason why a negative review would not be allowed

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/attack-of-the-trip-advisors/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1

They didn't provide a return address. I mentioned factual stuff, like a broken curtain rail and a direct view into the room from a public carpark, hardly the stuff of libel.

The reviews of the hotel were uniformly enthusiastic, but with little detail. It is well within the bounds of possiblity that many were faked by hotel management. What I can't understand is why the negative one was turned down.

I would not rely on Tripadvisor so much, after this experience. I used to find it a good way of choosing a place, outside Ireland. You can usually tell a genuine review from its tone, content and detail.

Mutley, perhaps that documentary put pressure on Tripadvisor to refuse negative reviews. In time though, if they do that often, they will be used less as people will be disappointed with what they find, compared with the Tripadvisor "everything is rosy" picture.

[C. Flower]

Do hotels pay to be listed on review sites? If they do it would mean there's an incentive for the site to control the number of negatives.

I think the reviews are user generated, on Tripadvisor. The whole point of it is meant to be that you get to see several objective, unbiased, reviews from different visitors to the b and b or hotel, and can judge from them what kind of stay you might have.

[Baron von Biffo]

I think the reviews are user generated, on Tripadvisor. The whole point of it is meant to be that you get to see several objective, unbiased, reviews from different visitors to the b and b or hotel, and can judge from them what kind of stay you might have.

What I'm wondering is whether review sites only allow reviews of hotels that pay a listing fee.

[C. Flower]

What I'm wondering is whether review sites only allow reviews of hotels that pay a listing fee.

Why not try it and see ? :)

[Baron von Biffo]

Why not try it and see ? :)

How?

I wouldn't be able to tell if any hotel I 'reviewed' had paid a fee to the review site to be listed.

[C. Flower]

How?

I wouldn't be able to tell if any hotel I 'reviewed' had paid a fee to the review site to be listed.

You could ask them to list your hotel :D

[Count Bobulescu]

Can’t speak to trip advisor, but am not surprised. A US restaurant review site, “Yelp” was forced to change it’s policies amid controversy.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/04/yelp-changes-reviews.html

Yelp has been facing increased criticism over the last few months over allegations that its sales team has offered potential advertisers the ability to have negative reviews of their establishments removed from the site. It has also been charged with penalizing companies that don't advertise on Yelp.
In February, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Yelp, accusing the company of an "extortion scheme" for allegedly asking companies to enter into advertising contracts to remove negative reviews on the site.
For its part, Yelp has consistently denied the claims made against it. The company has even added a page (http://www.yelp.com/myths) to its site attempting to dispel "myths." The company's chief executive, Jeremy Stoppleman, wrote in a blog post after the lawsuit was filed that his company has never punished non-advertisers or attempted to give advertisers an edge.

[Baron von Biffo]

You could ask them to list your hotel :D

The recession hasn't bitten so deeply that we must accept the hoi polloi into Schloss Biffo on a commercial basis.

Sniff.

[BARNEYKX]

Booked a 3 night stay in Sligo in may 4 star hotel for 129 euro b/b/d seems reasonable enough for Ireland

[fluffybiscuits]

Booked a 3 night stay in Sligo in may 4 star hotel for 129 euro b/b/d seems reasonable enough for Ireland

Not bad value. I tend to stay in hostels when i go away, always book through hostelworld as I like their reviews . Going to Athens for a few days in May I hope so going to book through them :)