If competitors are posting bogus reviews, then they should be held accountable, as that is slander. But if a paying customer posts a bad review, that is a valid opinion, and the hotel needs to be held accountable. I have read bad reviews for hotels that I was delighted with and thought at the time, did the reviewer actually stay there? In other cases I have read rave reviews and then ended up being very disappointed. And what do you do about the hotelier that posts a favorable review about his less than favorable establishment? Caveat emptor!

Posted By Tom B. on February 2, 2010, 2:42 PM

I once stayed in a hotel on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. When I pulled the covers off the bed, there was dried blood and hair in it like someone had slaughtered a small animal.

Posted By Steve on February 2, 2010, 3:43 PM

A hotel once threatened to sue me over a TripAdvisor review I had posted. I guess they were able to find out who I was because I was pretty candid about my horrible experience in the review, which was basically about one of their staff stealing my purse and the hotel doing shockingly little to help me in any way. So I suppose it was a memorable enough situation that they knew who I was and were able to send me a threatening letter to remove the review or be sued by them. So of course I removed it. But it still grates my nerves that they bullied me into removing a review that I think the public had the right to consider. It wasn't so much the stealing part that I held the hotel accountable for: it was the fact that the front desk staff wouldn't even help me by providing me the local police station phone number in order to file a report. They acted totally uninterested that my purse had been stolen.

Posted By oldfashiongirl on February 2, 2010, 5:34 PM

I think this is a fascinating discussion, both of Trip Advisers' Dirty Hotels list and also what the legal playing field is regarding slander or harm in the world of travel blogging and internet comments.

TripAdvisor was trying to get lots of media coverage via their top-ten dirty hotel lists, and they totally succeeded. That's why people do top-ten type lists. I don't think it is categorically unfair, and I enjoyed reading about the dirty hotels--it was funny. But it might not be legally sound. I think how they came to the list is probably going to be at issue here. If their data was not scientifically-gathered, not vetted, results were skewed to produce a particular list (like one that was geographically diverse or had some shock value,) etc., then they're likely to get sued.

My travel blog recommends affordable travel accommodations throughout the Pacific Northwest (www.nwcheapsleeps.org) and although my angle trends towards recommendations rather than reviews, I do offer criticism of lodging now and then. It hadn't occurred to me until recently what kind of legal warm water I might be wading into, and I still have no idea what, if any, protection I would have against a defamation lawsuit. Like many bloggers, I have a day job, and I haven't gotten around to properly researching this stuff. (**Moving this up on my to-do list right now**)

On the flipside, I can totally feel for a company or business that suffers unfairly because of reviews or comments on the internet that are not well-researched or vetted, or are based on hearsay, or are gross exaggerations or flat-out lies. It happens.

Personally, I can see right through a phony, planted glowing review on TripAdvisor or Yelp. It's also pretty evident when a poster has a vendetta against an establishment and just rails on them. Either of these reviews get disregarded an useless information in my book.

Posted By Lauren on February 2, 2010, 8:52 PM

I have a problem in general with online user reviews of hotels. It strikes me that the people MOST motivated to post a review are those who have had a bad experience. So the elevator was broken and they had to schlep their bags up three flights. Someone encountered bedbugs. Someone's linens were dirty. I don't deny that these were bad experiences, but are they indicative of how the hotel is TODAY? I assume that elevator has been fixed. Bedbugs have become a problem worldwide that every hotel has to fight - if the person who brought them in stayed there the week before the reviewer arrived, the hotel might not know about them yet. What I want to know: Do they show a consistent pattern of neglect or lack of concern for their customers? And I doubt that I can get that from one person's singular experience.

Now - given the previous example of the person's purse being stolen, I would agree that such a review is indicative of management's lack of concern for the customer. But even there, how am I to know if management has changed?

I'm much more interested in the positive reviews, though they are just as likely to be out-of-date as the negative ones, but at least they aren't based on a grudge. Even so, one still has to try to separate out the genuine reviews from those that have been planted by the business itself.

