Greg Sterling at the Kelsey Group pointed me to a New York Times article (reg wall) on the issues with relying on consumer reviews for advice on hotels. What are the issues:
1) The hotels are managing the review process by either offering incentives (like discounts) to consumers who review the property or in some cases manufacturing fake reviews.
2) As a consumer, you really don't know the identity of the reviewer and whether you have anything in common with that person.
These issues are common across all of social search -- not just in the travel space. How do I know the Judy's Book review on a local dentist wasn't submitted by his dental assistant? The real answer is you don't. The Judy's Book team would answer that they are developing an algorhythm that ranks the trustworthiness of the reviewer.
So what is the solution? I like getting advice from two types of people: people I know personally (or friends of friends) or people I share interests with. This solution solves the travel problem by taking hotel advice from others in your social circle who have stayed at the property. This solves the identity issue. Shared interests is a little bit tougher. In the hotel space, I would take advice from travelers who liked properties that I like. For instance, if I like the Hotel de Russie in Rome, despite the fact that I can't afford it, I would be interested in hearing Paris hotel suggestions from other travelers who also liked that hotel.
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