Trip Advisor - Where do I stand?

I'm quite active on Trip Advisor as my job means spending a lot of time in hotel rooms. I usually just write exactly what I think, if the place is a pile of crap I won't hold back. But recent media coverage of people being sued for online comments has got me wondering if I could be sued - for example, what if I said the food was rubbish at a hotel, they might not take kindly to that.

I doubt anyone could be successfully sued for saying the food was rubbish. So long as you don't write anything factually incorrect And take photographs of anything you say that could damage a hotel's reputation (such as a dirty room or a broken kettle) then you should be fine. If in doubt , leave it out.

Thanks for that. I know you're right but it's a sad day when you have to hold back on the truth for fear of being sued. I wonder if there have been any instances of hotels suing, because Trip Advisor comments can probably make or break a hotel.

I am extremely fussy about hotels. If you're paying £100+ for a room for one night you should get a certain standard but you rarely do. I always leave reviews on TA and I write exactly what I want to.

It's highly unlikely TA would hand over names of any reviewers without a major fight.

My brother uses trip advisor a lot. Every now and then he emails me a link to a hilarious review. There was this one where a hotel guest arranged for the night porter to order them a takeaway pizza. The porter was hungry so ordered it from a takeaway that was doing a 'buy a 12' and get a 9' free' promo and was caught red handed eating the extra pizza when the hotel guest found the itemised receipt stuck to the underside of the 12' pizza box.

Must admit I don't even take Trip Advisor seriously at all. Most of the time its "people" writing a bad review because of one or 2 minor things but dont even mention any good points. Its just a moan-board!

bwfc71 wrote:Must admit I don't even take Trip Advisor seriously at all. Most of the time its "people" writing a bad review because of one or 2 minor things but dont even mention any good points. Its just a moan-board!

Yeah, there's some truth to that. Some people will have a great time, but something really minor will make them leave a poor rating/review. That's out of order.

I don't think I've EVER had a perfect stay in a hotel.

Perfect example are the reviews of The Conservatorium, in Amsterdam - a brand new 5 star hotel which is housed in the old UVA library (which in turn used to be one of the main Post offices in the city). The hotel has only been opened since mid-December, after 3 years years of gutting it out from being alibrary and housing it as a hotel - so you can imagine that there are still some little bits of work required and things that need to be tested and reviewed but the moans started more or less as soon as it opened.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g188590-d2418096-Reviews-Conservatorium_Hotel-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.html

To answer the original question Owen, I reckon you are pretty safe unless you write something untrue and obviously libellous - but even then I doubt if a hotel would bother suing you. How much money are they going to get even if they win?

I find Trip Advisor quite helpful. When I was in America recently I was doing a lot of travelling and using Trip Advisor I found some good places to eat. I have to agree that some of the negative comments about places appear to be posted by idiots. I ate in a fantastic restaurant called Park Tavern in San Francisco and yet somebody who didn't even eat there had given it a two star review.

It's the same on Amazon. I've seen one star reviews of CDs and books because they didn't arrive on time and five star reviews because they arrived quickly.

I love trip advisor, reading the negative reviews are absolutely hilarious.

if anyone wants a laugh check out the Hotel Carter in NY on times square.

one of the worst hotels in the world.

the scene of murders, drug deals, prostitution and the worst rooms ever.

Natasha Whittam wrote:I am extremely fussy about hotels. If you're paying £100+ for a room for one night you should get a certain standard but you rarely do. I always leave reviews on TA and I write exactly what I want to.

It's highly unlikely TA would hand over names of any reviewers without a major fight.

I'd love to see some of your work; what is your user name on there?

Hipster_Nebula wrote:I love trip advisor, reading the negative reviews are absolutely hilarious.

if anyone wants a laugh check out the Hotel Carter in NY on times square.

one of the worst hotels in the world.

the scene of murders, drug deals, prostitution and the worst rooms ever.

OK, sorry for the long post, but here are some highlights from the Hotel Carter reviews on Trip Advisor.

I could spend a couple of hours and multiply the number of these by ten - there are that many comical lines in these reviews. Great recommendation from Hipster.

Over to our happy Hotel Carter guests........



There was a pillow with "u wanna ?" written on it in pink.

