As a start, it will incorporate all the verified reviews from its sister company,Hotels.com®, into its collection which will bring the total number of verified reviews available to Expedia customers to more than 7.5 million.
The move comes months after the hive-off of TripAdvisor from the parent company, and amid continuing controversy over the issue of fake reviews on TripAdvisor. In February this year, it came under fire from the Advertising Standards Authority of the UK over its claim that it contains “more than 50 million honest travel reviews and opinions from real travellers around the world”.
Expedia says its reviews are vetted and verified through a series of multiple steps that ensure the validity of customer reviews, including that of making sure the reviews are posted by travelers who have paid for a room in the hotel they are reviewing.
It highlights that one of the most important changes to the reviews programme is in its relevancy. Travelers can now write reviews for a particular audience of their choosing, such as dog lovers, adrenaline junkies or foodies. When a mother is looking for a kid-friendly hotel in a large city, she will be able to sort through a collection of reviews written by other mothers who have stayed with their children in that city.
Reviewers have an option to choose their review target audience as families, business travelers, couples, students or “other,” with the final category an open field. About two million existing million existing reviews have been categorized as written for families, business travelers and couples.
Also, in addition to the photos provided by the hotels, Expedia now allows reviewers to include their own photos in their review, to make those reviews even more descriptive.
“Travelers will be able to see user photos, and reviews written for travelers that share their interests,” said John Kim, Senior Vice President, Expedia. “When they come to Expedia, we provide them with the best travel decision making experience on the web.”
The idea was to create a rich, interactive way for customers to filter and sort reviews. Travelers can now find relevant content quickly and can share that content with their traveling companions, friends and relatives. They can also sort reviews by rating, date submitted, language, traveler type and photos and share reviews (both their own and others’) via Facebook and Twitter.
Expedia has also implemented a “thank the reviewer” feature so readers can express their appreciation to the reviewer if that review has been helpful. The process of submitting reviews has also been streamlined and simplified.
