Jean R.

If you see one of your favourite hotels pop up on a Google search with room rates wildly lower than you'd expect - be suspicious. Lastminute.com operate a bait and divert scam, where they hook people into thinking they can book the hotel at a far lower rate, but then when you click through they will say there is no availability and offer alternatives even though this is probably not the case - how do I know I run a hotel that is being affected by this scam. I've reported this to numerous bodies and no one is addressing this. If you have stayed there before book direct that way you can ensure you get the best price.

What does Verified mean? The person leaving the review has ACTUALLY stayed in the hotel they are reviewing. What checks are there to ensure this? NONE. Many people put honest reviews on TA, but a growing number of people put reviews on to boost their own business ratings - they will get friends and family to put reviews on and at worst put bad reviews on their competitors sites. This abuse of a laudable ideal is not everywhere but enough of a problem to skew perceptions. Check other sites as well to get a broader view, do not entirely trust TA.

For those who don't realise, it is very easy to get fake reviews added to a business to bump them up the ratings. Some businesses give incentives (bribes) to customers to place reviews. Some even get friends and family to add reviews. If you do not join in the 'game' the number of reviews will be significantly lower and you will sit lower in the ranks. Lets face it, we are all getting a little 'review fatigued' now.

Tripadvisor will never address this as they want businesses to compete and to proliferate their brand - very clever! There are genuine reviews but within the mix of the less than truthful versions it all becomes a bit unreliable really. The verified reviews you get from other sources, the big OTA's, are great in one major way, you can only leave a review if you book through them, so they are far and away a more trustworthy resource for knowledge.

If a business lists with Expedia then decides to drop the listing, current practice is that Expedia keep the business listed but as SOLD OUT. This will drive business away from these hotels. Is this just a glitch in the system?

Which ever way you look at it they are providing inaccurate information + another problem with their listings - the distances from your destination are as the crow flies not necessarily as long as it will take you to get there on terra firma - be warned check a map before you book.