I guess my conclusion here is that I take all reviews with a grain of salt and realize that I have to make my own judgments, recognizing that when I choose an inexpensive hotel, sometimes you get what you pay for.

Posted By CliffK on February 3, 2010, 10:52 AM

I don't know if Trip Advisor does this or not but other websites that I've reviewed won't post my review if I haven't booked the reservation through them. I guess that ensures that I actually did stay there. The disappointing thing is that some travel websites that allow people to post haven't polsted any of my negative reviews either and they are supposed to be neutral. I have gone to places based on other reviews and been disappointed. I've then posted a negative review and had it removed by the web admin...

Posted By b on February 3, 2010, 3:10 PM

When I am researching a travel provider, and read either glowing or negative reviews on a site such as TripAdvisor, I check the reviewer's history to see if he/she has posted previous reviews on various other locations and/or facilities. Seems to me it would involve a lot of time and effort to pretend to be legit and cover all those bases. If someone has only basically posted about one facility or provider, I find it suspect.

Posted By nickidee on February 4, 2010, 11:15 AM

Contrary to nickidee, I would assume that someone who is posting on numerous sites about multiple hotels might be suspect, perhaps a "pro" paid reviewer, perhaps employed by the rival establishments. On the other hand, someone who seldom posts reviews would seem to me more legitimate because as nickidee has noted, "it would involve a lot of time and effort" to post so frequently. That's why it would make me think a frequent poster is being paid to do it.

Posted By Marilyn Long on February 4, 2010, 12:37 PM

I am a tripadvisor user and contributor but as many have stated you have to use common sense when using such a site. If there are 8 out of 10 positive the 2 negative may have just had a bad day, attitude etc. but if it is the opposite nad 8 out of 10 are negative I will not book that hotel. I, like others who posted here, ck history of a poster if any post is suspect.

In my reviews for TA I try to use reason as well. If I stay at an inexpensive small motel I do not use the same criteria as I would for a luxury resort. Cleanliness, however, is most important for me. I would rather stay at a clean, little mom and pop place over a dirty, expensive, modern room with all the bells and whistles. If 8 out of 10 reviewers say it is dirity I stay away!!!

Posted By Kelly M. on February 4, 2010, 1:01 PM

TripAdvisor has been a consistently valuable tool over several years for planning my travel arrangements, especially in regard to lodging. It helps me find the most "bang for the buck" in terms of location, amenities and customer service. I have not yet found any big discrepancies between the TripAdvisor reviews and the actual location.

I once took a risk by booking lodging in Dublin, Ireland, at a place that had received a few bad reviews. Before booking, I telephoned the establishment a couple of times to gauge the customer service and it was definitely satisfactory. Much to my delight, I was pleased with my actual stay.

TripAdvisor reviews are informative and current. They show the date they were posted and generally include the dates of the stay at the subject property. To get the best take on a property, I read through all the reviews, keeping in mind that nothing is perfect. I take into consideration whether the reviewer is only a one-time poster or has posted multiple times on TripAdvisor. I also look at the type and amount of detail provided, i.e., whether the review is general and vague or specific with distinctive information. When available, reviewers' photos can be quite helpful.

Properties may respond to reviews on Trip Advisor. So, a mechanism does exist that allows for the proverbial telling of the other side of the story to counterbalance perceived unfairness. Interestingly, I have noticed that really bad properties rarely bother to rebut negative reviews.

Disgruntled patrons are probably not the main Trip Adviser posters. I have posted reviews on Trip Advisor and most have been positive. Reading through multiple reviews for several properties reveals that dissatisfied customers do not necessarily dominate.

Overall, I think Trip Advisor reviews helps raise the quality bar. Public exposure of deficiencies or praise of excellence should logically motivate businesses to do their best.

