That's pretty much how I use trip advisor. Individual reviews aren't much use but the recurring comments are generally reliable. The past three hotels that I booked were all about what I thought they'd be after reading TA and the one before them was a bit better.

TA too –sensitive– about critiquing their partners?
 

I just got a review pulled from their site. And, of course, there's no one to write to or call on the matter.

There's no violation of their bad-language, explicit material, and inappropriate content clause... that I can find. I did however say that the attraction I reviewed, in detail, wasn't worth the money... and mentioned that the Viator (a TripAdvisor company?!?) was an even worse option.

But I have lots of reviews and plenty of helpful votes... so I can't guess what it is they didn't like.

Anyone else having content issues with TA - when remarking on TA-linked companies? If so, it could be the end of the usefulness of TA altogether.

I'm happy to post the portion of it that I have and let others comment on why it may have been pulled.

in general, tripadvisor has been roughly useful (like 0.8 r value). cant deny power of numbers and consensus.

but for most of italy ive found it overly positive. not sure if theres systemic rigging or just overwhelmingly filled with newbie travelers on their once-a-lifetime trip to Lo Stivale where every osso bucco and bistecca and cafe is the most charming and the best theyve ever had in their life.....

would be nice to see ratings weighted by a combination of seniority , quantity , and helpful votes

I agree TripAdvisor trends to more optimism than perhaps it should, but I've yet to find a more reliable source of information as to the best places to stay and eat. "Attractions" reviews are valuable more for their detail, as activities and attractions are more individual in terms of the enjoyment derived. Two of the most positive museum experiences I've ever had were the Swiss railroad museum (technically the Museum of Transport) and the French military museum in Les Invalides, Paris. I doubt that's where most European tour guides would direct the majority of their clients. :cool:

I simply put in Pros & Cons, with a summary most of the time.

It's a simple matter of managing your expectation. If I was eating a burger at a grab & go, I won't use the same yard stick vis-a-vis fine dining restaurant. That's why I always indicate the price range, so people who reads my review have a general idea of what to expect.

Even though there is a lot of discussion of the authenticity of TripAdvisor, I have found a lot of information that has made my experiences significantly better. One very useful gold mine for information are the forums, I find a location expert and email them directly and almost always get a positive answer.

TA refused to publish my review of HyattPlace NOLA.

The hotel checked/lost my bag/contents before checkin.
They eventually paid me $2000 to settle the claim.
PITA during/after my visit.

I guess TA wants only happy stories.

That's certainly not the case, as there are plenty of negative reviews there (and I've posted several). You need to read the terms of service, though, and not violate them when posting your reviews.

My review complied. TA took a week to mull. Nuked it for BS reason.

I use TA as I use the reviews on booking.com and Expedia. Sort so the worst ratings show first. If I read things there repeatably which I would find very negative as well (dirty, run down, noise, smoking in rooms/on floors, not delivered what was promised, dangerous area...) I will avoid the hotel even if it has 100s of "What a great place reviews". I actually do not look at the positive reviews, only the negative ones.

What was the reason?

I posted a negative review of Hyatt Place NOLA and it was published.

I continue to use - and post - to TA. I always first focus in on the "average" reviews, because they tend to be balanced. The pros and cons of a place. If in general, a place is sounding pretty good, I then see how many reviews are in the grouping above (very good) or below (not sure what it's called - 2 dots). I look carefully at number of reviews each person has posted. For instance, there is one place in Virginia with more than 1000 reviews, most sounding identical, always mentioning how great the two owners are - but for the most part, it's the only review each reviewer has ever done! Impossible odds.

I tend to post only favorable reviews. If something is not right, I try to resolve it right there in the hotel. If they are not able to resolve it or are not interested in resolving, I then will post. Also, I tend to not post reviews about less-than-optimal attitudes. I guess I think by posting favorable reviews, with sufficient information, I help guide travelers to those properties.

a first in my experience, after publishing 100+ reviews, that this week i received an urgent call from a B&B owner in italy begging me to retract my review in return for a future discount.

first, i hate this concept because it erases any notion of transparency

second, i did mention in the review "i would likely choose a different place to stay next time" ;)


what really got me is that today i just received a notification -- also a 1st -- that my objective and impartial review got taken down. i think the owner flagged it??


Dear TripAdvisor Member,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review of XXX.

Well, you're welcome to post the review here (with or without obscuring the location details) so we can weigh in on the fraud issue. :D