Who Can you Trust?

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When it comes to hotels, everyone (online) is a critic. Andrea Bennett explains how to filter out the noise

Last January, a glowing, anonymously written review of a newly opened New York hotel popped up on TripAdvisor, a Web site where travelers post candid blurbs about hotels, resorts, and restaurants. "The suites offer a distinct refinement, from the comfortable and stylish beds to the wonderful Waterworks bath features," the person wrote. The post, which set off a chain of angry messages among TripAdvisor members in the New York City forum, came on the heels of some negative reviews, in addition to a report that the hotel hadn't yet put doors on its bathrooms. "It has shill written all over it," declared member Voyagereuse. "Beware, all you hotel PR people," hotel-gossip site HotelChatter warned, "Web readers are smarter than you think."

At least we're trying to be. These days, anyone with an Internet connection and an opinion can log on and spout off. More than 24 million people per month post reviews on TripAdvisor alone. So how do you sift through the weeds and get to the trustworthy, substantive information? In many ways, that depends on what kind of Web site you're visiting. Here's a breakdown:

Peer Review Sites

Web sites where the content is written by travelers, for travelers. Examples: TripAdvisor.com, MyTravelGuide.com, IgoUgo.com, Boo.com

One thing is sure: We like to read other people's opinions, and we're willing to act on them. TripAdvisor's user-generated content has doubled to 10 million in the past year. Seven-year-old IgoUgo, which pairs people's reviews with their profiles (and sometimes pictures), now has 350,000 members. MyTravelGuide, which allows users to rate everything from restaurants to hotels to cultural institutions, has 1.6 million visitors per month. New sites are popping up daily. For example, at Boo, launched in May, you can read a review, check out the reviewer's profile, and then book right from his or her post. Even sites primarily built for booking, such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, are now soliciting reviews from users.

Social Networking Sites

Web sites that allow people to form communities around shared interests. Examples: Gusto.com, TripUp.com, VibeAgent.com, aSmallWorld.net

Your teenager isn't the only one with an online community. A new breed of networking sites is matching up like-minded travelers. It makes sense: people are more willing to trust the advice of those they feel familiar with (if only virtually). So how do these groups form? Several sites use the results of offbeat questionnaires to connect users. At Gusto, a year-old networking/travel site with more than 20,000 hotel reviews and recommendations, visitors answer questions such as: "You're stuck in the middle seat on a plane between two celebrities. Who are they?" TripUp takes a similarly idiosyncratic approach: "What makes for an adrenaline rush?" or "What is your opinion of topless sunbathing?" In June, TripAdvisor added the "traveler network" tool; members can tap into their own e-mail address books (Outlook, Yahoo, Google, and more) and share recommendations with one another. Sites such as VibeAgent and aSmallWorld keep communities exclusive, by remaining invitation-only; as with any secret society, the sole way you can join is by being tapped by a current member. Once you have your log-in, VibeAgent will rank hotels for you based on what your friends recommend. And at aSmallWorld, which is funded in part by the Weinstein Company, the 250,000 members include Ivanka Trump, Quentin Tarantino, and Camilla Al Fayed. Who wouldn't be curious to read their travel tips?

Corporate Sites

Web sites incorporating user-generated content which are funded and published by hotel companies. Examples: blogs.marriott.com, Starwood's TheLobby.com, Sheraton.com

Hotel companies are harnessing the power of the online world, too. This year, CEO Bill Marriott began his own blog, called Marriott on the Move, which he uses to talk about hotel news such as the company's decision to go smoke-free. Marriott filters reader responses only for obscenities, and after he posted the policy, 180 people added comments, including this one: "You went nonsmoking, I went to Hilton...." This warts-and-all treatment ends up winning trust, says Jason Price, an analyst with Hospitality eBusiness. Corporate sites that people perceive as too commercial or overly edited won't resonate as much, because customers will always "consider the source," he adds. But when the "source" is a real person, we're likely to take the advice to heart. For example, when you visit Sheraton's site, you'll find a globe covered with pop-up amateur photographs and anecdotes shared by guests at Sheratons around the world, such as a mom-to-be who satisfied a craving for spicy food with Indian-style crêpes near Sheraton's Sydney property. Alternately, when we don't know who's talking to us, our suspicions are more easily aroused. Starwood's site, TheLobby, includes advice about activities that generally ties in to one of the company's hotels. From tips on the food of Abruzzi, Italy, to info about getting clothes custom-made in Ho Chi Minh City, the places recommended are generally located near Starwood properties, which could raise questions about the sincerity of the advice. Take this: "Once properly outfitted, guests at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers might want to drop by the hotel's Wine Bar to toast their new fashions and take in spectacular views of the city." (To further complicate matters, Starwood hired some of its editors from blogs that cover the hotel world, such as HotelChatter and Jaunted, though they no longer work for the site.)

Corrective Measuers

Sorting through the glut of information—and hidden agendas—is no small task. Luckily, many sites are adapting by adding new technologies that help travelers do just that. Like Amazon or eBay, on which buyers can rate a seller's trustworthiness, TripAdvisor, VirtualTourist, and Boo now allow people to comment on the usefulness of a post, and in some cases actually rate the raters' reviews. (On IgoUgo and RealTravel, the sites' editors do the ratings.) Boo also uses algorithms to safeguard against fraud, such as IP- address checks to prevent multiple reviews of a property from one source. TravelPost goes so far as to contact the hotels themselves about the accuracy of a user-generated review. Many sites won't let just anyone log on and contribute. On both Priceline and Expedia, only travelers who booked their stays through those sites may comment on a hotel. This requirement helps weed out people "with an ax to grind," Priceline spokesman Brian Ek says.

So are natural selection, vigilant editors, and the occasional algorithmic intervention enough to police the Web? A European Union-wide overhaul of consumer protection law indicates that the answer is no. When the rules are officially adopted next year, hotels, restaurants, and online shops that post fake reviews of themselves under false identities could get "named and shamed" and potentially face criminal prosecution. However, until a real shakeout happens stateside, expect to do your own scrolling—and screening.

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