The Importance of Sharing: TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choices

By Denis Horgan | Last updated Jan 25, 2010, 8:52 am

I’m just back from a quick trip to New York. We stayed at the Warwick Hotel which was really nice. Wonderfully located, reasonable, great staff, lovely rooms, good food.

I know that. You now know that. Shouldn’t more people know that?

Well, they will because I’ll be sharing the experience on tripadvisor.com. It’s only fair because I draw on the expriences of so many others when I hit the road. You wouldn’t start a journey without looking at a map so, too, you should look at the map of our fellow travelers’ experiences. What have people found about this hotel, that city? What do folks who have been there recommend? Lots of people.

TripAdvisor is my favorite, but there are others. I never take a trip without first running the destination through TripAdvisor to see what’s what. Tens of thousands of people chip in. Some are cranks. Some are impossibly demanding. Some are shills. But over the vast base, a picture comes into focus. Already some 450 people or so have rated the Warwick. If you look at the comments, there’s a tough call up front — which could chill you off if that was the only thing you’d heard — but, over all and over time, 85 percent recommend the place. That’s helpful.

How would we know otherwise?

Another neat thing is that tripadvisor assesses all this information and, occasionally, shares a nifty list of top places. Their Travelers’ Choice 2010 hotel list is now out and it makes for fun reading — and great imagination-sparking. Want to know what people think are the best hotels in Europe or the United States? Take a peek. Best bargain hotels? Best for the family? It’s there. Going to Cordoba or Chicago, Dublin or Des Moines? You can find out what others have found out. Normal people.

And when you get back, add to the store of knowledge. Share and share alike isn’t advice restricted to kindergarteners.