dd992emo

And another new twist...

After my last post I went to TA and looked at my favorite NYC hotel reviews. A couple of weeks ago there were two reviews posted within a couple of days of each other complaining about bedbugs at the hotel. I noticed right away that both reviewers had just joined TA and this was their first review. I just figured a hotel employee had gotten fired and this was their revenge.

Earlier this week a hotel response appeared on both posts refuting the bedbug argument. Now today, both reviews have disappeared! Didn't know the hotels had that kind of juice...

mkt

When I worked in the hotel industry, I would regularly check our tripadvisor reviews, and would email both the good and the bad to the appropriate parties, so they could respond accordingly, whether it be offer compensation to an inconvenienced guest, fix something drastically wrong with a room/facility, correct/praise employees responsible for the review, etc.

But threatening legal action?!!? That is beyond absurd and as a former hotel marketing manager see nothing but negativity and shortsidedness from the ownership.

AdaQuonsett

Oh these guys are so tough, you don't know who to believe

SkeptiCallie

I'm still trying to locate the hotel. Found one that matches the initials, but as I don't see the referenced 3/19/08 posts am wondering if I have ID'd the hotel correctly? Are the 3/19/08 posts still there?

ETA: Cancel the above question. I was looking at the posts for another hotel (motto: confused as usual ) but finally found what appears to be the relevant one.

You want to go where?

When consulting TripAdvisor or other review sites, I look for reviews which are balanced - those that identify both strengths and weaknesses. These reviews tend not to be from people who overreact, either positively or negatively. That said, if I am looking at a place where all the reviews are only one direction, I take that into account accordingly. If they are negative, the answer is obvious. If they are all positive, I am suspicious.

bzbdewd

We use TA a lot to choose our hotels (generally hilton properties but to pick one over another) and restaurants as well. Both bzbdavid and I write a lot of TA reviews too. It does really help when you are in a different city every week and want to find out quickly what places to avoid. I really like the travel map feature too.
I think it stinks that the OP had this happen - the one thing I find disconcerting is that the hotel owner was able to obtain their personal information from TA.

graraps

there are places other than tripadvisor.
apart from FT (doh!), there's plenty of reviews on booking.com, and many places have local/national websites that include reviews of hotels and restaurants (e.g. atrapalo.com for Spain). Use a balance of all of the above to get an idea of where you're going.

Sunnyhere

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin say Yes!

RichMSN

I don't understand this, personally.

Why will nobody involved (who's actually stayed there) give the name of the hotel? I got a PM, which I guess I could pass on, but I have no real skin in the game. Are posters here really intimidated by a letter by a lawyer?

SkeptiCallie

Well. . . .

I can't speak for anyone else, but my understanding is that, if served, (1) a person would have to obtain his/her own attorney, and that would involve interviewing several in order to find someone who was interested and who had appropriate experience and interest; and (2) paying for defense. This could be very time-consuming and definitely could be very costly.

Then there is the loss of privacy. Be prepared to furnish just about anything that they can get by with ordering, including (almost?) dental records.

I wouldn't want the ordeal. OTOH, if I ever had to fight a lawsuit, I would make d*mned sure that I had the best bulldog of an attorney out there that I could find, and I would be thinking of a counterclaim from the moment the other side involved me.

RichMSN

Then it appears that the owner is protected by the FlyerTalk TOS and he's accomplished exactly what he wanted by sending out the letter -- stifling talk about his dump of a hotel.

Jaimito Cartero

Are we talking about the Del Marcos? If we're so afraid to mention a hotel that is using such tactics, I think we need to be forthright about it.

There are so many 5 star reviews that look suspicious, that I are trying to subvert the ratings process.

dcstudent

Based on the bits and pieces on this thread I would assume it is the <removed due to assumption error>.

I use Trip Advisor to check out all of the hotels I book at if it isn't a hotel that I've stayed at previously. I throw out the ones that are obviously written by the hotel (using the language straight from the hotel website) and the ones by customers that had unrealistic expectations and then have a go.

I especially like Trip Advisor when I'm headed to a city I've never been to before.

Anywho, although this is not to be taken as legal advice, and this does not in any way establish a attorney/client relationship. If you need legal advice it is best to consult a lawyer in your state and that is well versed in this area of the law but generally (and in my state)as long as you speak the truth, you haven't committed libel/slander/defamation. So as long as the Trip Advisor members' posted truthfully I wouldn't think they'd have much to worry about from the heavy handed response.

RichMSN

It is not the Del Marcos.

Rebelyell

Well, I was referring to the Del Marcos as having the very fishy sounding reviews. And they are very fishy sounding, even if it is not the hotel in question. I just don't see how five different people from different locations can all join on the same day and all post single-shot reviews giving 5-star reviews finding absolutely no fault whatsoever with the hotel.

I'd love to know which hotel issued the threat.