Fake reviews: How to spot them and how to tackle them

In the digital age, online reviews are incredibly powerful. In fact, 97% of people read reviews before making a purchase. Word-of-mouth personal recommendations have always been useful, but many people now turn to online reviews for guidance, particularly when booking holidays. Yet, fake reviews are slipping through the cracks and duping thousands of people out of their hard-earned money. This rise of fraudulent feedback is particularly worrying in the travel and hospitality industries. Channel 5’s ‘Budget Hotels: Are They A Con?’ revealed that as many as one in three reviews of hotels are fake. As the cost-of-living crisis continues and people’s disposable income shrinks, it’s more important than ever that people can trust the reviews they are reading. For many, holidays are the highlight of the year and a huge financial investment, so it's essential holidaymakers can trust the reviews they’re reading. At the same time, businesses within the industry must take a stand against fake reviews by ensuring theirs come from reliable and honest sources. How to spot fake reviews online? Fake reviews are not always easy to spot. In fact, one in four people have been misled by one. Here are some tips to help the hotel industry identify the fakes: Reviews can be too good to be true Over-enthusiastic reviews should be treated with caution; concealing negative reviews with a flood of positive reviews is common, so look for a pattern of over complementary reviews that use suspiciously similar wording and overly effusive language. The devil’s in the detail People write longer reviews if they have genuinely used a product or service and want to share their thoughts on it with fellow consumers. The most authentic reviews will include extremely specific details. If a review is too general such as ‘the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in’, this is often a red flag. Verify reviews with your own database Hoteliers can check whether a review is genuine by searching the reviewer’s name in their own customer database. If there’s no match, they may not be real, unless they are commenting on an aspect of your service they could have used without booking, such as a drink in the lobby or conversation with the reservations team. Beware of repetition Watch out for review sites with large numbers of reviews left on the same day, especially if they mention the same features or use similar descriptive language. If a competitor is paying for fake reviews, they may have told the writers to mention specific features or issues, so take note of an influx of reviews focusing on the same thing. At the same time, watch out for repetitive words left in feedback; when reviews repeatedly use the name of a hotel, it could be because someone is trying to push it up in the search engine websites’ ranking pages. What can you do if you suspect a review is fake? Respond to the review Hoteliers should publicly reply to reviews they suspect are fake so anyone reading it can see an honest response. If you don’t recognise the reviewer’s name, state that, but don’t be accusatory. Direct them to your customer service team and ask for more details. Turn to an ethical, verified platform The current standard of online reviews isn’t working. Our own research found that over a third of UK consumers (36%) don’t trust reviews on open platforms where anyone can leave a review, with no human checks in place to ensure the reviewer has purchased a product or service. In contrast, people will trust a review if it’s been verified through robust procedures such as only inviting guests who have paid for the product or service. In a world of fakes, businesses in the travel industry must consider moving to an ‘invite only’ platform so they and their guests know the reviews they see are from real people. The law is on your side The UK Government has introduced measures to clamp down on fake reviews. The Draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill includes proposals to make it illegal to pay someone to write or host fake reviews online. However, it’s unclear when these measures will come into effect and the UK still lags behind the EU. Whilst we wait for greater government support, all businesses must take it into their own hands. Rebuilding trust in the industry Fake reviews can make it hard for travelers to make a decision, but by offering them a trusted platform to access genuine feedback, they can feel more confident booking a hotel stay. Since the Channel 5 show aired, many people might be feeling sceptical about booking their next hotel. It's crucial hoteliers and leaders across the industry use this time to reassure guests by prioritising collecting genuine feedback and introducing measures to stamp out the fakes.