Best Travel Deals of the Week

A selection of the best local and international travel deals of the week:

SYDNEY

Metro Hotel on Pitt, in the heart of Sydney's CBD, is offering a very Merry Sydney Christmas package to visitors who find themselves in transit on Christmas Day.

The package costs $250 and includes one night's accommodation for two in a Superior Deluxe Queen room, Christmas lunch or dinner for two people at Paradiso Restaurant (2 course), breakfast for two and free internet.

The total saving is $116. Offer valid for December 24 and 25, 2012, and subject to availability.
Details: 1800 004 321 or www.metrohotels.com.au.

CAIRNS

The 4.5-star Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort is marking the start of summer with rates for locals from $139 per room per night.

It includes one night accommodation for two adults and two children, and a buffet breakfast.
An upgrade to a pool view room is also part of the rate, subject to availability, as well as late checkout at midday and a 10 per cent discount off all food and beverage purchased at the resort.
The offer is valid until March 31; terms and conditions apply.

Details: (07) 4080 1888 or www.novotelcairnsresort.com.au.

TASMANIA

Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge in Tasmania is offering a Gourmet Escape package this summer.
It includes accommodation in a Pencil Pine Cabin, breakfast daily for two people, a three-course dinner for two, and a wine and cheese tasting session on one night.

Prices start from $392 per couple per night and is valid until March 31, 2013. Subject to availability, and block-out dates and minimum night stays apply.

Details: www.peppers.com.au.

EUROPE

Princess Cruises is offering a discounted fare when travelling onboard Dawn Princess's 37-day cruise from Rome to Sydney.

The voyage takes in the Western Mediterranean and Asia, including visits to a range of UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Petra and Malta, as well as the option of an overland shore excursion to the Taj Mahal in India.

Departing Rome on September 4, 2013, prices start from $5999 per person twin share.
Details: 13 24 88 or visit www.princess.com.

THAILAND

Amari Palm Reef Koh Samui has a three night Christmas package starting at $680 (conditions apply).
The package is for between December 22-26, 2012, and includes accommodation in a deluxe room, daily breakfast, return airport transfers, a 20 per cent discount on treatments at the hotel's Breeze Spa, and a 15 per cent discount voucher off any of the resort's restaurants.

Details: www.amari.com/palmreef.

“Good Value in a Convenient Location” - Metro Hotel Sydney Central

“Good Value in a Convenient Location” - Metro Hotel Sydney Central

This hotel is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail. Plenty of good reasonably priced cafes and restaurants in immediate vicinity. Staff were helpful and rooms clean and comfortable

Read this review of Metro Hotel Sydney Central and more on Tripadvisor

View Metro Hotel Sydney Central Offical Webpage

“Excellent for the price, great location” - Metro Hotel Sydney Central Guest Review

I managed to get a really good deal on this hotel for only $100 AUD, which in the centre of Sydney is great. I arrived after a 23 hr flight from London very early in the morning, and the reception staff did everything they could to accommodate me into an empty room as soon as possible, for which I was incredibly grateful.

The first room I was put in was a little old and un-renovated with a view of a grey wall, but it was very quiet and easy to sleep in. The room was large, clean and comfortable, with a large clean bathroom. I was moved later in my stay to a much nicer room facing Central station, that was very modern and stylish.

The staff were so great that even when I became ill during my stay at had to be hospitalised, they moved my baggage for me into storage and stopped my payment for that night! I was extremely impressed at the high level of customer service and friendliness I experience. The genuine concern alone was appreciated and not expected in todays customer service.

Everything you need is right outside your door - major transport hub of trains and buses all over Sydney, Darling Harbour is a 15 min walk and Town Hall and the shopping district is only 12 minutes away. Chinatown is only 5 minutes away with great restaurants and the Chinese Gardens. There are little convenience stores dotted around the hotel if you need snacks or amenities, and the lobby has vending machines too for drinks or munchies in the middle of the night.

Really surprised at the negative reviews on here - these guys could not be faulted. I'm coming back to Sydney in October, and will be staying here again. People, for $100 AUD a night to stay in the centre of town within walking distance of everything, with nice clean large rooms - this was a gift.

View Source

“Birthday event at the Paradiso Cafe & Bar Ground Floor Metro Hotel”

 

I organised the above for 16 friends on Tuesday 17.7.12...Blicash was fanastic in ensuring the evening was a great success. I had the tables at the back of the Cafe which gave us a the feel of a private room. The food was excellent - compliments to the chef.

