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64 Comments
- superkendall, on 06/25/2009, -1/+50it may have issues, but honestly what are the alternatives? It has a lot of real people going on an posting real reviews.
You can look at reviews on the site and usually judge for yourself if something funny is going on. Generally I've found it to be a decent resource, and if I did totally disagree with a review after staying there I'd do my best to post a corrective review.
You can go to Frommers and get info that is out of date by months, or you can look at TripAdvisor the week before to make sure the hotel still has running water. Your choice. - Haoie, on 06/25/2009, -1/+25I use Tripadvisor, and I quite like reading the scathing reviews.
- emecks, on 06/25/2009, -0/+21"Great hotel especially for termites, roaches and other killer bugs" :D
- merreborn, on 06/25/2009, -0/+13Well said. This happens on every review site, and it sounds like tripadvisor is doing at least as well as any comparable site does with this problem.
I challenge the author to come up with an example of a site that handles this problem better than TA does. - pinheadj, on 06/26/2009, -0/+11Um... no offense, but doesn't that sound a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy? If you have problems with bad reviews, one would think there would be a better solution than to treat your cliental (and specificially those who might write reviews) even worse...
- inactive, on 06/26/2009, -1/+12I like trip adviser because at most of the hotels, people post actual pictures of the hotels and rooms. That will give you a better idea of what it is like instead of looking at the professional done photos from the hotel websites.
- ousthouse, on 06/26/2009, -0/+10I love TripAdvisor, and while I don't doubt that there are some bogus reviews, the ratings usually match up with my experience at the hotel. The best part are the pictures submitted by reviewers... it's hard to fake those and they really tell a lot about the hotel.
- CleoQKazoo, on 06/26/2009, -0/+8"We routinely charge more to guests who we know have used Tripadvisor. I call this the dumbass dividend. They are stupid so they can pay more, to compensate us for teh money which TA has scammed from us. We routinely give them the worst rooms. We routinely cancel their bookings at the last minute (with refund of course) to provide accommodation to more savvy guests"
Yeah you don't deserve bad reviews at all - maliath, on 06/26/2009, -0/+8I rarely make comments like this but, you are a gigantic douche truck.
- twohoundogs, on 06/26/2009, -0/+8Wait..... You give ***** service to customers who use TripAdvisor and complain because you get bad reviews from people who use TripAdvisor. 0_o
- centran, on 06/26/2009, -0/+7How is this any different then any other social commenting/review site? It has many problems but those problems are impossible to get rid of without destroying the whole point of public reviews.
- Aroundtown27, on 06/25/2009, -0/+6Booking.com is a good source also.
- Dillon81, on 06/26/2009, -0/+6So the best guests are the ones who didn't research a hotel before the booked and then are upset during their trip because they expected something different? Ohh yeah makes perfect sense to me.....
Apparently im not savvy because I decided to do some research on my own rather than rely on a travel agents totally unbiased and non self-serving opinion.
riiiiiiight - joejitsu, on 06/26/2009, -0/+5I can't trust everything I read on the internet?
- sb66, on 06/26/2009, -1/+6I've used it to plan trips to all over the world and its great. Never been steered wrong.
- BxBoy, on 06/26/2009, -0/+5I took one heed to one of the advice about renting an even number room which turned out to be true, I had a much greater beachfront view as opposed to a parking a lot. The concierge asked why the unusual request, I answered, "oh, no reason, just like even numbers!"
- yacks, on 06/26/2009, -0/+5How is hottel formed?
- hippykiller, on 06/26/2009, -1/+6When I read reviews for anything I prefer to read the negative ones... If people are continually saying the same negative things about an establishment or service I tend to think there may be something going on.
- fury420, on 06/26/2009, -1/+6I was just using tripadvisor.com a couple minutes ago, I must say its a very convenient way to find availability/prices on a specific hotel from all 8+ competing hotel bookings sites without manually visiting all those sites. bookings.com was $40 cheaper than hotels.com, which was 20$ more than expedia's price all for the same room, same night
- shniper, on 06/26/2009, -0/+4"*****" works as well...
- thefreehunter, on 06/26/2009, -0/+4Did he say Joseph Conrad? Didn't think so, so settle down crackazoid.
- peasant1337, on 06/26/2009, -2/+6Trip advisor is the life-blood of the Agrotourism industry.
- yehaww, on 06/26/2009, -1/+4Pretty good experiences here. It's fairly easy to pick out the fake reviews. Here's a hint, hotels that have lots of bad reviews and then a few five star reviews and padding the results. Just take the time to read a selection of reviews from every rating group.
