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Tripadvisor - integrity of reviews?

post #1 of 16
6/27/11 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Any tips for avoiding fake reviews etc on tripadvisor?

Have you been to any really highly rated hotels that have turned out to be dogs?

I've been to one sydney one that was rated 2nd (a year ago) and it wasn't terrible but it was pretty damn average (in a noisy area with clubs and couldnt sleep).

Any alternatives to TA you can recommend?

I've just been booking hotels for my honeymoon based on TA reviews and just getting a bit more skeptical...
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post #2 of 16
6/27/11 at 8:45pm
I have used TA since 2004. I find it to be very accurate if I keep in mind the following;

-Never, ever take the advice of a reviewer that was on their honeymoon or anything to do with their wedding. They are in la-la land

-Stick to the reviews that share the overall experience and not a rant about one slip-up

-TA, due to their volume of reviews is excellent at letting you know if there is any new construction, noise, problems.

I love TA and write reviews after every business trip and vacation.
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post #3 of 16
6/27/11 at 9:01pm
I use it a lot, and find it to be very accurate. Like pocketsquare said, avoid the reviews where the person sounds high maintenance or gives a one star because of one little problem.
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post #4 of 16
6/27/11 at 9:18pm
I prefer Yelp. I've never been overly impressed with any of the trip advisor recommendations. I also think a lot of the reviews on TA are faked. This is especially true for tours which are inexplicably almost always the highest ranks "things to do" in a city. Edit: For hotels, I highly recommend tablethotels.com
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post #5 of 16
6/27/11 at 9:26pm
Thread Starter 
I really tablet as well, probably one of my favorite sites, but it aint cheap... I think you're paying a premium for their picks but its well worth it. Their reviews are verified which is nice. But the scoring system is a bit funny... I don't think I've seen a hotel rated less than 16/20? I've never done a review on there but can you go lower than 15? I guess its not in their best interests to have bad reviews on the site though.
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post #6 of 16
6/27/11 at 9:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ruzzi View Post
I really tablet as well, probably one of my favorite sites, but it aint cheap... I think you're paying a premium for their picks but its well worth it. Their reviews are verified which is nice. But the scoring system is a bit funny... I don't think I've seen a hotel rated less than 16/20? I've never done a review on there but can you go lower than 15? I guess its not in their best interests to have bad reviews on the site though.
If a hotel's average rating drops below a certain level they are taken off the site. As for the price, I haven't found them to be more expensive than any of the other travel sites. I also like that they give you a $15 credit for every reservation that you make. I think maybe why the site seems expensive is that they only carry nice hotels.
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post #7 of 16
6/27/11 at 11:50pm
I can't stand Yelp reviews.
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post #8 of 16
6/28/11 at 12:04am
Yelp defines what is wrong with society right now. I hate it.
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post #9 of 16
6/28/11 at 12:05am
PSG is right. you have to learn how to read these things. someone who gives a one-star review because the hotel didn't turn down their sheets one night and rants and raves about it is not someone you want to listen to. i go out of my way to write detailed reviews there every time i travel. also remember the rankings are not necessarily worth much - sometimes a really cute family hotel will be #3 or something and a 5-star lavish place will end up #25 - it doesn't mean necessarily mean one is better than the other. you also have to remember that different rooms can lead to very different experiences. Someone might complain about a noisy room but that isn't necessarily typical of the whole hotel. IMO tripadvisor is far superior to yelp and other more anonymous review places because the focus is narrower and there is a better community sense. reviewers are more known quantities because you can read their other reviews and tell who's helpful and who's not, and it's not all anonymous teenagers.
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post #10 of 16
6/28/11 at 1:38am
Like TA, Yelp has its strengths and weaknesses. I've never actually used it for hotel rankings but it's useful for finding good cafes and things that are a little off the beaten track. I've got their app on my phone so if I'm in an area that seems interesting I use the "things that are nearby" function to see if there's anything worth checking out.
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post #11 of 16
6/28/11 at 2:43am
I've never questioned the integrity of TripAdvisor's reviews, but I do question some people's taste.
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post #12 of 16
6/28/11 at 5:40pm
Bell curve it. Expunge the blow jobs and the rants.
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post #13 of 16
6/28/11 at 6:37pm
I saw a story on the Today Show a year ago or so about how some hotel/resorts have fake reviews on tripadvisor written by their own staff. They actually interviewed the people who do it.
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post #14 of 16
6/28/11 at 6:42pm
i use TA and find it useful. as far as reliability, somewhere south of having a good friend who has been there or an informed expert review, but well north of Yelp. i still cannot figure out why i should care about the opinion of someone who apparently knows nothing at all about what they're reviewing. but i'm lame stream.
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post #15 of 16
6/28/11 at 8:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by audiophilia View Post
Bell curve it. Expunge the blow jobs and the rants.

i think this is the winner... ive just started reading the average and above average reviews.
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