Our point of view on TripAdvisor...
With a pinch of salt...
Apparently some 700 hoteliers are taking legal action against TripAdvisor, complaining that some of the unflattering TripAdvisor reviews about their hotels and guest houses are unfair and in some cases even malicious. We have certainly noticed a big rise in the numbers of clients basing initial hotel ideas on reviews from these sorts of websites, but we definitely remain in the 'take them with a pinch of salt' camp. Call us cynical, but with no screening on review sites there's nothing to stop unscrupulous competitors slagging off their rivals under the guise of disgruntled guests. It's also a sad fact of human nature that people seem much easier moved to criticism than praise. That's not to say that the likes of TripAdvisor haven't done a good job in outing the sort of dives even Basil Fawlty would turn his nose up at, but reviews should not be taken as gospel.
What we suggest
In fact - and with unabashed bias - we would suggest a far superior method of choosing a hotel. Speak to someone who has actually been there (like us!). Our clients don't want to be told where to go, but they're interested in our personal opinions based on a comparison of all the options in an area. Our motivation is guaranteeing you have so perfect a holiday you become a repeat client, and because of that you know we won't recommend anywhere Fawlty.