I would recomment organising a function at Paradiso Cafe & Bar...anytime...it's central near Sydney Town Hall. Menu/wine...interesting & varied. Thank you to Bilcash, his wife Prabha & the chef! Sally Rippingale & delighted friends Gaelic Toastmasters Club.

Stayed July 2012, travelled with friends - Reviewed 18 July 2012

Metro Hotel Sydney Central, NSW - 4 Stars on TripAdvisor By ABDUL RAHIM M, June 6, 2012

1) I stayed at the hotel from 30/5 until 4/6/12. Here are my comments:
a) the room was clean and was made up every day.
b) it will be much better if there are more lights in the room but since we didnt have the time
do much reading, it is okay.
c) the lifts were fast.
d) the location is superb : easy access and near to many of the attractions of Sydney.
e) will definitely stay there again.
2) For muslim travellers, there are 2 halal restaurants nearby : Cafe Kasturi on George St
which serve Malay food (closed on Sundays and the Christmas period) and an Indian
restaurant at Paddy's Market. There is a halal Chinese restaurant (Neptune Palace) at
Circular Quay.
3) If you want to go on a day trip ie to Canberra etc ..........it is much cheaper to book the tour
in Sydney itself rather than by booking it online, which is very strange indeed. For examples,
a) I booked a day trip to Canberra by online and it cost me AUD 155. A fellow traveller only
paid AUD 100 when she booked it at the travel agent near the YHA which is located nearby.
There is nothing exciting in Canberra except for the guided tour of the Parliament House.
Along the way we stopped at the beautiful small town of Berriwa which is an absolute gem.
I booked by online a tour to the Blue Mountains and it cost me AUD 155 (inclusive of lunch).
A similar trip cost only AUD 138 if the booking is done in Sydney. If you travel to Katoomba
by rail and then take the Hop On Hop Off bus there, the cost is even less.
4) From the hotel, walk to Central Station and take a train on the North Shore Line to Milson's
Point. There you can get a picturesque views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.
Then walk across the bridge to The Rocks. The views are breathtaking.
5) The cheapest place to buy Australiana souvenirs is at the Paddy's market, within easy
walking distance from the hotel. The cheapest perfumes can be found at the shops of
Discount Chemist. I found one such shop at Bondi Beach. The prices were much cheaper
than those at the duty free shops at the airport.

Review of Metro Hotel on Pitt by Max Llewelyn, Editor of The Holiday and Travel Magazine

Thanks for organizing my stay at the Metro Hotel on Pitt. It exceeded my expectations, as I was not sure what to expect after reading the rather negative reviews of it on TripAdvisor. 

The room size, cleanliness, quietness, comfort of bed, decor, friendliness and professionalism of staff were alI great. 

My wife was jealous that she did not stay with me at the Metro Hotel on Pitt after I told her how good it was. I crammed too much into my the day and a half in Sydney,(seeing and reviewing the Maritime Museum. Wildlife Sydney, Sydney Aquarium, Museum of Sydney. and Aida at the Opera House).  

I had passes to see Madame Tussauds and The Sydney Tower, but ran out of time to see these, so I hope to see them on my next visit to Sydney. I reviewed the Sydney Tower Buffet, Selah Restaurant, and City Extra at Circular Quay, and even though they were  good, I preferred the Paradiso Cafe, Bar & Restaurant at the Metro Hotel on Pitt. 

The food was good and better value for money, Lawrence the owner more friendly, and the atmosphere suited my lifestyle more. This is the place I will take my family to breakfast, lunch of dinner if we ever all go down to Sydney together. I arrived home yesterday afternoon in time for my night shift at work, so I will write and post a positive article on the Metro Hotel on Pitt today Thanks again for arranging the review oppotunity of the Metro Hotel on Pitt

Best regards,
Yours Faithfully,
Max Llewelyn
Editor/Travel Writer,
The Holiday and Travel Magazine,

“Clean, Great Service” - Metro Hotel Miranda

Great Location, Clean motel, friendly and helpful staff, well appointed rooms

Stayed March 2012, traveled as a couple

View Metro Hotel Miranda on Trip Advisor

View the Offical Metro Hotel Miranda Webpage

TripAdvisor Reviews: Malicious, Bogus, Vexatious says AAA

One of Asia Pacific’s largest accommodation lobby groups says dealing with powerful review website TripAdvisor has become a huge issue for its 2000 members with the “possibility for abuse” having the “strong potential to undermine a business and damage it”. The Accommodation Association of Australia says operators regularly complain of “malicious”, “bogus” and “vexatious” reviews they feel powerless to stop.

