Tripadvisor now meaningless

[gbb]

We always research our holidays to death, all those sites suffer from false reviews or rants about unrealistic expectations, I think those shine through and I just ignore them. Read the middle ground reviews and wourk on the percentages, it usually gives you a fair indication.

 

[swee'pea99]

I know nothing about TripAdvisor, but just out of curiosity I've checked out reviews of the few restaurants I actually know round here and they seem to be mostly pretty much on the money. I guess it's not flawless by any means, but if you apply a bit of healthy scepticism you can find at least part-way useful guidance.

 

[Beebo]

New tactic for hotels who get bad reviews!
Cant be legal surely.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30100973

 

[Mandragora]

It's not even as if the tactic is working for them looking at recent ratings! http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...adway_Hotel-Blackpool_Lancashire_England.html

 

[Mandragora]

Making friends and influencing people, I'd say.

 

[tyred]

Just checked reviews for my own personal favourite pub/restaurant and I'd say they're about right.

 

[Archie_tect]

I use Trip Advisor... you get what you pay for, usually... unless it's Jamie's Italian in Newcastle!
You just have to be careful and look at the range of comments and ignore the over-enthusiastic single posters and the ranters who've just had a bad day.

 

[Archie_tect]

... he'd have to put some in first.

 

[Col5632]

I use it and mostly the reviews are pretty spot on, there is some you just disregard before even reading properly

 

[Archie_tect]

[QUOTE 3387590, member: 9609"]you can't leave it there - we need some more details, who when where how much ???[/QUOTE]
You can't expect a suspected fraudster to confess the details of his indictable crimes on a chat forum...

 

[MontyVeda]

[QUOTE 3387590, member: 9609"]you can't leave it there - we need some more details, who when where how much ???[/QUOTE]
i worked as a copywriter for a number of internet marketing companies... if any of our clients were in the hotel and hospitality industry, they no doubt had bad reviews on trip advisor, so I'd write glowing reviews of hotels and holiday homes i'd never stayed in so they didn't look all bad.

 

[ufkacbln]

The other trick is to look at the person posting the reviews

The serial bad reviewers quickly become obvious and this indicates whether to ignore or accept

 

[bianchi1]

Trip advisor is getting better at punishing the fake reviewers. I worked at a place that was regularly getting 4-5 star reviews then we got a couple of bad ones, mainly due to poor service, waitress on phone etc.

The boss, in his wisdom decided to get all his family and freinds to write glowing reviews. Somehow they never even made the site and the restaurant suddenly dropped 150 places in the towns rankings...one place above the local KFC!

To this day the reviews are still glowing and yet it languishes down around the bottom of the rankings.

The staff thought it was hilarious!

 

[Brains]

What is truly amazing about the Broadway Hotel in Blackpool is that despite having the higest percentage of terrible ratings I've ever seen, it still is only number 858 out of 894

The Plaza Beach/Silver Beach Hotel of Blackpool can proudly claim to be the worst hotel in the city
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...Beach_Hotel-Blackpool_Lancashire_England.html
The reviews are worth reading,

I can see a whole new breed of tourist, the ones who rise to the challenge of staying in the worst place in town and then writing the most entertaining critique

 

[TheDoctor]

If only I'd thought of that a few weeks ago!
Actually, the place in Sault I stayed at has had some terrible reviews. I thought it was fine.