There’s no way to know how many negative reviews are withheld by TripAdvisor how many true, terrifying experiences never get told or for site users to know that much of what they see has been specifically selected and crafted to encourage them to spend. But the company won’t disclose how those users are selected. Some hotels pay TripAdvisor when travelers click on their links some pay commissions when tourists book or travel.Īn untold number of TripAdvisor users have been granted special privileges, including the ability to delete forum posts. Secret algorithms determine which hotels and resorts appear when consumers search. The company’s policies and practices obscure the public’s ability to fully evaluate the information on its site. RELATED: Stanley - Help support signature journalism like Mexico blackouts investigationĪ Journal Sentinel investigation into the workings of the $1.5 billion company has found that it is what TripAdvisor does not publish that poses real problems for travelers. RELATED: What we know about Mexico resort blackouts RELATED: A Mexican vacation, a mysterious death, and now endless questions for Wisconsin family And company officials say it uses finely tuned software to detect fake reviews and has hundreds of employees dedicated to policing posts and ensuring “content integrity.” Massachusetts-based TripAdvisor touts its more than 535 million user reviews of hotels, restaurants and attractions around the globe. RELATED: TripAdvisor lied about apology, woman who was raped saysįULL COVERAGE: Mexico resorts blackouts investigation RELATED: Senators demand State Department do more on blackouts of tourists at Mexico resorts The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asked TripAdvisor to see the posts that were removed. In their place was a message from TripAdvisor that cited various reasons for the deletions: They were “determined to be inappropriate by the TripAdvisor community,” or removed by staff because they were “off-topic” or contained language or subject matter that was not “family friendly.” The posts had all been removed from the forum. What about the other 27 posts? Did anyone express worry, describe problems or share experiences that might serve as warnings? Louis and feel much safer in Riviera Maya then I do going to a Cardinals baseball game,” concurred BeachQueen51.įour included irrelevant comments, such as “Thank you,” or “The pools are 4.3 feet deep.” “Just got back on Saturday and never felt safer,” wrote BeachDog77 from New York. Twenty-four of the comments encouraged the couple not to worry. Replies began popping up in the forum within minutes. Her husband wanted to cancel she did not.
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