- yacks, on 06/26/2009, -0/+3If you are that afraid that someone's photos will do you harm.. then you have no business in the hotel business..If you have nothing to hide then you should welcome pictures.. A fake picture out of hundreds is not going to phase anyone.. I mean.. who is going to go through all the trouble to create a fake picture to discredit your establishment.. and then spend the time to post it online?
- sparkplug890, on 06/26/2009, -1/+4it's either TripAdvisor or Yahoo Answers.
- griswold825, on 06/26/2009, -0/+3You have been so locked on Tripadvisor that you havent noticed that just about every other site out there now has reviews to try and compete in this space. The other reply is dead on...there are still likely millions going to their site who are relying on the voice of others outside of your little side game. If this is your practice, then I am sure your return visits are limited.
Does your hotel(s) also put those who may have used expedia, orbitz, travelocity or priceline in not so desirable rooms or cancel their booking since these companies likely get some share of the room rate that you could have owned 100% of if that individual booked directly? They are all tools that countless people rely on. So if you have yet to understand all these sites are woven into the thread you are in the wrong clothing.
I recently used Tripadvisor to research probably 10 different locations and up to 100 hotels, yet I didnt see any consistency behind people being steered the wrong way in the reviews and it allowed me to look at the good, bad, and mediocre as well as sort by class or price...very useful for me. I'd rather sort through 100 reviews for a hotel than get the opinion of one "expert" when my needs may be different than the next person.
And when you say "this cost me," by any chance was your review or reviews flagged by Tripadvisor? - igyigyigy, on 06/26/2009, -0/+3Exactly, I read the 1 star reviews for entertainment purposes, ignore the 5s as they're likely shills, and base my decision mostly on the averages and the 2-4 star reviews
- youannoyme, on 06/26/2009, -0/+3Somehow I doubt that is either binding or enforceable. If the photos are faked then the person doesn't have to even have stayed at your place, so they wont have signed any terms. Plus just because someone signs your terms doesn't mean all the terms are legally binding, especially when you are trying to limit peoples use of their own personal items... If someone fraudulently discredits the place and it can be proven, then sure a lawsuit will fly. Otherwise, I doubt it.
- protodon, on 06/26/2009, -1/+4I find it very helpful especially if you are traveling down the mostly unbeaten path.
- yacks, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2I never understand why people complain about their hotel rooms when on Vacation.. I mean how long are you really in your hotel room??? I mean you don't go somewhere for vacation just to stay in the room the whole time.. I left a couple of reviews there myself, but I'm not too critically.. I mean I even forgave the hotel for leaving a used room service tray in the hallway all night because it was a pleasant stay and had no big problems... at least the room was clean.. though it might have been different if that tray was across from my room.
- HuangFeng, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2Yup. After a while you realise that either (a) the complainers are fake or (b) there are certain people who are never satisfied - a tiny brown stain on the carpet (of which they have six photographs) ruins their whole stay.
So you look for genuine write ups, and average comments.
Frommers or maybe Lonely Planet said that Brodie's Hostel in Edinburgh was good ... tripadvisor says it is a hell hole. Tripadvisor is right.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186525-d2 ... - inactive, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2I like these travel writers and magazines that write about places they have never been to. There have been several travel writers that have been exposed after writing articles about hotels and resorts they have never been to.
- shniper, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2I love trip advisor. If a person reads one or two outstanding reviews and chooses not to pay attention to any of the negative reviews, then that is their own fault they end up in an AIDS infested crackhouse in Thailand.
- Xplorer, on 06/26/2009, -1/+3Say hello "Block User" button!
- JohnnyDIGGme, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2***** Yahoo Answers!
- hippykiller, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2Jesus, there is always the chance of that... You still have to be subjective.
- vision777, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2Tripadvisor is more popular than these guys who make a living off writing these travel advice articles. Of course they want tripadvisor to fail. It is the same as product review sites and all other review sites there are those who try to game the system but you still have many that are real and usually you can get a good idea based on looking at all the reviews.
- CrazyChair, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2It's a great website. It has never steered me wrong when I've been travelling. People should check the pictures, the hotel amenities and the general consensus from the more average sounding reviews. People who are overly negative, or those who seem to gush over the hotels should be avoided. You should read the more subtle details as to why the hotel is good or bad, preferably from people who seem to be more in your situation (travelling alone, with friends, or with the wife/gf etc.).
