Your Chance to Review TripAdvisor
Written by Jay Karen on August 7, 2008 – 3:18 pmThe presence of TripAdvisor in our marketplace is the definitive double-edged sword, and a very sharp one at that. On one side of the sword you have the opportunity for exposure to millions and millions of visitors to their web site, and the chance for potential guests to read glowing reviews from REAL PEOPLE who stayed at your inn. And you don’t even have to pay membership fees or a commission on bookings! If you have frequent and recent positive reviews, you might even get a high ranking in your marketplace. Nothing like being able to say “Ranked #1 by TripAdvisor in XYZ City” on your web site. On the other side of the sword you have the frustration and fallout of negative reviews (real, embellished or just plain false – many times with no recourse). There are features of the site (both obvious and subtle) that move visitors away from properties that do not share a piece of the revenue with the triumvirate of Expedia.com, Hotels.com and/or TripAdvisor, and towards properties that do (by-and-large hotels). And how many of you have been simply threatened with negative reviews on TripAdvisor? A double-edged sword indeed.
TripAdvisor has been lightly involved with PAII, having attended our 2007 convention in Myrtle Beach as an exhibitor and speaker, and sending a representative to participate in our State of the Industry panel discussion at the 2008 event. I’ve had some chats with their senior staff about various issues from time-to-time. Recently, though, I approached TripAdvisor about having a better working relationship. After all, there are over 15,000 B&Bs and inns on their directory (we help bring traffic in their direction), and their impact on our industry is indisputable. I shared with the membership that I have been intending to step-up PAII’s dialogue with TripAdvisor. I’ve received several different opinions on the way in which we should or should not deal with TripAdvisor, ranging from organizing a class action lawsuit to seeking an official advisory position among their leadership. I’ve been advised that we should become close allies with them, as well as criticized for giving them more significant deference than the online review sites born in our own innkeeping industry. While the best path forward hasn’t been cleared yet, there is no arguing against the need for someone to represent the interests and concerns of our industry with TripAdvisor.
TripAdvisor has a power-grip on the online review phenomenon in the lodging industry, but there are indeed other players. BedandBreakfast.com has a robust online review system, and BnBfinder.com and iloveinns.com have opportunities for guests to leave reviews of properties listed with their directories. While I hope we don’t see more and more online review programs in our industry, thereby further frustrating innkeepers (who seem to have enough trouble suggesting guests leave reviews online in the first place), I do think innkeepers would do themselves and this industry a favor by supporting the review programs of online B&B directories. It wouldn’t take much to include links in your thank you emails and on your web sites to your review pages on BnBfinder.com, BedandBreakfast.com or iloveinns.com. Your most satisfied customers might want to leave positive reviews all over the internet, and your potential guests may want to read reviews on sites OTHER than TripAdvisor – so help them out! Plus, competition can be a good thing.
I now need to hear from you – the innkeepers. I have a meeting scheduled with senior leadership at TripAdvisor, including CEO Stephen Kaufer, on September 17th at their office in Newton, Massachusetts. This is an opportunity for us to share the legitimate concerns you have with their website and online review system. Our objectives are (at minimum) to be sincerely heard, and (ideally) to cause real changes to those things that knowingly or unknowingly put B&Bs at a disadvantage. I’m asking you to share your thoughts with me. Tell me your stories – the good, bad and ugly – about how TripAdvisor is impacting your business. Tell me what faults you see with their system. Tell me what reasonable changes you think they should make to their web site. Please click here to share your thoughts with me; I will read every entry.
If you have any thoughts you’d like to share more publicly, feel free to leave additional comments below or on the PAII Forum. But please don’t bypass the online survey. I already have a list of issues, but would appreciate hearing more. I believe acting on your behalf is an appropriate and natural role for PAII. You can bet this will be a topic of frequent conversation in our community, and that we’ll offer plenty of chances to share and learn about the online review phenomenon at the upcoming Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show. We have some great people in our backyard who seem to have mastered the online review game. Step off the sidelines and join the conversation!
Wishing you a bountiful summer,
Jay Karen
President & CEO
Tags: Online Reviews, TripAdvisor
Posted in Online Reviews, TripAdvisor | 5 Comments »
Jay Karen, President & CEO of the
August 8, 2008 at 12:34 pm...
Jay,
You've really hit the nail on the head by being willing to tackle this issue of online reviews. I don't think there's another topic that generates more discussion or disagreement among innkeepers than TripAdvisor. However, as Rick Wolf discusses in his blog posting, "The Site You Love to Hate… or Hate To Love", the traveling public LOVES these sites. So, it's really a question of the both embracing the beast and becoming involved.
Your decision, and that of PAII, to talk to TripAdvisor is a big step in the right direction. While it would be nice to think of TripAdvisor as an ally, that might be a bit too pollyanna-ish. But, even if they aren't really the enemy (a lot of business is ultimately driven to inns that use positive reviews on TripAdvisor to their benefit), there is truth to the saying: "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
There is nothing constant but change, and it always pays to be in the middle where you have the opportunity to affect that change. This is no time to be complaining from the sidelines.
Peter Scherman
The B&B Team, Inn Consultants
August 28, 2008 at 2:12 pm...
I have found that trip advisor will publish any review, regardless of validity or truth. When confronted about a reviewer’s validity, they hide behind their “proprietary infromation” rules. We have had several scathing reviews from people that have never stayed at our place. I feel that trip advisor, thrives on controversy, which causes more hospitality owners to constantly look at their site, which creates more hits and more money for them. As an owner you are made to feel poweless, while other people are playing games with your livelyhood, and you have absolutelly no recourse. Their motto is “get the truth, then go”. Truth? How can you get the truth, when you allow people to post reviews without any validation or repercussions? How can you have one person leave a glowing review, and then another post something completelly opposite? Are people’s expectations that much different? I just hope that people will eventually see trip advisor for what it really is…..absolutelly worthless.
August 28, 2008 at 2:12 pm...
I have found that trip advisor will publish any review, regardless of validity or truth. When confronted about a reviewer’s validity, they hide behind their “proprietary infromation” rules. We have had several scathing reviews from people that have never stayed at our place. I feel that trip advisor, thrives on controversy, which causes more hospitality owners to constantly look at their site, which creates more hits and more money for them. As an owner you are made to feel poweless, while other people are playing games with your livelyhood, and you have absolutelly no recourse. Their motto is “get the truth, then go”. Truth? How can you get the truth, when you allow people to post reviews without any validation or repercussions? How can you have one person leave a glowing review, and then another post something completelly opposite? Are people’s expectations that much different? I just hope that people will eventually see trip advisor for what it really is…..absolutelly worthless.
November 28, 2008 at 1:02 pm...
hello all can’t we do a class action law suit on trip advisor the gay community sued e harmony and won e harmony has to now have a same sex dating site also
Are there any lawyers out there?
How about the attorney general of NY
Something must be done, I know it has made me appreciate bnb.com
Gregg
Serenity farms
January 5, 2009 at 5:59 pm...
Jay,
Thanks for a splendid job.
Hope you can get TripAdvisor to be more reasonable and not so arbitrary and capricious.
Fair is fair, and fair they are not.
A system similar to BedAndBreakfast.com would be fair to both the customer and business.
We do not have any negative reviews, but live in daily fear of a post that in unfair or even from a competitor, over which we have little recourse.
Keep up the good work.