TripAdvisor launches hotel metasearch : Here’s why it matters

Yesterday I was doing some research, and I ran across a fellow travel/social media blogger who argued that TripAdvisor isn’t all that useful. For me, that one’s a head scratcher. He argued that travelers have different measures of what makes a good hotel and that there are false reviews. While it’s true that one traveler’s desires may be like apples to another traveler’s oranges, I think most of us know how to decipher what’s important to us, and as far as false reviews go, not only do I believe these are few and far between, I also believe they stand out like a sore thumb.

Oh, and then there’s the fact that TripAdvisor logs some 200 million unique visitors each month globally. And now, TripAdvisor launches hotel metasearch. It is this new addition that I find particularly compelling and here’s why. TripAdvisor now integrates three of the top ways leisure travelers make travel decisions. Leisure travelers rely on the recommendation of family and friends first and foremost, but metasearch and social sites like Facebook aren’t far behind when it comes to making travel choices.

So now I can log on to TripAdvisor, see where my friends have stayed (and friends of friends… so weird, really, but influential nonetheless), narrow it down, read the reviews, see the photos, and then search several OTAs for the best price. Bam!

So, if you’re questioning the importance of reputation management on TripAdvisor for even a second, it’s time to stop and put that energy towards strategy.

For my fellow data geeks, check out these TripAdvisor stats from Hotel Marketing.