Trip Advisor - Channel 4 @ 2100 Tonight (31 Oct)

PompeyPete

All about how the hospitality trade is being hit by hostile and negative reviews.
Could be worth a peek!

realised

Thanks for the reminder!

Tarry

I shall try to watch this on plus 4 channel (can't watch it as 9pm as whom I live with will be watching something else)

cherydee

I'll have to watch it on plus one also as ...Doc Martin and The Hotel Inspector on at 9.00 as well

Mr_Wang

I read recently that the official estimate is that there are 27,000 estimated false/vindictive reviews on TA. There are about 64 million reviews which means that the official estimate is that 0.04% of all reviews are fake.

In my humble opinion therefore the Hoteliers are simply refusing to take the rough with the smooth. Trip Advisor invariably brings in business and I assume they have no problem with that.

stoneman

I read somewhere that TA employ people that try and catch out false reports. There is usually pattern to how they write.

pattycake

I am a Trip Advisor junkie. There is a hotel which I have been to twice and know that it is great. I recently read a really negative review of it and felt put-off. I had to give myself a good talking to!

I will be Sky+ing the programme tonight.

Tarry

I do use TA, and do pen reviews but I do try to put something positive even when I've stayed somewhere that wasn't very good.

philng

Pretty confident there are lots of false write ups. Stayed in a so called 5* hotel in Marmaris Turkey 4 and a top rating on trip adviser. The food by anyones standards was very poor. I complained first night as there was NO meat & was told we cant have meat every night! The write ups just dont match our experience b& this seems reflective in the high numbers of top ratings for hotels in Turkey on Trip Adviser.

dickydonkin

I think it is also worth remembering as well that we all have different expectations of accommodation and service. I always check other reviewers destinations and accommodation reviews as they can tell a lot.

What I DO HATE with TA is review titles such as "OMG....best place ever!" or "The best hotel ever" or those who wish to let fellow reviewers know they have been to a hotel a few times, the old favourite "Excellent as Always"

Used correctly, TA is a valuable tool for the traveller - and it is easy to spot those rogue reviews - however, after watching tonights programme, I suspect the negative reviews on the pompous and stuck up couple from Norfolk were probably correct!

elsien

I stayed at a B&B recently which had mainly positive reviews and one which compared the owner to Basil Fawlty. Having stayed there, I was in accord with the Basil Fawlty point of view.
The room was clean, breakfast was fine, it was reasonable value for what I paid, but I would never stay there again as the owner treated his guests like naughty children and customer service was dire. So although I tried to be fair and posted the good points as well on TA, as far as the owner was concerned I was probably the unreasonable customer who was pulling his ratings down.
I would never use trip advisor alone to reach a decision though.