Update: I’ve just heard from TripAdvisor: ”We have no comment for now on the Filter Stream widget”. This seems to imply TripAdvisor has not partnered in the venture. In that case it may raise issues about TripAdvisor copyright as well as credibility.
There’s a new third-party widget that lets hotels stream TripAdvisor reviews directly to their website, while filtering them to give the reader whatever perception the hotel desires. If they only want visitors to see four and five star reviews for example, they simply specify that.
The device relies on the perception that TripAdvisor reviews represent strong, untainted testimony about a hotel’s quality and consumer satisfaction. Wrongly used (and frankly who wouldn’t), it can then completely undermine the TripAdvisor notion, “get the truth then go.”
The TripAdvisor logo and the words “recent TripAdvisor reviews” are prominently displayed. The unsuspecting reader is led to believe they are seeing all recent reviews, without having to visit TripAdvisor’s site.
Based on directly reproducing TripAdvisor’s content and logo, it appears that this product is being used with the explicit permission of TripAdvisor. I’ve asked them for their input and will let you know what I hear.
My example:
In the above example, I chose the Laie Inn, in part because it’s the hotel that first brought us to question TripAdvisor review authenticity several years ago. I used the widget and asked it to yield only four star and higher reviews. The image is the result such a widget would yield were it to be so used.
A check of the TripAdvisor site, however, shows something very different. Four of the last five reviews were in fact one or two star, with titles like “not acceptable,” “shabby and old,” “filthy and tired, and “needs work.”
Our recommendation:
If you see a TripAdvisor widget on a hotel site, don’t assume it’s presenting all of the reviews.
Maui Local (2 years ago)
That’s wrong. Though I understand why Tripadvisor would allow it. By letting people do this, they’ll get a lot more hotels adding the widget, which sends them more traffic and power.
It goes against everything that makes the site good for potential visitors. People like this site because there is no censorship by hotels.
The only way that this widget should be allowed is if it said on the top that these are only recent 4-5 star reviews. For all reviews visit Reviews page “Here”