Trip Advisor came to the web as a travel opinion aggregator, where anyone who has visited a hotel can post a review, for or against. As such, it was a unique resource for independent travelers to plan a trip. Since its launch, Trip Advisor has grown astronomically, adding reviews of airlines, vacation rentals, restaurants, activities, and more, including a Trip Advisor store.
To date at the top of this page, Trip Advisor has 385 million reviews of more than 6.6 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. Today it is an umbrella company consisting of nearly two dozen websites that make it the largest travel community in the world, reaching 350 million unique monthly visitors.
Today, TripAdvisor also allows users to book from the site using links to major travel affiliates. Note that the cheapest fare is often available through a hotel or airline site.
Advantages of using Trip Advisor
- Trip Advisor is a unique, timely populist resource with reviews and photos posted by travelers
- Trip Advisor allows you to express a variety of opinions
- Functionality has been added so that users can now book hotels, flights, vacation rentals, and restaurants directly from the site
- Hotel managers have the option of responding to criticism, good or bad.
Cons of using Trip Advisor
- Very diverse opinions (“I loved it!” … “I hated it!”) Can make it difficult to objectively evaluate a place
- Dissatisfied guests use Trip Advisor as a place to pass on bad experiences
- Trip Advisor has many poorly written travel reviews
- False positive reviews posted alongside honest ones can confuse users
- Hotels with less-than-glowing reviews have been known to try to induce guests with discounts, free nights, gifts, and other kickbacks to post positive reviews that counteract negative statements. Some also encourage staff members to post false positive reviews. While Trip Advisor aims to monitor and remove counterfeits, there is no way the service can remove them entirely.
Know more
- Cities and hotels, restaurants and attractions are covered in the Trip Advisor database, which makes it useful for planning multiple aspects of a vacation.
- The Trip Advisor Hotel Popularity Index provides a ranking of the best hotels in a city and can be filtered by star rating
- You have a question? Almost 2/3 of Trip Advisor forum posts get a response within 24 hours
- Candid Photos from Trip Advisor Members Bring New Perspectives
- Trip Advisor’s free apps are available for mobile phones and tablets. Other company apps include SeatGuru and GateGuru
- Smart Deals on Trip Advisor Indicates Highly Rated Hotels at Good Prices
The bottom line
Trip Advisor features millions of comments and opinions, including comments and reviews on destinations, hotels, attractions, and restaurants.
If you are like most travelers, when planning a trip, you will appreciate hearing or reading the opinions of others before choosing a place. However, an excess of voices (often conflicting) can create cacophony and confusion. I received an email saying:
- I am so happy to have found your information. I’m trying to plan a destination wedding, but get discouraged after reading negative reviews on Trip Advisor about every place I look at. (Except Four Seasons and the Ritz, which are too expensive for me).
Here is my advice to get the most out of Trip Advisor:
- Take what you read on Trip Advisor with a grain of salt. If you see a scathing review of a star but no other writer complains about the same problem, it’s safe to dismiss it as an isolated incident.
- However, if you find the same complaint about a hotel repeatedly on Trip Advisor (eg ‘terrible service’, ‘dirty bathroom’), I would trust it.
- On the contrary, a brilliant report, this place could not be better on Trip Advisor, especially when surrounded by complaints from others, it could have been written by a doorbell.
- Use Trip Advisor as a resource, but not the only one, for travel information. You can get a balanced picture by talking to trusted friends and acquaintances, speaking with a travel agent, and visiting other travel sites in addition to the property’s website.
To post a review
Share your impression of the hotels you stay at and the restaurants you eat to help other travelers using Trip Advisor. You will need to log in to create an account, but avoid using your full name or posting a selfie to avoid unwanted attention. Be honest in your review, pointing out the pros and cons of your experience.
Bet you didn’t know this about TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is a friend of animals. Thanks to pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others who care about sentient beings, TripAdvisor announced that it will no longer sell tickets for tours and activities where wild animals are forced to come into contact with the public. . These include elephant rides, tiger ‘encounters’ and dolphin swimming excursions. As tempting as these attractions sound, they stress the animals out of their natural habitat. TripAdvisor deserves to be commended for this human decision.
