When traveling through New Zealand many backpackers and tourists still rely on the legendary Lonely Planet travel guide. However, with the advent of the community-generated online content and feedback, the game has changed (and not only because of WikiLeaks). At the forefront of travel-advice by travelers for travelers is the website TripAdvisor. TripAdvisors lets any traveler review an accommodation. The reviews are not edited and entail an overall ranking. I often use it for an independent review of an accommodation. However, while most reviews are fairly neutral and positive, some lodgings get outrightly bashed. I found that particularly for budget-accommodation guests can be unforgiving with their criticism, sometimes blaming an inner-city hotel for a noisy street or a remote motel for a lack of services. While such feedback can be valuable to pinpoint the bad apple or help managers to improve, I found that some reviews for budget accommodations are too strict, not taking the low price into consideration. You get what you pay for, isn't that fair? For managers TripAdvisor can be a blessing or a curse. A high ranking attracts guests but spiteful comments can damage the business profoundly as the only way to respond for managers is to post a comment that clarifies the criticism, however, they cannot delete vengeful reviews. www.TripAdvisor.com
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