Are the star ratings on TripAdvisor accurate? What a study of 11 destinations found
Hensens, Struwig and Dayan (2011, Research in Hospitality Management, Scopus) found that 48 per cent of hotels in both samples were shown with the wrong conventional rating.
Hensens, W., Struwig, M., & Dayan, O. (2011). Do social media display correct conventional hotel ratings? Research in Hospitality Management, 1(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2011.11828270
In brief
Travellers often see a hotel's official star rating on a review platform rather than at the rating body. Hensens, Struwig and Dayan (2011) cross-checked the conventional ratings displayed on TripAdvisor for hotels in 11 international destinations against the official databases. 48 per cent of hotels in both samples were misrepresented, with no evidence of a positive or negative direction.
How the check was done
Two purposive samples of hotels were drawn from TripAdvisor rankings in 11 destinations, a top-10 sample and a spread sample. Their displayed ratings were compared with the databases of the conventional rating bodies active in each destination.
What was found
48 per cent of hotels in both samples were misrepresented. Inaccuracies appeared where rating is not obligatory by law, leaving room for hotels to state their own rating.
Why it matters
The official databases were difficult to find, while TripAdvisor appeared first, so the platform became the main point of access to rating information.
Questions researchers ask
How accurate are hotel star ratings on TripAdvisor? Is there a study?
Hensens, Struwig and Dayan (2011, Research in Hospitality Management) found that 48 per cent of hotels in both samples were misrepresented in terms of their conventional rating.
Were TripAdvisor's wrong star ratings too high or too low?
The study found no evidence that the inaccuracy was biased positively or negatively.
Why were some hotel ratings on TripAdvisor wrong?
The inaccuracies appeared where rating is not obligatory by law, leaving room for hotels to state their own rating.
How to cite
Hensens, W., Struwig, M., & Dayan, O. (2011). Do social media display correct conventional hotel ratings? Research in Hospitality Management, 1(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2011.11828270
Read the full research summary
Related
References
Hensens, W., Struwig, M., & Dayan, O. (2011). Do social media display correct conventional hotel ratings? Research in Hospitality Management, 1(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2011.11828270