Posted By Julie B on February 4, 2010, 1:04 PM

I'm a frequent traveler for pleasure, not business. When I'm deciding on a hotel/resort, I read a minimum of 50 reviews on at least 3 different web sites for each place. Just like calculating a standard-deviation curve for a lab test's normal range (it's my job!), I exclude the 5% most positive AND most negative reviews, & concentrate on the 'middle ground'. After a while, I've developed a 'feel' for each property, & have been very happy with my final choices over the last 30 years. A 'grain-of-salt' is necessary, but I feel people who have actually been customers of a resort are more accurate than the resort's photos & descriptions of itself! I'm smart enough to detect those reviewers who expect 5-star service & facilities at 3-star pricing...

Posted By aspengal on February 4, 2010, 1:19 PM

I think there is one more hotel that belongs in the dirtiest hotels in the USA. That hotel is Comfort Suites Airport and Cruiseport. I escorted a group of people on a cruise and booked this hotel pre and post cruise. It is supposed to be a smoke-free facility. One of the people in the group termed it "a real dump." The rooms were dirty, the couch and carpet stained, and they smelled dirty and like smoke.

In the first room we had after the cruise, there was a big wedge shaped gap in the window where two panes came together. The second room they moved us to was even dirtier than the rooms from before the cruise! Had we not pre-paid for the room, we would definitely not stayed there!

Neither I,nor any one of the people in the group (as well as some of the other people we talked with) will NEVER stay at this awful hotel again!!!

Posted By Karen Johnson on February 4, 2010, 3:16 PM

I check TripAdvisor reviews for every location we visit. I especially appreciate the reviews for B&Bs. I read many reviews and pay more attention to the ones that have a good bit of detail. I have posted positive reviews and never posted a negative review, so I don't agree that people are more likely to just post negative ones. I like to compliment and reward those companies that give me good service.

Posted By MBrandes on February 4, 2010, 4:03 PM

I use TripAdvisor often to select hotels and restaurants, and less frequently post reviews. I believe TA is one of the web's most objective review sites. I too think that it is most legitimate to use a process similar to a statistical curve -like the scoring in Olympic skating events, where the top and bottom scores are thrown out - however, to do so in TA is simply too difficult as the results are not presented in a way to allow one to do this easily.

But, if there are more than say, 30 or 40 reviews of any one hotel or restaurant, the results have essentially already done a weighted analysis - at that point, if the aggregate score leans heavily toward the plus end, I think one can safely assume that this result is legit, whereas the same assumption could not be made if there were only 5 or 10 reviews. The same assumption can be made, of course, if the score leans below the mid point, and the number of reviews is significant. And the more total reviews there are for a given hotel or restaurant, the safer one can feel with the result.

Having said all that, I still think TA has some significant weaknesses - most of the reviews one finds on TA are old - and that alone makes them suspect - hotels seldom hold a quality level for more that a few years before moving either up or down! And I find it amazing how long it takes for a new property to finally show up at all on TA. So, I'm not suggesting that TA is the end-all of hotel reviews no matter what - but it is often better than its competitors.

Posted By drfugawe on February 4, 2010, 4:53 PM

For anyone who thinks leaving bad reviews by competitors is crying foul, think again! I worked in the apartment leasing industry for all of 3 months, and these have many review sites like travel sites.

My manager would sit for hours (no kidding) acquiring fake email addresses and leaving fake reviews about other companies and complexes, and leaving good comments about his dumps.

It is rampant and happens... beware!

Posted By mountaineer47 on February 4, 2010, 7:25 PM

I was watching Oprah and Dr.Oz was on.He said NEVER use the glasses in the room,take Lysol or Clorox wipes to wipe Phone,TV remote door handles,anything you have to touch.Also remove the bed spread and put it in a closet as soon as you enter the room.I will buy a sleeping bag liner or such to sleep in and not on the sheets.Some were not changed after each use..I do travel a lot and have sure learned some interesting things.Thanks.