“It is here where there is a strong concern that the process is weighted against operators, with their responses more likely to be moderated than those of the reviewer,” wrote Michael Georgeson, Manager National Operations for AAA.

“In a recent case presented to us, the site was used in a personal attack on a property manager via a review where the manager was accused of inebriation (amongst other complaints) whilst on duty.

“In this case, the property was able to identify that the reviewer was the disgruntled former partner of the manager.  Despite having this fact pointed out to TripAdvisor, the site refused to remove the review.

“The property was fortunately able to go directly to the reviewer and have the listing removed. However, this case underscores the lack of control and severity of attack that is possible.

“The possibility for abuse can mean that TripAdvisor has the strong potential to undermine a business and damage it quite substantially.

“This potential has been realised quite acutely in at least one UK case, where a targeted campaign was launched by an individual posting negative bogus reviews on a restaurant they had not even visited.

“Whilst it is unfortunate that this is not the only example, it is amongst those which have led to legislative changes in the UK.

“The issues are not limited to these negative reviews and the potential for attack either – even the positive reviews have pitfalls which may be questioned.

“Ghost-writing opportunities are available for the posting of reviews, in some cases specifically identifying TripAdvisor and the process to generate numbers of reviews from multiple profiles.

“To date, the advice of the Accommodation Association to members has been to attempt to respond to reviews through TripAdvisor.

“However, the consistent feedback from operators is that getting a response from the site operators is difficult, and when successful, responses to reviews can be heavily moderated, with one member saying the final response allowed was almost pointless.

“It is here where there is a strong concern that the process is weighted against operators, with their responses more likely to be moderated than those of the reviewer.

“Regardless, at this stage a measured response via TripAdvisor seems the only productive means of engagement with reviewers.”

(Source: Travel Trends News)

TripAdvisor Reviews: Malicious, Bogus, Vexatious says AAA

“Standing Ovation” - Metro Hotel on Pitt

I spent 4 days in the Metro Hotel to lodge my mother who came to visit after several years of not seeing me during our short stop at Sydney. I wanted to impress her but the budget was limited so after careful consideration of several hotels, I chose Metro thinking it average-to-good, but fairly priced and a bit wary after reading a few very negative reviews. I was VERY surprised when I found out the spacious room, super-comfortable beds, pleasant decor and top-notch cleaniness. 

Moreover, I managed to catch a free WIFI offer and I couldn't believe how reliable and fast it was (not to mention unlimited,) I don't even get such a good Internet at home paying premium for it! As others have said, it's also conveniently located in the middle of the CBD with the Opera House on walking distance.

The only complaint was a rather ugly but not too big faded stain in the carpet which I guess is what people who post negative reviews get hung on?

If you are paying over $300 in a 5-star hotel that might be a valid concern, but when you are getting such a great value for your buck (4-star quality for under $120 a night!) you shouldn't mind secondary details like that. Old lifts were ugly and slow but I got there right when they were replacing them, now they are state-of-the-art which shows that even being on top of their game they strive to improve even further. I just hope that won't affect their prices because I'm planning to keep lodging there for all my future travels to Sydney!

Room Tip: If Internet is important to you, watch out for the free WiFi offers, or pay the extra cost if necessary. As opposed to most other hotels' free Internet, it's super fast and reliable, all in the comfort of your own room.

Stayed: April 2012, traveled with family 

Value 5 out of 5
Location 5 out of 5
Sleep Quality 5 out of 5
Rooms 5 out of 5
Cleanliness 4 out of 5
Service 4 out of 5

Total Rating: 5 out of 5 Edgar L (Melbourne)

View Metro Hotel on Pitt on Trip Advisor

“Great Value, Great Location” - Apsire Hotel Sydney

Darling Harbour is a great place to stay. This hotel is in a quiet residential street within 5 - 7 minutes of the tram and monorail stop, 5 minutes to the Powerhouse Museum and Paddy's Market. The rooms are large and well appointed, beds comfortable, good clean bathroom with plenty of hot water, and a hair dryer - nice ! Air conditioned, but also a lovely balcony door with an insect screen so I could have fresh air which was wonderful. 

I'm not sure what people are expecting for a budget hotel price but it was certainly well within what I wanted. No bells and whistles - I don't care about digital TV and DVD players, I'm not going to be sitting in my room ! It doesn't matter if the decor isn't the latest, as long as it fulfills the function, and you don't need to have food on site.There is a very nice all day breakfast cafe 2 minutes away with a wonderful menu, and several other cafes in the area. I would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone on a budget and it will be my hotel of choice the next time I come to Sydney. 

