AI Summaries on Tripadvisor Downplay Hotel Complaints Investigation Finds

The Guardian reported that an AI tool on Tripadvisor generates summaries of hotel reviews that appear on hotel webpages. An investigation by Which? found these summaries downplayed serious complaints including mould, lack of mains water, sexual harassment, and hygiene issues.

The AI summary for the Riu Palace Santa Maria hotel in Cape Verde described spotless cleanliness, spacious rooms, and diverse restaurants with rave reviews. Guests at the property reported being served raw chicken, seeing flies and birds on the buffet, and finding dead roasted mice by the sitting area. A guest whose whole family became ill wrote that the place would destroy holidays.

The hotel chain faces a high court lawsuit from hundreds of guests alleging illnesses linked to poor hygiene standards and food safety failings. The AI summary for that hotel is no longer available. RIU Hotels & Resorts stated it operates with the highest standards of professionalism and service, placing hygienic-sanitary safety as its top priority.

The AI summary for an unnamed Dominican Republic hotel praised abundant amenities while only nodding to inconsistent cleanliness. Guests there reported showering with bottled water because mains taps ran dry and that every other person in a large wedding party became sick.

Guests at an unnamed hotel in Turkey reported feeling unsafe due to repeated sexual harassment from male hotel staff, including requests to connect on social media.

The AI summary for that property described the service as friendly and stated only that lapses in service were noted by a few. Tripadvisor stated it is monitoring and refining its AI tool and is looking into examples where reviews did not match the intended property.