Posted By sharla on February 4, 2010, 9:22 PM

I travel a lot for work, and mostly to international, off-the-beaten-path places. I live by TripAdvisor! I use it not only to decide where to stay (often for me it's a choice between 2 places and the reviews tip it for me), but also to know what to bring - what amenities are there? Is there a safe? Wifi? Shampoo provided? - etc. I also use TA to reach out to others who have been or live where I'm going and have gotten the best recommendations for local food, public transportation tips, etc.

@Marilyn - If you ever see a review from me and look me up, you'll see probably 2 dozen reviews. I'm not a professional reviewer, but I do feel responsible for paying it forward - I've been helped by the reviews, it's my obligation to do my part. I try to be objective and informative (what the hotel has or lacks as far as amenities) as well as giving my opinions on things. Every time I travel, which can be a couple of times a month, I try to do a review.

Posted By philsdottir on February 4, 2010, 9:48 PM

I read lots of reviews on TA, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc when planning a trip. I also skim through the forums, as some people who will post in a forum about hotel experieinces don't write reviews. Whenever I see reviews stating "It was heavenly" or "It was hell" I check the writer's profile. Is this their first review? Look at their travel map--have they ever left home before? Do they post in forums? What is their gripe? If it's something like 'The Italian restaurant at the resort in Mexico wasn't authentic' I ignore it;who goes to Mexico to eat Italian food,anyway? I've stayed in hotels among the top-ranked on TA that I found undeserving of the rank, and others that were much further down the list that suited me perfectly. Remember--it's the writer's subjective opinion. If there seems to be a pattern, across a span of time, about service or facilities, I give those more credence than reviews by one-shot wonders. Lastly, TA gives all hotel owners a chance to respond. The ones who do, explaining that the problem has been fixed, or that the hurricane was totally out of their control, etc., I give a mental plus.
If competitors are loading the reviews in an effort to discredit their competition, then TA should take whatever steps legally available to stop the abusive practice.

Posted By Lvs2travl on February 5, 2010, 8:04 AM

Yes, My sister and I stayed at the Days Inn Eureka Six Flags several years ago. When I read the list, I immediately e-mailed my sister. She also remembered this hotel. It was very dirty then, in great need of repair, and one of the worst places we had ever stayed. We only stayed one night, and tried to find another hotel for that night. Unfortunatley, it was July 3rd, and everything was booked. It was very funny for us to see that we had stayed at one of the dirtiest hotels. I do not think it is unfair at all.

Posted By Jerilyn on February 5, 2010, 4:10 PM

Like many other travelers, I greatly appreciate TripAdvisor and other like sites that allow customer reviews. I have been traveling for 30+ years and the advantages of the internet greatly outweighs the possibility of some fraudulent reviews. I remember a glowing review I once read in a popular guidebook that ended up being a dirty poorly located dump. Bad reviews have been around for a very long time but now the average person can chip in their own 2cents. Since I am not yet retired I usually do reviews in groups when I have the time. So I often post 6+ reviews at once. Most of my reviews are positive and I am not a professional but I suppose it could look that way. In fact I ought to be posting my reviews on my Florida trip last year, we stayed in some great places at unbelievably good prices.

Posted By travelmystic on February 6, 2010, 2:50 AM

Those reviews are usually straight up garbage. I found a review on Trip Adviser (and several other hotel-finder type sites) that listed MY HOME as a great 4 star hotel, complete with rave reviews. I share a last name with a famous hotel chain, and regularly receive mistaken phone calls. However, I have never invited any of theses people to stay, nor have I ever provided turn down service...lol! (*Now dog hair.. yeah, we've got that). Once you're on a list it's almost impossible to get taken off. TRUST ME...

Posted By J on February 16, 2010, 6:49 PM

Last year i booked a room thru another online hotel reservation in Continental Oceanfront Hotel Miami Beach, Florida. Location of hotel is awesome. but condition of room was very bad. 1st room i had to change coz it had mold. 2nd room was better then 1st but not worth living. unfortunately, i had paid for 3 days, so i had to stay, but it was a nightmare.
I am 100% in favor of TripAdvisor to publish the dirtiest hotels review. i guess thats the only way these hotels will understand the value of customers.

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