Wednesday 12 December 2012

TripAdvisor - all change at the top?

You heard it here - Liberty Interactive has taken control of TripAdvisor (read the full Financial Times online article here).

It's too soon to make guesses as to how this might affect our hotelier clients, but were going to contribute our twopenny-worth anyway.




What does HelpHound think the new 'Liberty TripAdvisor' should do?

A big number 1 is 'communicate': TripAdvisor needs to invest heavily in client services - meaning employing high-grade people on the ground who hoteliers can rely on for advice and assistance.

Number 2: a massive investment in systems to 'clean up the site' - end the 'assumption of innocence' where reviewers are concerned. Far too many reviews (and reviewers) are not what or who they purport to be: genuine guests.

Number 3: End the current 'ranking' system, in favour of scores like Booking.com. Ranking one hotel above or below another is meaningless and leads to the 'one winner, everyone else a loser' situation that currently prevails at TripAdvisor.

All in all: care more about not biting the hand that feeds - the OTAs pay TripAdvisor commissions paid for by the hotels. TripAdvisor charges the hotels. Stop hiding behind the 'it's the consumer who pays' excuse (tell that to hotels who cannot increase their rates in an intensively competitive market).

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