Helping The Washington Post spot fake travel reviews

I spoke with The Washington Post about the prevalence of fake reviews in the travel industry. Some are positive–from the business in question–others are negative–often left by competitors.

The article has lots of great tips, but here is a selection of the ones I shared:

Honest reviews are often in the 2-4 star range

“Look for the middle of the pack,” said Andy Beal, CEO of Reputation Refinery, a reputation consulting firm. “I tend not to focus on the one- and five-star reviews. Competitors with ill intentions are going to leave one star. If it’s a friend or an affiliate, they are going to leave a five-star.”

When a business responds to a review, that’s a good sign they care

Just as important as the comments are the responses from the businesses. “It’s a really big plus for any property that actually responds,” Beal said. “Then you want to look at what the response is.”

A review will be more likely authentic if accompanied by a photo

A photo does a great deal to improve trustworthiness of a post. “Images are really important,” Beal said. “If a review includes images of the property or the food it greatly improves the credibility of the review.”

Read the full article for more.