Our room on the fourth floor was the sort of place you'd want to over dose in. If we'd have been slightly higher up, I might have considered jumping out of the window, rather than doing it from the fourth floor, and living to remember my time at Hotel Carter.

The staff are incredibly rude, starting with the egotistical, sarcastic chinese-american on the counter, and a russian who can barely speak English working the 'Shuttle Bus' counter. The pair were extremely unhelpful regarding all aspects of my stay. Before visiting our room, I visited the toilets in the lobby. Ah, no toilet roll.. that's a shame. Oh but hang on.. that was the least of my worries - one toilet was covered in urine - and I mean COVERED. All over the floor, the walls, the entire toilet.. drenched. Next cubicle.. it's even worse. faeces on the seat. HUMAN FAECES.. on the toilet seat. Smeared.

I took the elevator up to the fourth floor.. everyone in the elevator had the same 'oh, that doesn't sound good' expression on their face as crunching and scraping metal sounds emitted from outside the doors. As I left the elevator, I realised I had become slightly lost after stepping out into the Overlook Hotel from The Shining.

I realised someone had graffitied 'Andy <3' in massive letters on one of the walls. It had been covered with a very thin wash of emulsion so it was still very visible. At least he had a good time, right?

I asked for another room and they said that the other rooms were worst than that one I got

Have you ever had a shower but felt dirtier than before you got in? Well that's how we felt.

The cleaners (yes I was surprised they had cleaners), banged on your door at 8am and even after telling them to go away they would still come in!

we found a desolate room.

Walls are carpeted and the reception frequented by strange types.

I realized that it was Bed Bugs. By the time I got home my skin was swollen and red. I called the hotel to tell them but they hung up on me.

we also saw a poem in back of the entrance door, refering night bugs, it was fun to read but not fun to experience it.

The tv was from the 50's with missing knobs.

My body is itchy now.

The bed was so uncomfortable and made a funny sound

We had booked a total of 12 rooms, and in 6 of the rooms were rats.

I have never been more disgusted or scared for my safety in my life as I was in the hour that we spent inside the Hotel Carter.

There was grafitti on the OUTSIDE of the window, keep in mind... 18th floor, and NO building right next to us.

We immediately went to leave... and were horrified when we did... The back of the door had a message for us in black marker “Get the **** out while you can”.


This was the hotel that started the whole bed bug scare in Manhattan.

We were given a room that was already occupied by a half naked man.

One bed was held up by telephone directories.

Thought of putting the extra woolly blanket on the bed that was found in the flthy locker room but thought again & did not bother so we just shivered for a bit.

When i went to close the drapes the whole thing metal rod and all fell down on my head

i was told the manager would never call me --ever-- he just doesn't -- this was stated by a female desk clerk whose name was supposedly Larry- another lie!

my wife opened up the dresser drawer that was barely holding up a television set from the 70's. There was a used tampon in it! WE WERE SHOCKED! HOW COULD THIS BE?? If you love your wife, stay somewhere else.

Upon entering my "room" the first thing I see is a scetch of a penis on the wall,

Upon TOUCHING the comforter, I was greeted by a swarm of small bugs.

In our second room, the toilet water was an awesome shade of yellowish brown and the garbage wasn't cleaned. I grit my teeth, flushed the toilet and tried to get some sleep... but both of us ended up getting nightmares.


We arrived after a long bus journey on Saturday night so were looking forward to getting into bed. On the front door there was a sign to say 'no more check ins' but we ignored this as we had a reservation. When we got to the desk the rude man said he couldnt check us in and hadnt we seen the signs?! We explained we had a reservation and had already paid for 2nights online. He tod us to look around because lots of people were sat around the lobby all with the same problem. They had an admin error and overbooke by 400 people...! We kicked up a fuss but werent rude and all they said was that it wasnt their problem! Nowhere else nearby in NY had free rooms so we had no choice but to sleep on the floor in the hotel lobby with about 100 other people. 15 hours later...we were given a room key!

We also got told by police that this hotel is known for hookers walking the corridors, drugs and a lady was murdered in 2008

If you can stand the smell of urine in the hallways that make me gag, then power to you.

My feet got dirty after my so called shower walking from the bathroom to my bed.

I slept in my clothes and threw them out.
Sweet baby Jesus, It should be condemned.

If you are going to stay at this hotel, You need to be mentally prepared.

