Every B&B owner knows that the world of online reviews in a complex one, fraught with possibilities and anxieties in equal measure. Some accommodation providers have been given a terrific visibility/sales boost by excellent online feedback. Others (like this one) have suffered from malicious fake reviews. And some have tried to game the system by creating fake reviews of their own.
A lot of honest B&B owners have despaired in recent years at the rise of fake online reviews. It’s hard enough to keep your business going in testing times without competitors resorting to underhand methods to improve their property’s rating – and even damage yours. (To say nothing of disgruntled guests seeking revenge for imagined slights or trying to blackmail you.) But there are a few encouraging signs that the tide may just be starting to turn.
I know we’ve already covered this, but given how important it may be to accommodation owners everywhere, it’s worth mentioning a few more details, via the New Scientist.
It points out that while a couple of fake negative reviews may not endanger business for a hotel/restaurant, lots of reviews by colluding opinion spammers can have destructive effects.
