The recent passage of the Consumer
Review Fairness Act of 2016 in the Senate raises a new question about the
reliability of online reviews for travellers.
User-generated reviews on websites
such as TripAdvisor.com and Yelp.com contain information from people who claim
to have stayed at a hotel, dined at a restaurant or visited an attraction.
About 9 in 10 travellers consult these reviews, but only half of them trust
what they read, according to surveys.
You don’t have to look far for the
reasons.
Some businesses try to rig their online profiles by
submitting flattering reviews of themselves, paying guests to write puff pieces
about their stays or trying to muzzle those who are unhappy with the service
they received. And some companies are known to place negative reviews about
their competitors.