Travel Weekly Blog

There are a number of things you can say about the Sunday Times's expose of hospitality industry review websites, which revealed that proprietors are able, and in some cases willing, to ramp their own product on Tripadvisor, eGullet, Fodors.com and so on.

You could observe, first of all, that this is rather obvious; that it applies to all rate/review sites, not just hospitality verticals; and that proprietors who inflate their establishment's ratings will very soon have their bubble burst by disappointed consumers.

Perhaps the most astute observation, though, came from Kevin at Travolution, who points out that the ST has been focusing heavily on its own travel site, complete with lastminute-powered booking service. Observers will also note that Times Online will shortly be encouraging users to add their own content about travel experiences.

Kevin has more on the story, including a comment from the Sunday Times, at the Travolution Blog.

Nathan Midgley, travelweekly.co.uk