The t.v. only got 3 channels, but only when you sit perfectly still, if you moved the cable would go out.

when I lay my head to sleep that evening, the pillow smelled like someone took a dump on the bed!!

You will vomit in this place.

REALLY strange and random smell in the room...

Reception and concierge Chinese (only) people who were quenching for your money and even before they said hello and welcome to the hotel, they were asking for my credit card to make sure they would charge the whole amount of my staying before I even checked in!

I will be writing the mayor to I form him of the type of service that is representing New York City.

The staff was barking at the guests.

We were greeted by rude staff who commented on our appearances as 'rough' and 'hungover'.


There were hairs of different colors and sizes (if thats of different guests or different hair of one guest - I dont want to know) on our sheets and in the bath room.


Found some facts about the hotel including when the hotel changed the hotel into a homeless shelter for about 4 years!

1983 and 1984 the city of new york sued the hotel for numbers of infractions.

1984-1988 the hotel was changed into a homeless shelter! Criminal activity was disturbing and brutal. one resident beat his month old son to death.

1987 a woman was thrown out of a window on one of the highest floors when police found her dead her hands had been tied behind her back.

1988 at families were removed from the carter due to issues with security, plumbing, vermin, and electricity.

1989 the hotel's fire safety was out of violation.

1998 the hotel was closed temporarily due to a fire escape that was damage.

1999 a shooting occurred and a man was shot in the face the man with the gun ask his limo driver to say the gun was his for $50,000.

1999 a clerk killed his co-worker with a hammer and a knife.

2005 a building engineer was killed in a freak elevator malfunction.

2007 a sex offender killed a woman in a room and put her in bags under the bed a maid found her 12 days later.

2006 - 2009 trip advisor voted this the worst hotel in the u.s.

one guest left for the night and came back and her toilet had been used and she had not used it at all!


I called the front desk to have an iron and ironing board sent up and was told I'd be "put on the waiting list." Unbelievable! I waited an hour and then I ended up buying an iron at a nearby pharmacy.

there was a used condom under the bed

DON'T GO UNLESS YOUR DESPRITE!!!!

Some bedsheets were marked '.......memorial hospital".

We found out that if you don't check in by 8pm they start selling off your rooms to people that walk in.

I will say that New York Police Department has advised me after making my report that they have had several Homicides in this hotel.

If you want to feel like you are staying in a an impoverish drug hotel, then stay here.

I wouldn't suggest a stay here to my worst enemy.

arrived at hotel to be given 3 room keys and each room we wnt in people were already staying there after four trips to the rude reception girl i asked to speak to the manager who threw me in the lift and swore at me

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE...my marriage was in risk at that hotel.

The second room was the same, PLUS some creepy little yellow worm like creatures, that favored every soft surface of cloth. YEK!

My friend and I were led here by a man in the bus station offering to find us a hotel...he grabbed our bags in the bus station and started walking, so we followed him. Since we had not booked anywhere, we took his advice (dumb, I know). First, he charged us $20 for his "services." We were kinda afraid, so we paid him. The woman at the desk also gave him some money and he took off. We paid for our room and went up. It was REVOLTING....there was a cockroach taped to the wall above the headboard, the place was DIRTy, and the lock on our door did not work. Also, the strip club is right beside the "hotel" - classy. My friend refused to stay there the night, so we went back to the front desk and asked for our money back. The woman at the desk didn't want to give ANY of our money back, but my friend was persistent, so she charged us $60 for our ten minute stay. Run away - anywhere is better than that cockroachy scam of a place.

Absolutely fantastic read!

I've spent many an hour getting some great laughs from the Carter reviews.

one of my favourites is one which simply said.

"there was a hole in the wall, when i put my hand through, my hand was outside"

P.S

I would also recommend reading the Jack London Inn in Oakland.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g32810-d84777-Reviews-Jack_London_Inn-Oakland_California.html

Here's a taster.

"I don't stank! You stank!" Those words echoed down the hall and through the paper thin walls of our room. At 2am our fellow guests down the hall had started their loud and drunken party. Now it was 4:30am and the party had devolved into a screaming match in the hallway.

BANG BANG BANG. That is the sound of someone beating on the door of our room. While our calls to the front desk had failed to summon any hotel staff, our neighbors had taken the time from their drinking and fighting to tell us they did not appreciate our complaints. With some effort we barricaded the door with furniture and sat by the phone ready to call 911. Luckily the partiers had tired of harassing other hotel guests and returned to fighting amongst themselves.

