The Authenticity of TripAdvisor Reviews—and How Some Hotels Misuse Them

The debate surrounding the credibility of reviews posted on Tripadvisor is certainly interesting. It refers to both positive and negative reviews, the questionable way in which a property rises and falls in a destination’s ranking, and the possible methods proposed to verify that the person writing a review has genuinely stayed at the hotel. Certainly, none of these methods will guarantee the authenticity of a review. Human ingenuity is immense, and hoteliers’ resourcefulness is inexhaustible: they will always find a way to ensure that they themselves, or someone acting on their behalf, posts a review on Tripadvisor, just as it can be done on Booking.com by simulating a reservation. Ultimately, a good review for the cost of a Booking commission is good business; that is undeniable. Nor am I convinced by the argument that fraud is not committed in this or that traveller community, since those who manipulate reviews will never admit to having done so. Even worse is the case of companies offering services to generate positive reviews on Tripadvisor and other sites. Such blatant practices make those of us working in this field hang our heads in shame. I admit that we have occasionally been asked to provide this service as part of the Online Reputation Management work we carry out for some hotels, but that does not mean we have done it. As I have said on other occasions regarding this matter, let us not shoot the messenger simply because we do not like the message. It is hoteliers ourselves who have misused Tripadvisor. We shall see how the debate develops over the coming days, but I believe nothing new will come of it, as this is not the first time the matter has been debated. For that reason, I will not be the one to judge Tripadvisor, as I have neither reason nor standing to do so.