TripAdvisor has recently announced a new feature that will allow Innkeepers to report any issues regarding blackmail threats from their guests. We've taught these recent reporting changes as part of our Acorn University, and also at the recent PAII conference in Vegas, but wanted to document them in our blog as a reference for all Innkeepers.
Any guest demanding special treatment - with a threat of writing a bad review on TripAdvisor - is against TripAdvisor policy - and may also be illegal.
In their official release TripAdvisor recommends that your report the details of the blackmail immediately for best results. Lisa Kolb spoke with a TripAdvisor employee by phone, and was informed that a blackmail report submitted after the review has been posted will still be considered, but a report submitted before the negative review is posted will help TripAdvisor to make sure to flag that review in advance of it being posted.
In the event that you have problems or questions in regards to your TripAdvisor account or their Web site. TripAdvisor's customer service numbers are 866-322-5942 and 617-431-5424.
Blackmail Reporting Process
Below we have included screenshots of the Blackmail Reporting Process to provide step by step instructions for this feature. In TripAdvisor's official release - they do warn that "Property Managers who abuse this new tool will be penalized." - so please be careful to only use this feature for relevant reporting.
thanks so much for this post … I caught your session at PAII also. I’m going to fwd the link to this very helpful article to WBBA members!
we recently had a guests claim tht someone had gotten into the safe and taken some money from her and that if we did not give US$50.00 and free night stay she would write a bad review, we reported this to tripadvisor and so far they have ignored us.
What can we do about it ? please advise
Thank you
Hotel Terrasol
Dear Hotel Terrasol,
Did you file the report via the forms shown in this Blog Post? Was it in advance of the review being posted? Also, have you tried to call TripAdvisor per the numbers in this post?
Lisa
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