is trip advisor dying?

I still rely heavily on reviews when booking hotels. If a hotel has bad reviews and it is not just a one off, then I will look elsewhere. If a hotel is prepared to respond to a bad review, and not just with a stock reply, then that is a point in its favour.

I confess I haven't posted a review for a couple of months, but I haven't seen a lot of 'why' replies, perhaps you have been unlucky in the properties you have been looking at?

I’m flying out tonight to menorca and feel a bit down after reading nit too good reports about our hotel wish I hadn’t looked it’s took the shine off. Did check before I booked it though and it was fine.

I look at other reviews to see if there is a common theme about hotels and restaurants.
I contribute constructive reviews on Tripadvisor each time I go to a hotel or restaurant.

TA has never been wrong, in my experience. I fail to check it at my peril!

I think it's fairly essential to have some independent feedback, occasionally there will be what could be perceived as some vindictiveness, but I think most who post don't have an axe to grind.

I love TripAdvisor, but then, as a DE I would say that, wouldn't I? Seriously though, I never book any kind of hotel or accommodation without thoroughly researching it first (not just on TA) even if it's just for a one-night stay here in the UK. I like to be prepared. You do have to read between the lines with all reviews, but you can get a good general idea about a place.

I agree with gagajo it's not often wrong, you do have to use common sense obviously if there are 30 good reviews and one moany one it will be fine.

Just seen on Facebook someone using their TA review with great skill 'Come inside and try the worst coffee a woman on TA has ever tasted'

I was just about to look on TA for a good pub/restaurant in an area unfamiliar to us ......

I love TripAdvisor, but then, as a DE I would say that, wouldn't I?
I'm being dim here, but what's a DE please?

I love TripAdvisor. Of course you have to use your judgement as to the value of some reviews. A one off bad review by someone who's never posted before is a bit suspicious but the opinions of someone who's posted lots of reviews with varied opinions on places is interesting.

Callistemon21

^I love TripAdvisor, but then, as a DE I would say that, wouldn't I?^
I'm being dim here, but what's a DE please?

Oops sorry, DE is Destination Expert. If you go onto the forums for a particular area - Edinburgh, for example - there are usually several DEs who know the place well and can answer questions about it.

I always use TA when travelling and searching for restaurants both in the uk and abroad. I do loads of research. I used to post reviews of hotels etc but haven’t for a while . Some of the reviews make me laugh as people obviously don’t do their research. We’re going to Paros in September and the only poor review for our hotel was about a 15 minute walk into town , when all the reviews recommended a car . Or a woman who complained a fish restaurant only served fish !!!.
I also use other sites like booking.com and Airbnb where people also leave reviews

Blondiescot

Callistemon21

I love TripAdvisor, but then, as a DE I would say that, wouldn't I?
I'm being dim here, but what's a DE please?

Oops sorry, DE is Destination Expert. If you go onto the forums for a particular area - Edinburgh, for example - there are usually several DEs who know the place well and can answer questions about it.

Thanks Blondiescot

It's a while since I've been on TA.

Many posters on TA said the food in the hotel in Feurteventura was very good. We found it to be pretty awful. One person was vociferously complaining the meals had gone way downhill since she’d last visited in 2019. I really, really missed vegetables all of which were a greyish mush. I ate a cooked breakfast every day (only had 3 on a 22 night cruise last year) because there were no alternatives other than cocoa pops, crunchy nut cornflakes or baked goods which stank of rancid oil. Won’t be back. So can’t really trust reviews as one man’ s meat ……….

I often look for hotel comments and disregard any small minority of overly critical negatives unless there is a run of them over the past few days or weeks.

I use TA a lot, however I left a review about the worst ever meal I have had in my life in Eastbourne. They changed my ratings to make it look better. I am not impressed.

I read the reviews on TA.

A while ago I read a review which was very unreasonable, in my opinion. They had stayed in an older hotel and complained that it was old fashioned. They also complained that it was dirty as they had found a dead fly on the windowsill. It all sounded a bit OTT to me. I clicked on the actual reviewer and many of his reviews were similar - just moaning, nothing positive.

I don't like putting on a bad review but I have done this once when we paid extra for a sea view room only to find on arrival that the hotel did not have any sea view rooms. The owner was very snotty with us. Unfortunately, I had not read any reviews on this occasion. When I did read them, after the event, quite a few other reviewers had said the same thing.

You can usually get a good idea with the percentage of good reviews over bad ones. Food is a bit more personal though so what one person is happy with might be horrendous to another.

On occasion I skim restaurants and hotels however, I prefer Booking dot com for hotel reviews or recommendations of dear family and friends and Time Out for restaurant reviews.

I use it a lot too and leave reviews both positive and if necessary negative. But, anything negative will be addressed at the time with the place, so their response is posted as well.

I often look at reviews on TA and have found that on the whole the experience has lived up to the hype..I always leave a review after the first visit and have no hesitation in leaving an honest bad review if necessary.. A meal at a fish and chip restaurant which claimed to cater for vegetarians was the subject of my recent bad review when I saw my haloumi burger being fried alongside the fish

If anyone clicked on my profile and read my reviews they would think “this woman is easily pleased”.
In fact I’m not but I only tend to leave a review if somewhere is very good.
I have occasionally left them if very bad too though.
If a small(ish) business is just mediocre I tend not to leave a review as I would hate to add to the threats a small business faces, especially if they seem to be doing their best. If they are rude or disinterested though that’s a different matter.
In the case of large businesses, such as Premier Inn, I have left both excellent and poor reviews for different locations because I have found these hotels can vary widely, and with the resources available to them they should be addressing issues.

It is interesting to read that so many of you read and rely on TA reviews. I have always rather distrusted them, wondering how many are fakes. I have left only one review, praising an activity afternoon we took the GSs to.
Is TA dying? asks infoman. I have no idea.

Comments left by travelers around the world are really valuable, whether + or -
It helps you decide on your travel itinerary.

So if someone leaves a nasty review - maybe they had something bad happen, or are genuinely just grumpy people and always see the negative side of everything. (Who’d want to travel with them?)

People are happy to share their good and most pleasant experiences with the general public. Trip Advisor is a purposeful tool in guiding you to a great vacation.

(TA) Started by two family tree members of mine (through marriage) - two young brothers who had a bright idea after graduating and started an industry many years ago.
Thank you guys! 🥰
USA Gundy