How to spot fake (and real) hotel reviews

Two decades ago, hotel reviews came solely from travel brochures and word of mouth. You'd see the fantastic photo of the property, and a brief description. The actual hotel would usually remain a surprise until you arrived. More often than not, the place would look nothing like what you had expected.

The Internet has changed a lot of that, and hotel reviews are usually refreshingly honest. That said, hotel reviews are also an ever growing source of fake and misleading information.

When anyone can post a review, you'll run into overly positive remarks, as well as an abundance of negativity, most likely because people only tend to voice their opinion when something was bad.

AOL Travel has compiled a list of 10 ways you can determine whether a review is fake. Some of the tips are pretty logical (reviewers with no track record), while others are things you'd not normally think of.

Sites like TripAdvisor are adding warning messages to reviews that may not be entirely honest, and newcomers to the review market like Oyster Hotel Reviews are building their entire business around professional reviews.

So, next time you are shopping for a hotel, pay close attention to the reviews, you'll be amazed how much misinformation there is out there.

Filed under: Hotels and Accommodations