Who do you hate?

I’ve been critical of TripAdvisor, the site that let’s you “rate” resorts, in the past. Despite the company’s best efforts, its reviews are easy to manipulate by hotels, making them difficult to trust. But yesterday, TripAdvisor did right in my book by releasing its TripAdvisor Travelcast poll.

Why do I like it? It doesn’t just show what travelers prefer. It also reveals what they abhor.

For example, when it comes to airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines and Northwest Airlines were named “least favorite.”

Among airports, Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta Hartsfield International and New York’s JFK International rounded out the bottom.

I noticed that a separate poll was released in the UK and published in The Guardian, that indicated Brits disdain Ryanair and Heathrow Airport.

I applaud TripAdvisor for taking a different approach to the tired “best of” travel polls that every travel magazine tends to do at this time of year. Nice work!

But … and you knew there was going to be a “but” … TripAdvisor can do better.

First of all what’s with the “proprietary” — as in “proprietary TripAdvisor Travelcast”? A poll, by definition, is proprietary. Did the lawyers make them say that? That’s just silly.

Second, if TripAdvisor really polled “nearly 4,000 travelers,” as it claims, then they should offer a detailed breakdown of each category, including numbers of votes.

Why don’t they release that information? Having been involved with lots of polls myself, I suspect it’s because some airlines or destinations received so few votes to make them statistically insignificant.

And finally, while I like the little trendlets at the beginning of the press release — “Baring it All”, “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and “Love is in the Air” — I would prefer to see the actual results, including the questions and the answers, and then make my own mind up about the data.

TripAdvisor should be commended for going against the grain with its Travelcast poll. But like its hotel ratings, it has some work to do before its Travelcast is entirely believable.

Update: TripAdvisor contacted me this morning and agreed to send me the unfiltered survey results. Stay tuned for details. (10/30)

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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