TA's classification system doesn't make any sense at all. In my area, a number of places are lumped together under the category "Bed and Breakfast" - they vary from very posh places to rock bottom low budget places. It also includes some places where breakfast is not included in the price, I would expect that in a Bed and Breakfast. One place was thrown out of the Bed and Breakfast category because they got wind of it that they also have a dormitory. It is now classified as "specialty lodging", which makes them practically unfindable through TA's website.

TA is spamming me on a daily basis trying to convince me to get a business listing for a sweet 350 Euros per year. They even took the trouble to let somebody call me from Singapore, who kept me on the phone endlessly.

To also say one positive thing: I reacted a number of times at reviews, and my hotel owner's reply was always promptly put online.

Edited March 14, 201214 yr by keestha

I find trip Advisor/Flipkey vacation rentals pretty good as i pay to advertise one of my properties with them.

Thus far all reviews i have received have been genuine and thankfully quite good, and unsolicited feedback seems to keep coming. generally the people that book via trip advisor are the ones who write reviews at the end of their stay.

I also keep up with the reviews of competing properties, and am familiar enough with the owners and properties themselves that it is pretty easy to determine who is taking this piss and who is genuine. Thankfully we are a pretty tight knit group and no one seems to be taking the piss thus far.

So, while all reviews are to be taken with a caveat, certain niche areas of trip advisor seem quite genuine.

It is very interesting to get the other side of the story from hotel owners here. Quite enlightening.

I have at least found that Tripadvisor is honest enough to publish my reviews as I wrote them. Agoda alters reviews to make them less critical.

+1

The right to reply is very useful on Tripadvisor. I have managed to identify every one of the guests that have left reviews (the beauty of being a small operation) and would recognise a fake review on my own place.

The bigger booking sites don't allow the reply by the owner unfortunately.

My biggest gripe is when I find out from a review that something was wrong with the room (e.g water heater/aircon not working properly) yet the customers have not told us about it during their stay.

By they time I'm consulting trip Advisor I've already made my choice and am just checking for any howlers... Other sites such as Agoda also have comments which I find quite useful.

A website such as Tripadvisor should not be used for your sole impression of a place before you travel there.

A Korean restaurant recently opened in Chiang Mai near where I live. Within a couple of weeks they had a number of glowing reviews and had shot to the top of TA's restaurant list. There are tons of other restaurants in the area which are mostly empty at this time of year and I have never seen one customer in the place even though I go by it all the time, so I am rather suspicious of who is writing those reviews.

Edited March 14, 201214 yr by Ulysses G.

A Korean restaurant recently opened in Chiang Mai near where I live. Within a couple of weeks they had a number of glowing reviews and had shot to the top of TA's restaurant list. There are tons of other restaurants in the area which are mostly empty at this time of year and I have never seen one customer in the place even though I go by it all the time, so I am rather suspicious of who is writing those reviews.

Exactly. I also saw places rocket up to the top spot after just 2 or 3 rave reviews, hereby passing by other places with a lot of reviews.

Apart from fake reviews, as an individual business owner, you have to decide whether or not to stimulate obviously satisfied customers to write a review. Personally, I don't play this game. Right now I am looking at a local business's name card, which requests the customers to write reviews on Tripadvisor and Facebook.

in some countries, the number of false/fake-reviews easily outnumbers the ones of real customers/guests. In the Philippines, for example. In Thailand it would probably be similar, if not for the problems to write a fake review in decent ENGLISH

nowadays you are better off to check reviews on hotel booking websites such as agoda, hoteltravel.com, hotels.com or ctrip, as only REAL guests are allowed to leave reviews there.

just keep in mind companies some such as agoda regularly CENSOR and even FALSIFY reviews, as I have been experiencing many many times (I have yet to come accross a review of any of my stays at any Malaysian hotel that AGODA did NOT censor). But at least the POINTS I awarded the hotel remain in place, so this gives at least a certain impression

.

I have used AGODA 7 times in the last 6 months and diligently put in my review. One of those reviews chastised AGODA, and a hotel. Do you know what ? all those reviews were posted on the website. However i did recieve a sarcastic message from Trip Advisor, because i had put 5 positive reviews in favour of AGODA!

And will say again, i have ultimate faith in Agoda, since i changed fro Asia Rooms, they have been very good and reliable for me. As for others, its up to them.

Surely, the fact that Trip Advisor have been "Chastised" by the top British watchdog, must mean something ?

These reviews are only a guide, just read as many as you can and then make your own decision..........if "Cold breakfast " comes up , say 4 out of 10, then surely there is a problem, don't go there.