We've seen it here in the states and now it's going to Europe. The TripAdvisor roadshow designed to sell innkeepers on the benefits of their site. The masterclass.
Personally, I don't need convincing. I use TA as a traveler and have been pleased with my reviews as an innkeeper.
But that doesn't mean I don't see the problems that are driving some innkeepers to either rig the system themselves or to threaten suit.
In the UK, where litigation is already in the works, folks are rather heated in their opinions. Innkeepers are generally an opinionated lot as it is. Throw in some "unfair" reviews of their baby and, well, things can heat up quickly.
So the lunch to win owners over turned instead into a forum for complaints against TA.
What's the real beef?
Karen Plumb, commercial director of business listings for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, accepted that not everyone was "wholly delighted" with TripAdvisor. She said some people felt "powerless" that they were not in control of their online reputation.
I'd say that's a fair assessment of the situation, if an understated one.
But what's TA's solution?
Plumb said owners would now be able to contact the organisation via telephone - a common complaint is that they have to fill in a standard form on the site and receive generic responses – and she highlighted the "owner centre" that allows those dissatisfied with reviews to respond.
I'd say that's a good start. But only a start.
TA says it has a zero tolerance policy on malicious reviews. But don't try convincing innkeepers who've been burned that the policy is fairly enforced.
What has to happen? IMHO, TA needs to spend less time selling innkeepers on how to get the most out of its site and more time responding to their needs. In some cases, a management response is simply not enough. In too many cases, reviews that are doubtful at best are allowed to stay.
Sure the site is for travelers. But no one benefits if the reviews aren't trusted.
By both sides of the equation.
TripAdvisor knows they have a problem. How they're going to resolve it going forward will tell us everything about the respect they truly feel, as an organization, for travelers as well as those who attend to the needs of travelers.
Innkeepers can't be seen as the other side. They're front and center to the entire traveling experience.
It's about time the online review sites recognized them as crucial partners, not simply someone to sign up for paid links.
