Updated 6/23: Be sure to see our most recent article on TripAdvisor fraud.
The situation is quickly getting much worse.
Finding the truth about others’ hotel experiences, at least here in Hawaii, has now become impossible. I consider myself reasonably astute at this, and there is just no way for me to make good use of these reviews any longer.
If you haven’t been following our discussions about travel reviews, and Expedia Inc.’s Tripadvisor site in particular, this is an ongoing issue I’ve been writing about for some time. Since having last written about it, however, I find that the problem has grown significantly worse. No doubt that is due to tremendous competition and a very difficult financial situation in the industry.
What’s the problem?
The problem is that the hotel industry, having found the financial importance of user-generated reviews, has extorted them to the max. Both good and bad reviews are being written by hotels, their management companies, their employees, and other interested parties. I suggest that if you don’t believe it, try looking at any Honolulu hotel’s reviews.
In another example, one of our readers commented:
“In Scotland, the national tourist organisation even goes so far as to spend public money to run courses for hoteliers on how to use TripAdvisor to their best advantage!”
Half the recent Hawaii hotel reviews appear to me to be fake.
By clicking on the reviewer’s name, you can see what if any other reviews that person has ever written. I’ve found that perhaps 50% of recent reviewers have either no additional reviews, or one additional review (done in order to not appear fraudulent).
Trying to get to the bottom of Hawaii hotel reviews has become completely and utterly frustrating. Recently I went through 20 reviews on one hotel before I found a review that I suspected was “real.” The reviews are more fake than real, and that means it takes an inordinate amount of time to attempt to sort through them. Tripadvisor has intentionally made that more difficult, in part by not immediately showing (without drilling down), how many other reviews each person has written.
Why doesn’t Tripadvisor do something?
Tripadvisor appears completely uninclined to take any real steps limiting fraudulent reviews. To do so will tremendously reduce the value of the site which is in large part related to the number of site visits and reviews.
What I’m doing.
I’ve pretty much given up on using Tripadvisor. At this point I check with friends and colleagues to inquire about properties I’m interested in staying at. For the next inter-island trip and hotel stay, I plan to post my hotel choices here and see what you folks have to say.
Daniel (3 years ago)
Honestly, no one should trust TripAdvisor. The reviews have been so far off the mark compared to what I have personally experienced both on the islands and the mainland. I’m in the travel industry, and it makes me sick to see this type of disregard for the truth. What ever happened to being honest? Well, I guess that what goes around comes around, right?
I applaud your trust in your readers, but keep in mind that people in the industry read this blog as well. Hopefully, your experiment works to your satisfaction.
Bill (3 years ago)
I’ve enjoyed Tripadvisor for years but agree that the fake reviews have increase. One thing i do have a problem with is that sometimes 2 or 3 star hotels are rated higher than luxury hotels. Maybe they are better values, but not nicer places.
Ron Jeremy (3 years ago)
NOT JUST HOTELS__RESTAURANTS TOO but of course you already knew this.
TRIPADVISOR Wow finally the truth is revealed…Here is one of the reviews you can look at and see how blatently owners of reviewed restaurants will leave fake reviews.. Las Vegas–for the last 5 years or so ROSEMARY’S , an art deco (?) neuvo cuisine restaurant in a stripmall 15 minutes off the strip with maybe 30 seats, has ruled tripadvisor with an iron fist. The fake reviews are SO EASY TO SPOT. The owners of this restaurant when they submit their fake reviews include 1) The exact name of the dish they are fake complimenting–never I/we had the “fish” or “bass” they always describe it as “Crispy Skin Texas Striped Bass …Andouille, Rock Shrimp & Fingerling Potato Hash, Hushpuppies & Creole Meuniere Sauce” often naming ingredients in the dish that are mentioned NO WHERE in the menu. 2) How magnificent/romantic the dining room is and how spectacular the art work is and even the ARTIST’S NAME……oh yeah did I mention that they SELL THE ARTWORK ON DISPLAY IN THEIR RESTAURANT. 3) NEVER EVER EVER WILL YOU SEE THE PRICES IN THESE REVIEWS…Dinner at this stripmall restaurant will usually set you back $200-$250 per couple depending on the wine you choose. You could accept every offer of the server to match you food with the “RIGHT BOTTLE OF WINE” and end up closer to $400 per couple…this is quite pricey for a restaurant even if it is Las Vegas. But $$$$ are never discussed in the reviews. Those are just a few blatently obvious ones. There are MANY MANY more subtle reviews that they do too.
Now just step back and look at the facts: This restaurant OFF THE STRIP with seating for maybe 30 gets one review every two days or so. Yet 100 seat CELEBRITY RESTAURANTS IN HUGE RESORT HOTELS ON THE STRIP AVERAGE ONLY 2 TO 3 EVERY OTHER MONTH. Simply put they got greedy. The owners of this place are making money hand over fist with these fake reviews. They have concocted of whole cloth a fable of how legendary this restaurant is.
That being said I use Tripadvisor all the time when I travel and I travel ALOT. I wont book something until I have seen the reviews at Tripadvisor. But lately I have been using them as a back up to info that I already have. And I have always been vigilant of the fake review. Especially since I got burned by these creeps at ROSEMARY’S. Read all the great/glowing reviews with out checking anywhere else. Went to dinner there and my wife and I were in dissbelief, we thought we were in the wrong place. The reviews we read had NOTHING AT ALL in common with this place. SHAME ON YOU! ! ! ! Chefs Michael and Wendy Jordan and their entire staff.
Anne Buggy (3 years ago)
I am really disconcerted to hear this as I have been using TripAdvisor since I planned my first trip to Hawaii 2 years ago. I am careful to be a little suspicious of reviews that sound too good to be true, but I have learned quite a bit about an accomodation from the tips that people have passed on. The site also continues to be valuable to learn about what areas to visit, when to go, which activities we would find enjoyable and out-of-the-way spots that we would not find on our own. In conjunction with some good travel/ tourbooks we were able to plan a very satisfying trip. I relied on TripAdvisor again to plan my return trip this year. Nothing replaces doing your own background research- for me it is half the fun planning the trip.
Your comments do give me pause though. I think I will be a bit more skeptical in the future.