When I left that morning for the first day of the bar exam, the party down the hall was still going. During the bar exam's lunch break my girlfriend and I gathered our things and left for another hotel. Judging by the other reviews on this web site, our experience was not unique. In short, I have spent the night in cheap Bolivian hotels next to soccer riots that were quieter than the Jack London Inn.

Assuming the other patrons had been quiet all night, I would still consider the Jack London Inn the worst hotel I had ever seen. The rooms displayed a level of filth and discomfort that mere neglect could never produce. The parking lot resembled a post apocalyptic junk yard. The halls reeked of cigarette smoke, body odor, and failure. Commuter rail trains, horns blasting, passed the hotel every few minutes.

I would have had a better experience drinking $45 of cheap wine and spending the night in Oakland's drunk tank than I had at the Jack London Inn for $45 a night. At least the jailer would have had the courtesy to tell the inmates to be quiet. If Jack London were alive today, he would change his name to avoid any association with this benighted hotel.

And yet despite the vast majority of terrible reviews (1250 one or two star reviews) 71 people apparently gave Hotel Carter a five star review.

I wonder how many of these 71 reviews are genuine?

Here are some more comedy comments about Hotel Carter. This is so much fun.

Things need to be fixed everywhere you look!

Had to put towels on the bathroom floor and the bed and everywhere so we can walk and sit on the bed.

There were 4 tiny soap pieces (made in India) on the broken sink

If you would like pretend you went to Honduras you can get great pictures here.

We all had sinus problems after

I wouldn't even want Obama OR Hugo Chavez staying here.

YOU EXPECT BUDGET, YOU DONT EXPECT GASTRIC!

what we did expect was decent basic cleanliness and sanitisation and to be able to sleep without the fear of catching a disease!!!!!

we came back to find that all our sons powdered food had been eaten by mice and that mouse droppings were all over our clothes and in our luggage, even in my daughters backpack with her pens and pencils!!! My 4 year old daughter ended up in NYU Hospital for a day

I would not recommend this hotel to your DOG

i cried real tears when i first saw our room on the 11th floor.

health department needs to make an unexpected surprise visit, ASAP!!

Pubic hair EVERYWHERE. On the telephone, in the button on the tv, the bathroom walls (to name a few)

the thought of standing in the bath made my skin crawl.

DO NOT EVEN WALK THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR

the furniture was falling in on its self

we were then told we would get a full refund and 4 days later receive notice that they were not refunding the money because we had stayed there and that even if we didn't they were still charging us.

The bathroom looked as though if I blew on it, it would fall into pieces.

We requested heat and was informed that management wouldn't turn it on so we were freezing.

This place needs to be burned down immediately.

It looked like something from a 3rd world county. And I do not mean a resort in a 3rd world country.

buy Clorox and poor in the bath tub to kill the mold before you bathe.

Super cheap and super stinky!!

There is a smell about that knocks you down upon entering.

our carpet was kid themed with bright balloons. I would definitely not stay here with children.

i wouldn't even leave my dog there.

We pre-booked seven nights and bailed after one.

Carter Hotel, should be DIRTY "HOTEL"

I decided to call them the night before our trip to confirm our reservation. Some kind of "chinese" guy (I say this bc I work with them and I know their english accent) answer the phone. As I was trying to explain to him that all I wanted was to confirm that there was going to have a room for me and my friends the next day his answer twice was: " IF YOU WANT A ROOM TOMORROW, YOU COME TOMORROW", after the second time, he hung up on me...

The tv stand was supposed to have 4 drawers, but one of them was not there

the carpet looked like the last time it was vacuumed was 1972

I was sure I would have crabs by the time we left

this hotel is like something out of 1970's starsky and hutch! we had to put our cases against the door for security!

This place is so bad, I'm surprised that the mice and roaches that crawl across your sheets during the middle of the night haven't found a better place to call home.

Now we have done everything!

The doorman looked like a ghoul.

If you don't mind stranger coming in your room with there own key!! stay here!

stay away. stay far far far away

menstrual stains on the beds.... either that or trace evidence left over from some horrific crime scene

When we complained about the cockroach the desk clerk laughed

The man at the front desk had the nerve to tell me the he “wouldn’t charge me for last night”, even though he SOLD our room that we had strategically booked!

