Using TripAdvisor to your Advantage

TripAdvisor is written by travelers FOR travelers. And Trip Advisor is a great resource for researching your next timeshare exchange request.  Here are some tips for using Trip Advisor...

Reading Reviews

Look for trends when looking through the reviews for a resort.  If there is a single complaint about a strange smell, you should be much less concerned than if you see several different complaints. Trip Advisor can be very overwhelming, if you let it.  It is necessary to learn how to navigate all the reviews.  Realize there will be negative review for every property...even the best property. Look for a consistent theme.

Be aware of the date of the reviews. Both the season and the age of the review can change its impact.  For example, the ocean can be different at different times of the year (seaweed, wind/waves, etc.). Also, older reviews may have been remedied...especially if a property has undergone a renovation or upgrade.

Consider reviews by people similar to you. For example, a family with children may have a different experience than a couple traveling without kids.

Also consider setting a time limit when reading reviews.  For example, allow yourself 10 minutes to scroll through and read random reviews on one property, and avoid the temptation to read every review. 

Look at the Photos

Make sure you look at the photos other travelers have taken. They can be very revealing about a property, especially the ones that were recently taken. The photos used by resorts for marketing purposes are staged and could be taken a long time ago.

Post a Question

If you have a concern, you can ask a reviewer a question (sometimes, if they have allowed this in their profile).  You can also post a question to the general public within Trip Advisor.  I recently did this before going to the Marriott on St. Kitts, and received lots of helpful feedback, ranging from activities for teens to grocery store and restaurant tips.

More tips...

There is a City Guides App you can use on your mobile phone. And when you are researching you can click the "save" button and check your "Saved Trips" later. 

Check out other review sites

Trip Advisor is a great place to hear recent reviews, but there are other sites for research: Fodors, Frommers, Zagat and Lonely Planet.

Good luck in your research!