Interesting article in today’s Sunday Times (UK) about owners and managers of restaurants and hotels pluggin’ their own establishment by writing ‘reviews’ under false names on websites like allinlondon.com and TripAdvisor.com.
Some of the sites, like Fodors.com give places a star rating based on readers comments and, it seems, they’re very easy to influence. To quote the article:
“Among London hotels on Fodors.com, for example, is the Vandon House in Victoria, which received a rating of just 1.2 out of a possible five after a scathing review last year. A guest from Ohio had complained of stuffy rooms, “unbelievable†noise from other guests, an unwanted 1am wake-up call, and “miserable†beds.
Yet last week reporters posing as fictional guests managed to boost its rating to 4.2  ranking it among the capital’s top establishments such as Claridge’s  simply by posting four reviews giving the hotel top scores in all categories.
Fodors.com immediately published the reviews and failed to check whether the writers had stayed at Vandon House.”
Here’s a link to the article if you’d like to read it. The disturbing thing really is that owners of restaurents/hotels are also writing negative reviews about their rivals.
Think that kind of thing happens in the world of online marketing and affiliate programs? I’m sure it does.
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Hi Phil,
Contrast that with the Lonely Planet Guide Books who use undercover travellers who actually go and stay as guests and experience the property anonymously. Sometimes they tell you they are from the Lonely Planet at the end of their stay and sometimes not. It is the only way to get true ratings.
The accommodation association in England used to (could still) have an agreement with all properties that they would stay as a paying guest (again under cover) and rate anonymously and afterwards when the review done get reimbursed for the cost of the stay regardless of the rating. Again unbiased.
Dale.
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