Take online reviews with a pinch of salt

This is the warning today from the New Zealand's motel association after a Katikati motelier was targeted in a scathing online review described as "blackmail".

A disgruntled guest at Kaimai View Motel refused to pay $195 for his night's stay and threatened to write a bad review on Tripadvisor.com - which boasts more than 50 million customer reviews.

Motel owner Tony Drinkwater is now getting legal advice but Motel Association of New Zealand (MANZ) chief executive Michael Baines labelled the incident "dishonest" and "unfair".

"As far as we're concerned this is blackmail, and we're concerned that it's on the increase."

Mr Baines said prospective guests should do a bit more research if they saw a poor review "to see if it is backed up".

When done honestly, online reviews were a useful tool for travellers, Mr Baines said.

"It's a shame that there are some dishonest people out there, who are abusing this system and falsely damaging the reputation of some motels in a bid to save a few dollars," Mr Baines said.

The Sebel Trinity Wharf general manager Gary Dickman said he was well aware of TripAdvisor and said although hotels were at the mercy of anyone online, the site had its benefits.

"People can go on to hotel websites and view the best photos of the best rooms, which is perfectly fine. But it's having a website like TripAdvisor that keeps it real," Mr Dickman said. "However, the challenge of TripAdvisor is that anybody can go on and sign up and review. There's no verification of who they are. A competitor could go on there and write up whatever they wanted."

Lloyd Stone, president of the Motel Association in Tauranga and owner of Bethlehem Motor Inn, said the issue was one of significant concern because moteliers were powerless.

"Anyone can write on there and get away with it," Mr Stone said.

But it's not just the hotels taking flak from unfair reviews. Tauranga restaurants featured on Menumania.co.nz have also found themselves at the tail end of disgruntled customers.

While Amphora on The Strand received many rave reviews, it was tinged with some that expressed disgust at "yuk feta" and olives with stones inside. Owner John Harvey said there wasn't anything he or anyone could really do in response. "You just have to take it on the chin," Mr Harvey said. "With restaurants you can only do as best as you can. If it's [ the review] really, really bad and unjustified then I will want to have my say and respond but at the end of the day restaurants are always going to be criticised. Food, it's a very personal thing."

Mr Harvey said sometimes restaurants might fall short and some reviews might be justified "some others, maybe not".

"Our hands are tied, there's nothing you can do about it."

Craig Cameron, of Latitude 37, said he felt the review sites should have their own reviewer, "rather than Joe Public who might have come in with six people and been pissed and annoying, then gone home to slander you on the internet".

Mr Cameron said the sites did have benefits. "If you are a good restaurant, then you get good reviews."