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Tripadvisor Musings
Author: Victoria Langmead
Having read a couple of negative reports on Tripadvisor, a client recently questioned my recommendation of Stanley’s Safari Lodge in Livingstone, Zambia. I reassured them that two of us from Aardvark Safaris had visited in the last twelve months as well as many clients. Our own thoughts and those of our clients were all positive.
It got me thinking about this type of site and the user generated content on it, all part I believe of Web 2.0. Why were there negative reports posted when all the feedback I was getting was positive? I think there are probably two major reasons:
1. We’re lucky at Aardvark Safaris to receive many thank you letters, but I think in general people having a bad experience are more likely to post reports on this type of site than those having a good one. It’s a way of getting things off your chest and feeling you’ve ‘got your own back’ when you’ve ‘been treated badly’.
2. Stanley’s Safari Lodge is not for everyone and people may have been miss-sold their stay there, or bought it through the web without picking up on a number of items we make an effort to make clients aware of (and which those of our clients who stay there see as positives):
- It’s not within walking distance of the Victoria Falls (most people’s first reason for staying in Livingstone)
- Many of its rooms are open sided (great views from your bed, but not everyone’s cup of tea)
- It’s intimate and doesn’t allow the anonymity many people want in hotels
- The rooms have a rustic African style, expected in safari camps, but not necessarily during a stay in Livingstone.
Are these sites useful? I think they probably are, if only to highlight the things people ought to be asking their tour operator about.
Are they fair? I think it depends how much credence people give them. Interestingly a large number of positive posts soon followed the run of negative responses, presumably provoked by them, and therefore some balance was achieved.