3 ms·

TripAdvisor's reviews have the same problem, but usually they've been faked all the way up to five stars. It's ridiculous. And these days, it seems average res

• twoodfin 11y ago
  TA does their own review vetting (of course), but it definitely seems like they're less selective than Yelp. As a result, they don't seem to get badmouthed by businesses as often, but that has downsides, as you point out. In my experience, TA seems to have a larger self-reinforcing effect than Yelp: Top 10 places get more great reviews, stay top 10, even if they're dropping off in relative value or weren't that great to begin with.
• Someone1234 11y ago
  The trick with TA is that you want to look at all 1, 2, and 3 star reviews and ignore the 4 and 5 star ones (just assume they're all fake). Then you know the "worst case scenario" with a specific establishment, the worst it can throw at you. Stereotypically most negative reviews are about booking issues (e.g. lost booking, someone arrived too late and the booking was given away, etc). Or moaning about the free food or free/paid WiFi. I don't think management replies add anything, unless they're being a jerk/dismissive. It is better just to say nothing than to be a jerk, since others reading the reply will assume that they will be treated the same way.
  • sukulaku 11y ago
    That sounds like a useful way of looking at the reviews. I'll try it, thanks!