Tag Archives: Online Reviews

Hospitality Industry Safety Issues: Top Restaurant Review Website Posts “City Health Inspection Scores” Online; Consumers Can Now More Easily View Inspection Background And History

“…Yelp’s data come from city health inspectors, and the site displays the same information a consumer could find on a government site. But Online Restaurant Health Inspectionsthose sites can be unwieldy and, as Yelp Director of Public Policy Luther Lowe puts it…“Nobody goes to the .gov websites before they go to Yelp. The goal is to put highly relevant information that’s created by taxpayers in a context that makes a lot of sense.”…In a city committed to open data, inspection scores were already available online, via mobile app and in the restaurants themselves. But the new Yelp feature “goes a little bit further” by allowing consumers to read about inspection background and history…”

Yelp.com is starting to make it easier for diners to find a place to eat without getting sick.In August, Louisville became the second city to incorporate health-inspection information into its restaurant pages on the user-review site. San Francisco — Yelp’s home turf — was the first to do so back in January. Now, listed among a restaurant’s business attributes (hours, parking, Wi-Fi access, etc.) is its health score out of 100 possible points and a link to a description of  violations and previous inspections.

The new feature is “empowering the public with information,” says Kathy Harrison, communications director for the Louisville Metro Department for Public Health and Wellness.

The response to the addition of health scores has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Lowe says, and Yelp is currently working with a half-dozen other cities to bring health scores to their restaurant pages over the next several months.

For more:  http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/09/yelp-is-posting-health-inspection-scores/#.UjB2k0nn-M8

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Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Advertising Risks: Misleading Hotel Guests Using Online "False Reviews" Or "Photoshopped" Images On Hotel Website "Violates The Law"

“…a person or company that endorses a service or product should be upfront about any financial connection they may have with the marketer. For example, if an employee of a hotel writes a review of the hotel, they must say they are an employee. Posing as an independent reviewer would violate the law…”

“…Fabricating a property’s appearance through the use of Photoshop or trick photography, or posting false online reviews to create a more appealing facade is not recommended or condoned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association…”

Misleading potential guests is not only ethically objectionable, it also minimizes the chance for repeat business, word-of-mouth referrals, and positive online reviews. Additionally, planted reviews are typically transparent and the intended result has the opposite effect.

For hoteliers, AH&LA recommends addressing and responding to negative online comments and accurately representing the hotel in online and offline material to ensure guest satisfaction and long-term success. For consumers, AH&LA recommends reviewing a mix of high, low, and medium online reviews to identify consistent characteristics of the hotel. Additionally, it’s advised to use multiple sources to obtain the most accurate depiction, including visiting the hotel’s Website, online and offline review sources, and Facebook.”

For more:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41741701/ns/today/

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Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Training

Florida Hotel Threatens "TripAdvisor.com" With Lawsuit Over "Inaccurate Reviews" Of Cleanliness Of Hotel; Website Does Not Perform "Onsite Inspections"

A Volusia County hotel is threatening legal action after a website listed the hotel as one of the dirtiest in the country.

According to state officials the report by TripAdvisor.com paints an inaccurate picture of conditions at The Desert Inn Resort.

The owner Dennis Devlin showed WFTV his hotel which is located on Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach. Devlin said he’s furious at the travel website, which advertises reviews from travelers.

“When they put someone on a list you think they’d at least do an onsite inspection to verify what they’re saying is true,” said Devlin.

Some of the reviews said the Desert Inn Resort has roaches; however, the hotel just passed a state inspection which looks for sanitation and safety violations. Devlin claims that a majority of the reviews are bogus. “One person can write two negative reviews a month just by having different email addresses, different IP addresses.”

A spokesperson from TripAdvisor.com told WFTV that the reviews are based on cleanliness ratings from travelers who said they’ve stayed at The Desert Inn Resort.

They said out of hundreds of reviews, 80 percent wouldn’t recommend the hotel. WFTV asked if they check hotel confirmation numbers or receipts to prove its travelers stayed at the hotel. A spokesperson said they don’t ask for that information. Delvin said it’s unfair and that’s why he plans to sue TripAdvisor.com.

For more: http://www.wftv.com/news/26665059/detail.html

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Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training