If you are on the third floor and want to go down, and the elevator is going up to the 10th floor, it will stop on your floor even though you don’t wish to go upward.

Please, I am saying out of the kindness of my heart... do not waste your money because of the allure of the proximity to Times Square and the cheap price. It is NOT worth a trip to the ER for something nasty.

Woke up with blood spots on the sheets and actually found 3 of the engorged insects.

if you like rat and bed bugs you are welcome to go.

I literally left the room and slept in our van in the parking garage below the hotel.

When we walked into the lobby we instantly got a strip club feel.

The bed bug that bit me that night left me a present on my belly that lasted six months before it healed! When I went down to complain to the manager the following morning, the stoned-faced Asian woman - supposedly the manager - did not speak one word. She just looked at me.

pack your hazmat suit

...Not old stains that someone was not able to get out, fresh stains that no one has attempted to clean.

I wouldn't recommend staying at Carter in cold seasons.

i should've known to leave when the guy ahead of me was trying to rent a room without an i.d. this dude made mohammed atta look like mr. rogers.

A stench that reminded me of being inside an ashtray stuck inside a fat woman's shoe

i will never, ever even walk by this place again. do not, even with an uzi to your head, stay here.

Google dirtiest hotels in america and this one wins.

A single bare lighbulb hung from the ceiling, with remanents of what had been a lighting fixture. We were told we had an updated room. I guest that meant that the bulb was a compact flourescent rather than the old fashioned bulb.

The bathroom was clean, but the attempt to cover the mould with white paint wasn't successful.

be careful sitting on the sofas in the lobby
you can crack your back since the wood frame is the cushion.

You're better off sleeping in a dumpster

I can't even began to explain the terror my friend and I went through at the Hotel Carter.

It smelled of death and disappointment.

Taking the elevator up to the room was like taking a chance at life.

the water made my friend's eyes burn and my nose bleed.

One would not dare to look under the bed. For if you do, the consequences may be dire.

These dressers and the night stand were used as a trash bin for the last 20 occupants who have stayed in our room.

The plugs looked like Thomas Edison installed them himself.

when I complaned the staff suddenly decided they couldn,t speak English, (although they could when they were taking my money!!)

I can only assume the they have a relative or "client" who runs the New York City Health Department.

We would not even use the shower or sit on the toilet. God only knows what made those animal sounds in the middle of the night.

While walking the halls I could hear other people "do it" in the other rooms. I put my ipod on really loud, before entering the elevator and started to sing along to the song while walking the hall.

If you really don't care where you're sleeping, this is THE hotel for you.

It was probably the worst night of my entire life.

...a television that only showed green static, the window was taped together with gaffer tape, names painted on the walls...

The hotel "security" guard let anyone into the lobby. We saw homeless people just waltzing in.

Spending anymore than a few minutes awake in your room will just kill your excitement

We made a 'crime scene' project for class and somewhat cheating we used a story of the prostitute who was cut in to pieces and placed in trash bags under the bed... using photos from the trip to recreate the room perfectly and we won best in class.

haha!

This one is just terrific.

i cried real tears when i first saw our room on the 11th floor.

imagine the desperation of someone who's flown or driven miles and as they walk into their room, drop their bags, a single tear rolls down their cheek.

Another great thing to do on Trip advisor is think of something you'd hate to find in a room, or a terrible scenario and search for it in the search bar.

It gives you every review that mentions it.

I searched for "Blood Stain"

The hotel has a 'dirty' feeling about it. On the first night my husband went to close the curtains (we did have a nice view) and I noticed a HUGE blood stain all over the curtain. Like someone was killed or stabbed, I really cannot describe how much blood was on the curtain. It was stained, and I cannot seriously belive they would leave the curtain and not get new ones.

This hotel also has a travel warning saying "only essential travel!

I think this is the best one I forgot to include already:

While waiting in the reception full of impatient and disappointed patrons, a body bag was pulled out of the elevator and news teams were streaming into the lobby.

WOW - Look at this... obviously this is grim so if the sight of blood and piss makes you ill don't watch it.

fcuking scary.

I read all these at work today, I was laughing my head off all afternoon. Thanks to Hipster Nebula and Largehat.