Stayed February 2012, traveled with family

• Value 4/5
• Location 4/5
• Sleep Quality 4/5
•   Rooms 4/5
• Cleanliness 4/5
• Service 4/5

View Review on trip advisor

TripAdvisor Can’t Claim to be Trusted February 6, 2012

TripAdvisor will not longer be allowed to tell British users that its holiday reviews can be trusted. Advertising regulators said that can’t be certain because there’s nothing to stop bogus reviews being posted.

The Advertising Standards Authority made its ruling after receiving complaints about TripAdvisor’s own website. It said the statements had been made in a promotional manner and thus came under its remit. The ASA is an industry-backed body that rules whether advertisements are “legal, decent, honest and truthful.”

Complaints about the site covered claims that users could “read reviews from real travellers” and that the site featured “more than 50 million honest travel reviews and opinions from real travellers around the world”, along with the slogan “Reviews you can trust.”

The ASA noted that reviewers posted on the site were simply asked to declare that they were not personally or commercially linked to the hotel they were reviewing, and that there were no questions asked about whether they were a commercial rival or posting on behalf of the rival.

TripAdvisor said its users had the intelligence and skepticism to detect bogus reviews. It pointed out that because the site was so popular, any review falsely claiming a hotel was particularly good or poor would be drowned out by, and would stand out among, genuine user reviews.

The company also said it had an extensive technical system designed to filter out fake reviewers; it provided details of this system to the ASA on a confidential basis.

The ASA concluded that although TripAdvisor made efforts to make sure reviews were genuine, it simply wasn’t possible to be certain no bogus reviews were being posted on the site. With this in mind it ruled that the site could not truthfully say with absolute confidence that all its reviews were genuine and could be trusted.

TripAdvisor Can’t Claim to be Trusted February 6, 2012

Metro Hotel Sydney Central - Trip Advisor Guest Reviews

Three Recent Trip Advisor Guest Reviews of Metro Hotel Sydney Central:

“Good Central Hotel in Chinatown” - Reviewed 17 January 2012 NEW

This hotel is located in a very good location, right in Chinatown - extremely near to food shops, supermarkets, Chinatown shops - no issues finding nearby amenities. Good location for tourists as it is walking distance to some tourists attractions (e.g. Paddy's markets, Darling Harbour, City Centre), and is near to bus stops to further areas (e.g. Opera House, The Rocks, Harbour Bridge).

Hotel rooms I stayed in was a standard room (either 1 double bed or 2 single beds). Has TV (with limited cable), kettle, cups and glasses, coffee and tea, table with mirror, bathroom, and basic facilities. Comfortable room. Though, I felt that the room lighting is a bit too dim at times (with no overhead lights, only table lamps). Bathroom feels small and I had to bend down to reach the taps (not ideal for people with bad backs). Otherwise, room was clean and tidy. Good value.

I also paid for the morning breakfast, which was decent but wasn't great (it was buffet style with limited variety of food - got sick of eating the same food after a few days).
For business trips, etc. - Internet is not free, you have to pay a certain fee for it.

Pros - good value; extremely good central location; clean, basic rooms; basic room facilities present; helpful staff
Cons - small bathroom; need to pay for Internet access; very limited choice for breakfast

• Stayed November 2011, travelled with family
  • Value 4/5
    
  • Location 5/5
    
  • Sleep Quality 4/5
    
  • Rooms 3/5
    
  • Cleanliness 4/5
    
  • Service 4/5

“Steps from Chinatown, CBD, transport and markets!” Reviewed 9 January 2012

This hotel has a great location, one block up is a shopping centre with a supermarket, food clothes etc..

Paddy's market and chinatown is in walking distance, as is the Capitol Theatre and entertainment centre. Transport is all around as well as cheap restaurants and pubs.

We stayed here for NYE celebrations had no views of fireworks but we were in walking distance to Circular Quay where we had tickets for an event, the walk was about 15 minutes but this was fine, was pratically a straight line down George Street

The room was clean, bed comfy and tv worked, staff were good they refreshed coffee etc straight away when we asked

I would stay here again

• Stayed January 2012, travelled with friends
  • Value 4/5
    
  • Location 5/5
    
  • Sleep Quality 5/5
    
  • Rooms 5/5
    
  • Cleanliness 5/5
    
  • Service 5/5
    

See these reviews and more on Trip Advisor

What Would You Most Like to Get for Free at a Hotel?

