When you just can’t get no satisfaction

This is not really a technology post, but since I have received over a dozen comments from disgruntled individuals complaining about either Travelocity or TripAdvisor, I thought it was appropriate to write this article. At the PhoCusWright 2007 Conference in Orlando, I had the opportunity to listen to some pretty high profile speakers and CEOs like Stephen Kaufer from TripAdvisor, Michelle Peluso from Travelocity, and others.  I wrote reviews and summaries of all these sessions and posted them to my blog.  Since that time, thanks to the effectiveness of blogs and the search power of Google,... Read more »

New Open Review Website [TripReviews.com] in Private Beta

Occasionally I get the opportunity to participate in some very cool private betas.  In this case, a friend and colleague of mine, Sean Rollinson from Escapes.ca has recently launched a new project called TripReviews.com.  Besides being a lucky domain name score, the site itself has some strong potential in the travel review space. Some of the key differences between TripReviews.com and other review websites is the focus on openness, transparency, and supplier/operator participation.  TripReviews.com doesn’t just support hotels but also destinations, attractions, and cruises.  The rating... Read more »

EU Passes Anti-Flogging Law

Flogging is not only a form of punishment but now also refers to a form of blogging known as “commercial blogging” or “fake blogging“. Travelmole reported today that the EU has passed a law which makes it illegal for hotel (or other companies) to write false reviews on sites like TripAdvisor. The article further states that: The new law includes two categories of unfair commercial practise - misleading practices and aggressive practices. Whether a practise is deemed unfair will be judged in light of the effect it has on the average consumer’s consequent decision to... Read more »

More Support for Truth being Online Gold Dust

A recent survey by the Kelsey Group recently announced that consumers are willing to pay at least 20% more for products and services receiving a 5 star (or excellent) rating versus those receiving a 4 star (or good) rating. The study also indicated that about 24% of the Internet users that were surveyed use online ratings during the research and buying process. More than three quarters reported that the online reviews played a significant role in their decision to use a product or service, with the highest percentage allocated to hotels. So, this is yet another confirmation for those of you... Read more »

Truth is Online Gold Dust -President & CEO, Stephen Kaufer

Stephen Kaufer, CEO of Tripadvisor provided an engaging presentation about truth online and the effect that Tripadvisor has had of the travel industry. He discussed how products like TripAdvisor are promoting long tail products by allowing users to rate and comment on all types of accommodations and activities, not just those that are popular or well established. He noted that a tree top adventure in Colorado is now the most popular product on TripAdvisor. Mr. Kaufer went on to discuss that… Honest Brokers = Truth Social Networks = Trust …and that by combining honest brokers with... Read more »