I post on and use tripadvisor on a regular basis, posting everything from hotels to all inclusive resorts and find the feedback invaluable. The site helped me pick a NYC gem, Belvedere Hotel not far from Times Square, and a couple more hotels in Provence for an upcoming Apr. trip. So invaluable. ^ :)

I too post and read tripadvisor on a regular basis. All posts that I wrote related to vacation travels, covering unique finds in restaurants and hotels. Have done only one hotel review. I think tripadvisor and fodors forum are quite useful for vacation travels to any part of the world.
I usually take restaurant and hotel reviews with a grain of salt.

I write hotel reviews on a regular basis, especially for hotels not previously covered by reviews. I also use the tripadvisor reviews to choose hotels. Some reviews may be skewed, but in general, the information quality is surprisingly good.

I don't participate in the forums; in fact, prior to reading this thread, I didn't realize they had forums at all :D

Im active on the Argentina TA forums, and find that they are very different from FT. It took me a while to get used to the different style... however, its interesting to see that every board has its fair share of conflicts and trolls... :D

I write for almost all my hotel stays (although sometimes I get behind) - I'm up to around 49. Roach review was my last one:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ton_Texas.html

One thing that ticks me off about TA is that they restrict the reviews for locations outside the USA... e.g. you cannot review a restaurant in Buenos Aires.

My basic opinion of tripadvisor is this. Take it with more than just a grain of salt. I have loved hotels they've trashed for silly reasons. And not liked highly rated ones.

I personally think TA proves the ugly american theory.

Also wish you could tell what level of room people paid for and what they expected for the money.

Whenever I look at using a hotel, I always check Trip Advisor for reviews of it, and I usually post one after I return :)

Yes... but please note this happens on FT all the time... folks get elite status by paying only heavily discounted fares and then whine whine and whine because they didnt get some silly additional perk when flying on an award F ticket. The "difficult" customer syndrome is something that is more common than we all think.

I've been planning a trip to Thailand, reading some of the Phuket forum. There's a nice argument going on between Europeans and Australians about using towels to save one's chair at the pool.

I enjoy reading the international reviews, seeing slang from foreign countries.