TripAdvisor allows property owners to review guests… story in the DAILY MAIL …
A TripAdvisor spokesperson confirmed they have recently launched a feature which allows homeowners and property managers to review the travellers who stay in their homes.
After repeated complaints from TripAdvisor lawyers to the Daily Mail, the newspaper agreed to take this story down from Mail Online.
A spokesperson from TripAdvisor said: “Owner reviews are at this time only visible to the guest themselves. Reviews are sent to a guest direct by email. We constantly work to improve the experience of our homeowners and travellers. Reciprocal reviews are a common feature in the holiday rentals space, and we’re currently looking to understand the level of interest and engagement in this amongst TripAdvisor Rentals’ homeowners, property managers and travellers.”
Click to read more on a personal story about this issue here.
Rated, scored and reviewed…
Should property owners be allowed to review guests who stay in their properties?
Many property owners claim it is a good idea. In the US when a guest goes to book a property their rating of how nice they were as a guest comes up. If someone has a low rating then the property owner can decline the booking.
But does reviewing guests really work?
Critics claim that Airbnb which runs reciprocal reviews has ruined the review process. This is because everyone is so worried that someone take offence at a low review that guests and owners quite often give each other five star reviews.
This means it can be impossible to find out how good a property really is.
In addition one owner might rate someone three stars if they are just nice regular guests. They might only score them five stars if they tip them or give them a leaving gift. This means guest scores can be quite unreliable.
Also most holiday booking websites have things in place to ensure someone who wrecks a property can’t stay at another one. And guests have to pay a breakages deposit – which they won’t get back if they pose a problem.
In addition many guests might not like the idea of paying thousands to stay in a property and be judged on how they are by the owner… whatever happened to providing a good service and the customer is always right? That used to be the cornerstone of a great host.
Are you a customer who has been reviewed by a property owner at TripAdvisor or another holiday company? If you have had an unpleasant experience contact me using the sell my story form >>>