In slating TripAdvisor, The Good Hotel Guide creates a really poor first impression
Someone forwarded me a newsletter from The Good Hotel Guide (which I hadn’t heard of before). The first thing I notice is that it’s ‘Issue 2′. Aha. Newcomers to the world of online marketing and newsletters.
The lead story is a piece entitled ‘The perils of bad advice’ in which The Good Hotel Guide rubbishes TripAdvisor’s credibility after it was able to publish a bogus review under a false name and with a false email address.
Serious issue (and one I’ve raised here before – are you listening TripAdvisor?). However, at the point of reading this we don’t know the truth of the claim or the details of the circumstances. By contrast, what we do know is that the tone taken by TGHG in this review is.. well, smug – like they’re trying to make themselves look good simply by knocking the competition.
It’s not a great strategy – especially since when I go to their website all I find is a dull ‘editor’s picks’ blog with absolutely none of the functionality or ease-of-use that TripAdvisor has. Looking for a great hotel in Devon? You’ll only find what TGHG has chosen to list – and no idea why, other than their claim that it’s totally impartial ringing in your ears.
If you’re going to slag off the competition, then be at least willing to take a fresh, objective look at your own offering before you do. The bad news, GHG, is that TripAdvisor’s functionality is exactly what I – and most travellers – want. Yours, by comparison, isn’t.
If I’ve got both your attention(s) here’s what I recommend: TripAdvisor – your need to make it a priority to use the technology better to improve the integrity of the reviews or your reputation will suffer. Good Hotel Guide – until you can match or improve what the TripAdvisor has already demonstrated it can offer the online consumer, don’t try to impress that market by rubbishing the competition.
Hope that’s helpful 