The following results were taken from a Linkedin survey asking "What Would You Most Like to Get for Free at a Hotel?"

Linkedin Members: Comments:

Peter

Peter Jeffries • It seems to me that the bush is leading the charge in the area of free wifi! I also think the industry could learn from their country counterparts in the art of friendliness.

24 days ago Voted for Late check-out

Jan

Jan Dickens • Free WiFi should be available but I don't think Australia has the capacity to provide this. Hotel bookings should be for at least 22 hrs - this would enable the hotel to have 2 hours cleaning time and still keep their occupancy rates.

27 days ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Lee

Lee Oliveira • Australia is way behind when it comes to free wifi in hotels. Every hotel should at least have free wifi in the lobby. They would need to upgrade their system if a hotel was going to offer free wifi. Some hotels I've stayed at that offer free wifi are extremely slow because of the amount of people using it.

about 1 month ago

Phillip

Phillip Fitzgibbon • wifi should be free in Hotels, if you ask nicely you can usually get late check out free anyway

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Makoto "Mak"

Makoto "Mak" Arai • Free WiFi for sure - Just imagine when you have to sign in and even agree to pay for such basic infrastructure, first thing at hotel after hours of tiresome flight(s)...

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

James

James Rennie • Absolutely free WiFi. You have already paid a premimum to stay there so why not offer something that is free in other parts of the world

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Mathew

Mathew Thompson • I have recently returned from a Western USA road trip. I found it interesting that of the five hotels I stayed in, it was the "mum and dad" operators to provide free WiiFi and it was the major national chains who failed to deliver. Unless corporate's refuse to book group travel with hotels failing to step into the 21st century, they won't change their ways, vote with your feet people!

about 1 month ago | Voted for Wireless internet

Carmel

Carmel Hutt • I would like Free WiFI and late a Late Check Out

Ella

Ella Conway • honestly, I think Wifi and Late check outs should be at no extra charge at all.

View the Survey

Metro Inn Miranda: Superior Rooms on level 4 at Metro Inn Miranda

We have been staying at the Metro Inn Miranda at different times of the year since 2005 and it has become our second home whenever we visit Sydney.

On Friday 23 December, 2011 we sent an e-mail to enquire about booking accommodation from Tuesday 27 December, 2011 till Wednesday 4 January, 2012. We expected to get a reply back saying "Sorry no room at the Inn", like Joseph and Mary with the baby Jesus. Can you imagine our elation when the reply came back saying that their was room at the Inn and that we had a choice of either a Balcony Queen Room or a Superior Room on Level 4. Needless to say we replied straight away saying that we wanted the Superior Room.

On arrival we were handed the keys to Room 413 and we believe that we were the first guests to stay in that room. We had been over in April and stayed a short time as we had to attend a family funeral in Orange. Whilst we were there Dale Harlick told us about the plans for Level 4. When the lift doors opened at level 4 we were absolutely blown away with what we saw with the lovely colour scheme and the pictures mounted on the walls depicting the earlier history of the Sutherland Shire. We could not fault the accommodation at all, the decor was outstanding and very tastefully done. We took the liberty of looking through some of the other roomes on level 4 whilst we were there. We were most impressed with Room 407 which was obviously specifically designed for paraplegics and also has the adjoing room access to Room 408 if need be. We will certainly be highly recommending this to any paraplegic people whom we come into contact with and that are travelling to Sydney.

We commend you for the outstanding job that has been done on Level 4 at the Metro Inn Miranda. We can assure you that we will be highly recommending the Superior Rooms on Level 4 to all of our family, friends and work colleagues. In fact we would like you to know that we became the self-appointed honorary ambassadors for the Metro Inn Miranda after our first stay there in 2005. It has always been an absolute pleasure dealing with Dale and the Metro Inn Miranda Team. We have always been impressed with Dale's outstanding management and people skills. As we mentioned earlier we have been regular guests at the Metro Inn Miranda since 2005 and we are still dealing with the same staff members today. If all of your other Property Managers are of the same calibre as Dale Harlick then you must have an extremely happy and profitable operation.

We feel that you have made a very wise business decision and made a sound investment by spending the money on Level 4 at the Metro Inn Miranda, which will reap handsome profitable dividends for you.

In closing we would like to wish you, together with all your management and staff at all Metro Inns, a very Happy, Healthy, Safe and Prosperous 2012.

Yours most sincerely,

Bill & Robyn Lambert.