Also, once you've found the best price available then you can usually call the hotel directly and they will match it. They like to avoid the booking sites as they have to pay them a commission. This will ensure that your reservation is made immediately, and you can also pick a better room (ask to get a nice view if possible, or ask for a room that doesn't face a noisy street). - CrazyChair, on 06/26/2009, -0/+2Lol:
1. Douchebag hotel writes hundreds of fake reviews about their own hotel.
2. Treat the guests who they manage to trick with these fake reviews like crap.
3. Complain that they now get "fake" negative reviews. Repeat.
You do realise that now the people who might actually be enjoying their stay aren't the ones who use TA. In fact, the realistic reviews that people actually care about (with pictures and real sounding experiences) from those without fake looking accounts are saying your hotel is *****. - inactive, on 06/26/2009, -0/+1***** you i like vanilla.
- TravelChannel, on 06/30/2009, -0/+1Good tips at the end...one source is never enough.
- nazbot, on 06/26/2009, -0/+1Like others I found tripadvisor to be great. It was the best site for finding good accommodations when traveling Australia
- BossKey, on 06/26/2009, -0/+1Matt Groening did, in his "Life in Hell" compilation "Work is Hell."
- yacks, on 06/26/2009, -0/+1Who's Joseph Conrad?
- bkraj, on 06/26/2009, -0/+1It's a quote from The Office(dwight says it).
- hulagirl2009, on 07/06/2009, -0/+0Aloha All,
I thought I might offer up a view from our perspective as a small B&B owner and our experiences with TripAdvisor. First off, we prohibit our staff from reading the reviews on TripAdvisor. This is because three years ago we had a person stay with us who did not like our front desk receptionist and posted numerous negative comments about her by name (both first and last) on the reviews and in the forums. When we found out we asked TripAdvisor to remove the comments or, at the very least remove our staff person's name. It took the better part of 9 months of complaining to TA before they did anything. By that time my staff person was so upset about the issue (because arriving guests would jokingly ask her if she was the one getting raked over the coals on TA) that she quit. She was a good, friendly, dependable, and hard working individual who did not deserve to be treated like that. The guest, buy the way, continues to post negative reviews in the forums when anyone asks a question about our property or has something nice to say about our property. And forget it if I try to post into the forums answering a question. That individual slams the forum with pages and pages of nasty comments that would scare away the most stall worth of individuals. That's three years and counting of having our own personal stalker.
I myself have been the focus of negative reviews. While it does not happen often, there are time when you have to have a guest removed from your property for fighting, or extremely dis-courteous behavior (the kind that causes other guests to complain). Of course they don't mention their own behavior that got them removed, but I have been called a jailhouse warden, better suited to run a parochial school, and the like, again, by name - fist and last. As far as I know those are still there.
While we have mostly positive reviews, I do look to the reviews for ways to improve our property. As an owner, it can sometimes, be valuable to see what is being said in order to make improvements to our service. But honestly, I find the comments made by guests when they are actually at the property to be much more helpful because you can have a dialogue.
So, do I post reviews, yes. But I follow my grandmother's advice...If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. And I don't bother reading negative reviews, personal experience leads me to believe they were meant to harm the business more than they were meant to guide a potential guest. - acklady, on 08/22/2009, -0/+0I am also a B&B owner. I had the shock of a lifetime last week when I got my first off-the-wall and completely untrue TripAdvisor review. Now I've gotten a few less than stellar reviews in the past, but they each had at least some elements of truth. Not this one though. I found that it's nearly impossible for a business owner to successfully respond to an unfair/untrue review. Your only recourse is to hope that the review gets "buried" under good reviews. This, in my mind, just encourages businesses to find ways to pad their good reviews. So ultimately, all reviews-- good and bad-- are suspect.
- baghsarai, on 07/02/2009, -0/+0Tripadvisor a source of information were trust factor works but my believe no system in this world able to guarantee authentication of submission reviews and photographs by people. At least you have choices available on Tripadvisor to pick carefully and study the hotel websites too.
What about certain people who never be satisfied and give remarks of no relevance and rather mislead the people. ?
I find Tripadvisor is showing that they are careful and committed like: advisory / blacklisting / Rewards all this to facilitate the travelers visiting their site. some time we chose the property on the basis of budget but with just little addition of few dollars missing the best or good rather find ours self into mess.Try to focus more on negatives comments and photographs. - sobri, on 06/26/2009, -0/+0Wow, please tell me what hotels you run so that I can avoid them.
- PigScape, on 07/02/2009, -0/+0The points at the end of the article are what people need to keep in mind when using Tripadvisor or any other review site. I have used the site and use common sense to put the comments in perspective. The other thing is that what one person considers a fault with a hotel, may not bother another person at all. Or, someone used to staying in four star hotels in the U.S. may be shocked by the condition of a supposed luxury hotel in a developing country. That doesn't mean the hotel is bad, just not up to U.S. standards.
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