I still trust TripAdvisor. To determine accuracy of the reviews, you just have to be cognizant of other sources (like FT for prefered locations around a city and then see if the review 'fits' what others are saying).

Eh, we must choose our battles (and our escalations). It's quite enough for me to see that her establishment (which was ranked about #115 at the time) is now ranked below #200 :)

Understood. But it seems a little risky for a business to pull that kind of stuff in Europe with its strict privacy laws.

Exactly. Look for the patterns and the common threads. ^

I agree -though full disclosure I do write the odd report on Trip Advisor.

Here is an interesting article about a couple charged 100 GBP for posting a negative TripAdvisor hotel review ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...ne-review.html

Hopefully the hotel will be criminally prosecuted for this.

Oh, I'm sure they'll get plenty of bad reviews now :D

edit: Actually, they do already have. Rougly 60% are terrible, out of 250 or so..

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Hotel_Revi...e_England.html

Regardless of the ratio of +/- reviews, this is a terribly coercive action on the hotel's part.

Hopefully the British authorities that are supposed to protect consumers will get involved.

Looks like Italy thinks TA is no longer reliable:

TripAdvisor Fined $610,000 in Italy for Failing to Prevent Fake Reviews

I really don't believe any reviews I read on the Internet. Just too many spammers and people trying to game the system. Also many of the terrible/negative reviews I read about are complaining about things that really wouldn't bother me as much. Some people seem to get so whipped up about minor things. Many of my hotel stays are short so I can pretty much get through any thing for a couple of nights. Location and price are my two most important factor in determining if I am going to book somewhere.

I also read many reviews that guests get terribly upset about little things, but then I realize that the author is probably overstressed, underpaid or overworked and getting into serious credit card debt for this once a year family vacation. It's not the same when you get a vacation for little out of pocket using miles and points and minutae is trivial.

I have witnessed too many times during check in that the family next to me spent a fortune on Expedia and gets a basic room, and I use points and get an upgrade.

I don't think it's too hard to tell a real review from a fake one. Or at least, to tell reviews that have the indicia of reality, and then just ignore the other ones.

Indicia of reality? To me, likely real reviews are not too excited one way ("BEST PLACE EVER!!!!") or the other ("HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE HOTEL IN EVERY DETAIL!!"). They are generally balanced. They don't HAVE to be balanced, because sometimes people have a very pleasant or very negative experience. But even the most positive or negative reviewer will generally throw in an "on the other hand" comment. Fake positive reviewers have a hard time slipping in even one detail about the negative aspects of a facility or service. The more sophisticated fakes probably do slip in one or two "minor negatives" (they didn't have enough towels, but they fixed that) to seem balanced. If there is only a minor negative mentioned, my radar is up for fake.

The next big indicia of reality are DETAILS. Details details details. "My room was horrible" carries no weight with me. Instead, "my room had only one clean towel, and there were dirty glasses, and it had not been vacuumed or cleaned under the bed, and I had to wait 1 hour past check in time to even get in" is helpful. Similarly, "the staff is great!!!!" means nothing. "The hotel manager accommodated my unusual request for two extra pillows fluffed by Arnold Schwarzenegger" is helpful.

Do you honestly expect us to read all of that?

I look mainly pictures and other useful practical information what people post on TA. Then again, I don't trust at all the part of review pertaining to value people post, which is very balanced, I rather make my own conclusions based on pictures and other information.

Up to you
 

You can read as much, as little or opt not to read it. Up to you.