Regards,
Nawar

Tripadvisor’s slogan “Get the Trhuth. Then go” it’s compleately FAKE.

Tripadvisor cannot certify and guarantee the content of what it’s published and this because they are keep on letting the writer be anonimous and at the same time they do not certify that the writer it’s a real traveller who have confirmed a paid a real booking and so that he or she has spent a real holiday in the accomodation reviewed: anybody can write a review…even without having seen on a postacard the accomodation reviewed!

They claimed and keep on claiming to the world, to have a Super Sophisticated Algoritm which it’s capable of detecting fake reviews…but why it’s not working?

The biggest point of weakness it’s Tripadvisor’policy to keep the writer-traveller anonimous.

This choice offers a “rules’ land free” where anybody can say everything without being identified, to certify the authenticity and the responsability of what it’s claimed.

But let’s go to straight to the interpretation’ key of this big “show”.
Who is going to gain money from this?…the owner of Tripadvisor….who is?…guess…yes! it’s Expedia!

Tripadvisor, draws milions of travellers promising true and genuine information ( which it’s impossible !) and then, in the same page where you can read the reviews, it “gives as a gift” the chance to know availability of the accomodation reviewed and ALL competitors sorted by distance in meters!
The availability offered it’s “kindly” shown by Expedia and all the booking engines owned, controlled or partnered with Expedia.

Obviously, Tripadvisor list ALL accomodations, not only the ones who are bookable through Expedia: this because they are exploiting good names and fame of all accommodations with a good presence on searching engines, with the”excuse” to be the “voice of thruth”, without being, and at the same time sales the accomodations througt Expedia & co’ booking engines.
This is unfair competition for all accommodations which do not sale their rooms through Expedia & co. ….even because Expedia could claim as a fee on the overall value of confirmed booking more then 30%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A black dangerous shadow it’s growing from Tripadvisor, because “managing” this public image of the accomodations and tourism related businesses, actually they could boost some of them and penalize some other, always in the view to squize the top possible income from this business.
We hope that this doubt will be soon erased by Expedia and Tripadvisor so to let the free market keep on being free and fair.

We have invited hundred times Tripadvisor to reply to those lawful questions, but nobody has never replied:

1) How can you certify that the review’s writer has stayed in the accommodation reviewed?
2) How can you guarantee that the writer it’s not a fake one, an unfair competitor, or a joker?
3) How can you ensure that what it’s written in the review, from the “potential” guest’s accomodation, it’s what really happened?
4) How can you guarantee the thruth, the genuineness, originality and source of the review?
5) In what consit the checks and controls you claimd to do on the reviews? How many checks have been made on all the reviews you claimd to have published?
6) In Italy we have a law which protect privacy of individuals and companies: why you list identifying details ( e.g: names, address, pictures, details od personnels ) of properties whitout asking a permission to the owner/manager/header?
7) Why on http://www.tripadvisor.it you don’t show your legal address, the addresses of your offices, telephone numbers and responsible manager of the sensitive data?
8 ) In order to protect our good name from public defamatory fake reviews, we ask to know writer details : why you don’t supply this information ?
9) How many of the published reviews on Tripadvisor are true and linked to a real booking confirmed and paid by a real identifiable user?
10) Why you keep on using the slogn “Get the Truth then go” which dresses Tripadvisor’s contents as truthful, when you are NOT able to certify the source and truthfulness of what it’s stated in the reviews?

We kindly invite who is in charge for Expedia and Tripadvisor, to reply to those questions to clarify this situation as soon as possible.

Kind regards

Alla Dolce Vita

Now, keep in mind, the guy is one of those self-important jerks we all come across from time to time, but you don’t always know what motivates a person to leave a review. I always try too write objectively, because, really, if a pillow is too soft for me, does that really mean anything to anyone else? :) Hopefully, though, the true review will outnumber the planted reviews or “vindictive reviews” at a given site.

I can’t imagine a foolproof way to get honest and aithentic reviews in an essentially anonymous online venue. TA, and other similar sites, might even require posters to povide proof that they actually stayed or ate at the facility, Even that, though, wouldn’t prevent bogus reviews.

Nor can I imagine foolproofe way for these sites to detect bogus reviews. Perhaps if there was a way for users to grade or comment on the validity of reviews after they had visited the subject of the review.

Yes, management can affect the numbers, particularly at smaller, less-reviewed establishments where reviews are less frequent. But generally speaking I’ve almost always been able to spot the questionable reviews.

Key phrase to avoid..

“Best ever!”

Look for reviews with details, such as names, dates, specific activities. See how many reviews the poster has. And if ANYTHING is #1 on a list after just opening, take everything with a grain of salt.

Full disclosure, I am a Destination Expert on TA. We work very closely with the TA staff to try to identify false entries, but even knowing the area like we do we cannot catch them all. TA is a great source for reviews but should not be your only source.

And if you are not sure, post in the forums for that area, the DEs will be happy to help.