A Matter Of Opinion

The reviews are in – but how can you tell which ones really count?

- Ramsey Qubein

You can’t always believe what you read on the Internet. Yes, “fake news” can be a real thing when it comes to online travel reviews. With a growing number of user-generated feedback sites online, it is important to use sensible judgment when reading reviews. TripAdvisor and Yelp have revolutionized the way we analyze the quality of businesses like hotels, tour companies and restaurants. While we use these reviews to make travel decisions, it is important to realize that we don’t always know the user’s frame of reference. Is this their first time visiting that type of hotel? Or that destination? Do they normally dine out at similar establishments in the same area so they have a good gauge from which to compare products? Is what is important to you the same that’s important to another reader (think about families versus business travelers)?

That traveler who is complaining about bugs on a Caribbean guestroom balcony may not realize that the problem is a function of the destination over the property itself. We must review the reviewer in a way before accepting their feedback as fact.