GuidePal fights back against false online user reviews – the popular app launches curated hotel recommendations
The fast-growing Swedish app company GuidePal has launched a hotel booking service on its webpage. GuidePal’s three million users are being offered an objective alternative to dubious reviews and user generated content on the Internet. The hotels in the GuidePal guides have gone through a meticulous selection process, and the booking is provided by renowned partners such as hotels.com and booking.com.
The new service was launched partly due to pressure from users, who felt fooled after having trusted false user reviews on booking sites.
“It makes me angry and frustrated when our users tell me how much they’ve enjoyed our guides, but that the standard of accommodation during their trip left them feeling disappointed. Many travellers trust user reviews blindly, but more often than not the hotels don’t live up to their five stars,” says GuidePal CEO Peter Schierenbeck. “This is why we have chosen to add selected hotels to our apps, and the possibility to see availability and book rooms directly from our webpage.”
False reviews are considered a serious problem in the travel industry, with some claiming that the inflation in positive user reviews has undermined the credibility of booking sites that depend on user generated content (UGC). According to Chris Emmins from Kwikchex, an online reputation management service, as much as 20 percent of the reviews on TripAdvisor are false. Recently, TripAdvisor was banned by ASA, the Advertising Standards Authority, from claiming that its reviews are from real travellers, or are ‘honest, real or trusted’.
The hotels featured in GuidePal’s city guide apps have gone through the same meticulous selection process as the other recommendations in the guides, where locals together with travel journalists have handpicked the best each city has to offer. Initially, the booking service will be available for a dozen selected destinations – it will be added to remaining destinations this spring. Booking service partners are booking.com, hotels.com, Expedia, Venere and Tablet. Current destinations are New York City, London, Paris, Singapore, Bangkok, New Delhi, Rome and Krakow.
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For further information and media enquiries please contact:
Peter Schierenbeck, CEO GuidePal Group
Tel: +46 70 950 00 94
GuidePal provides free city guides via mobile platforms (iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone), covering more than 60 major destinations across the globe. With over three million downloads, GuidePal is constantly expanding its portfolio and has offices in London, Shanghai, and Stockholm. All content is created by a unique collaboration between locals and leading travel journalists who handpick the best their city has to offer, ensuring that the traveller has an authentic and in-the-know experience with GuidePal.