Superior Rooms on level 4 at Metro Inn Miranda

“Great Rates, Excellent Location” - Guest Review of Aspire Hotel Sydney

This hotel it in a great location, it is on a quiet street, is 5 mins walk if that to the Power House Museum and about 10 minutes walk to Monorail and Darling Harbour. The rooms were big, there were four of us in the room, the staff were excellent.

You have tea and coffee making facilities, there is a fridge in the room but no mini bar (this did not worry us), but those who do like a mini bar they did have a vending machine type bar in reception. The beds were so comfortable, proabably one of the best beds we have slept on in a hotel in a long time.

The only negative thing I would have to stay is that the bathroom needed abit of a make over (this isn't a big issue), and that there isn't a resturarant that you can use at night at the hotel, they do have breakfast available in the mornings at $15 per head all you can eat (bacon, eggs, baked beans, sausages, ceral, toast, fruit just to name a few). Even with no restuarant onsite for dinner, the staff were eagar to assist and inform us where to go, we ended up walking 5 mins up the road to an amazing Pizza Place, the best Pizza I have eaten.

I will certainly recommend staying here and if we head back to Sydney we would look at booking here again.

• Stayed December 2011, traveled with family
  • Value 5 out of 5
    
  • Location 5 out of 5
  • Sleep Quality 5 out of 5
  • Rooms 5 out of 5
  • Cleanliness 5 out of 5
  • Service 5 out of 5

View Review on Trip Advisor

Expedia Touts 'Verified' Reviews

No sooner had Expedia shed TripAdvisor in a public offering than it launched an online feature that certifies some user reviews of hotels as having been “verified.”

Known as Expedia Verified Reviews, the feature is a clear attempt to counter skepticism about the veracity of user reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp.

To qualify as a verified review, the writer must be a traveler who booked reservations through Expedia, and the stay must be authenticated by the OTA.

The verified-reviews feature has already launched in much of Western Europe and Asia. John Kim, senior vice president of global products at Expedia, said the company would roll it out in the U.S. and the rest of Western Europe this month.

“The innovation we are launching is a more relevant way to target reviews,” Kim said. He added that Expedia authenticates reviews by checking the writer’s booking history on Expedia and verifying a non-cancelled reservation at a hotel.

“We have introduced an ability for reviewers to target reviews based on interests,” Kim said.

By launching the feature, Expedia, which was overtaken last year by Priceline.com as the largest U.S. online travel agency as measured by revenue, appears to be addressing a hot-button issue: skepticism about whether user reviews are legitimate.

The number of monthly visitors to travel-review sites, online travel agencies’ review pages and travel blogs jumped 35% between 2008 and 2010, research firm PhoCusWright reported earlier this year. Such growth has fueled suspicions about whether some positive reviews are being written by the hotels themselves or some negative reviews are being authored by competitors.

“They’re recognizing that there’s a concern of accuracy and legitimacy of reviews online,” said Henry Harteveldt, an industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group.

He cited a recent research document by his company reporting that more than half of U.S. leisure hotel guests “expressed some concern” about the credibility of online travel reviews.

Such growing concerns about the legitimacy of reviews are best typified by the recent prospectus for TripAdvisor, the spun-off division of Expedia that was founded in 2000 and began trading Dec. 20 as an independent public company on the Nasdaq exchange.

Before Expedia spun off TripAdvisor, it warned potential TripAdvisor investors of possible liabilities in the form of legal claims stemming from user reviews.

The 184-page prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in July warned that TripAdvisor could be subject to legal expenses related to claims ranging from defamation and libel to negligence.

Additionally, this summer TripAdvisor, in what may or may not have been a nod to such concerns, changed the slogan on its hotel-review pages. While TripAdvisor’s home page says “Find Hotels Travelers Trust,” the wording was changed on individual hotel pages to “Reviews from our community.”

At the time, TripAdvisor called the wording change “part of our ever-evolving communication efforts, this time highlighting our commitment to our all-important community.” It did not acknowledge any concerns about hotel grievances.

Harteveldt said the launch of Expedia’s new feature on the heels of the TripAdvisor spinoff was no accident, given that both companies are competing for page views from travelers. Expedia hosts about 6.5 million user reviews, compared with more than 50 million on TripAdvisor.

Kim declined to specifically address whether the timing coincided with the TripAdvisor spinoff, saying only that the company was “trying to satiate consumer demand with its own unique approach.

http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Online-Travel/Expedia-touts--verified--hotel-reviews/