‘Our 100 specialists spend 24 hours a day making sure our reviews are real’

people that you may not get if their name was tied to a booking.”

Trip Advisor’s Shaw says:“Requiring a proof of stay would dramatically reduce the number of reviews on the site. The average traveler reads dozens of reviews before booking to get the complete picture and make an educated decision based on the opinions of many. We stand by our proven model, which allows hoteliers to respond.”

Last year, it launched its“Friend of a Friend”feature, allowing users to see reviews from their Facebook connections. Engaging with social media is a growing trend among sites – clutter-free homepages with white backgrounds, large images and photos of reviewers with personal profiles are common, while many use people’s Facebook information, offering the chance to see friends’recommendations as well as those of an anonymous online community.

Gogobot (gogobot.com), which was launched in 2010, is led by Travis Katz, former head of international operations at Myspace. As well as reading and posting reviews, users can peruse recommendations from their Facebook friends and Twitter followers, post questions, solicit comments and use the advice to plan an itinerary. It’s an engaging site with a community feel and an emphasis on images.

UK-based travel review site Triptease was launched in 2012. It accumulated more than 35,000 unique users in its first month, and claims to“re-imagine travel reviews.” According to founder Charlie Osmond, “The grand vision is to disrupt Trip Advisor, but not in terms of numbers – in terms of quality, relevance and engagement.”

The site’s format – with reviews presented like glossy magazine spreads,