Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Hotel and travel product blogger reviews lack the trust factor

While getting ready for work this morning I wondered if people trust hotel and travel product reviews written by blogger’s. Before you all start giving me a hard time, let me say I understand why blogger’s take free hotel rooms and travel products in return for reviews.

Hotel and travel product blogger reviews lack the trust factor

Blogger reviews seem one-sided

The posts I have read recently though seem very one-sided and if I want to stay in a hotel I want to read mixed reviews, both positive and negative. I realise some hotels could create fake reviews, and that’s why I do not rely on one person for their opinion when reading reviews.

I read a review on luggage, but it was all about how fantastic the product was. Personally, I would have trusted that review a lot more if they had also stated what they did not like about it. Part of the problem is that some PR agencies and travel companies expect you to write something positive.

Ranting about Krakow

Only last week I was asked if I wanted to go on a long weekend break to Krakow and write a review, out of interest I asked if they minded me ranting about their client, if it was not a positive experience. Let’s just say that the PR agency decided it would not be a good idea to send me.

Consumer trust ranks high

A study by Yahoo revealed that “trustworthiness” is the most important characteristic for a travel web site looking to appeal to users. Interestingly, German’s and Italian’s have scored the highest for trusting consumer reviews when making a booking. Brits are more likely to search online after work.

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