TripAdvisor Versus Orbitz

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There are many, many travel website to choose from these days, which can make it difficult to find one that fits your needs. Generally, most of these sites end up being very similar. TripAdvisor, on the other hand, breaks the mold a little when it comes to travel site. While it offers the same search functionality as other travel sites, its huge bank of user reviews and other extras make it stand out from the rest.

How Does TripAdvisor Work

TripAdvisor is pretty straight forward. You go to the site, type in what you are searching for, like hotels in Miami, and a list of recommended hotels will pop up. Same goes for anything else you search, from car rentals to cruises. It includes information including location, amenities and other information about the hotel/tour/rental.

This is where TripAdvisor starts to differ. In addition to the basics, it offers pricing information from all the other travel sites around the web, starting with the lowest price. It also gives you a link so you can book on a competing travel site, which is an option most travel sites don’t offer.

The best difference is the heart of TripAdvisor: User reviews. TripAdvisor has a great bank of user reviews for almost every hotel, tour, car rental and flight it has on its site. These user reviews can go into great detail about important things you need to know, like the condition of the rooms, customer service, kid friendliness, the best time of year to go, and other essentials. These reviews are what makes TripAdvisor one of the most popular travel sites on the web.

Can I Trust TripAdvisor Reviews?

Generally, TripAdvisor does a good job of looking over the reviews to see if they are legitimate before posting them. Businesses are also given an opportunity to reply to any reviews, giving them the opportunity to thank the user for good reviews or to contest bad reviews or offer apologies or compensation for mistakes they made.

The one issue with user reviews is that people’s experience with a business can vary wildly, depending on their personality, the time of year, the current management, etc., so it produce very different reviews. Luckily, TripAdvisor boasts over 500 million reviews on its site, so instead of focusing on one review, you can usually tell the quality of a business based on how many good reviews versus how many bad reviews it has.

Common Reviews About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is one of the most popular travel sites in the world. With over 300 million users and 500 million reviews, it is one of the most-used travel sites, which generally puts it at the top of the list when it comes to professional reviews.

User reviews of the site can be mixed, though. While many rave about TripAdvisor and its honest take on travel, some are not convinced that all reviews on the site are 100% accurate, and they would be correct. Besides blatant promotion, there is no real way for TripAdvisor to determine the fake reviews from the real ones, which is a similar problem that Yelp has.

Anyone can register to be a member, and you never have to prove that you stayed at a hotel or even traveled to a destination. While TripAdvisor does have some safeguards against fraudulent reviews, it can’t police all 500 million reviews, not to mention the user forums. So businesses could create fake profiles to boost their ratings, while competitors can do the same to drag ratings down.

If you want to avoid being fooled by a fake review, the best thing to do is read a large swatch of reviews to get a clearer picture. If 10 people compliment a business’ customer service, and one person pans it, then the business probably has pretty good customer service.

Can I Get Deals on TripAdvisor?

For many years, TripAdvisor did not offer its own bookings through the site and only offered options to book through third-party sites. Recently, TripAdvisor started offering its own booking option for many hotels, excursions, etc. Even so, the site really doesn’t offer any deals of its own to its readers.

TripAdvisor does, however, collect the best prices from travel sites around the web, so you can often find the best travel deals on the web through TripAdvisor, even if the deal is offered on another travel site. The best part is that TripAdvisor also organizes the prices it displays based on the cheapest price, so you always know that you are getting the best deal.

About the Author

Alex

Orbitz got its start as a collaborative effort between several airlines that wanted to give travelers a convenient way to compare flight options and prices. Some of the companies involved in making Orbitz include United Airlines, American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Delta Airlines and Continental Airlines. The companies invested in the project in 1999, but Orbitz wasn’t officially founded until 2001.

The company has grown considerably since it started beta testing in 2001. Today, travelers can search for deals on flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and activities. The site also lets users combine services into low-cost packages. Packages typically include a flight and hotel, but they can also include a flight and car rental, a hotel and car rental or a flight, hotel room and car rental.

How Does Orbitz Work?

Orbitz has made its online system very easy to use. When you visit the website, you choose what type of travel service you want to browse. You also enter your destination, the day you plan to arrive, the day you plan to depart and how many people (adults and children) will go with you. If you’re booking a flight, then you will also include your departure city.

Once you click the search button, Orbitz will give you dozens or hundreds of options, depending on what’s available. Someone taking a flight from New York to L.A. will typically have more options to consider than someone flying between two small towns.

When exploring flights, you can organize your results by airline, number of stops and departure time. Orbitz will also use its “flexible date” feature so you can see if adjusting your trip by a few days will lower the price.

When browsing hotel rooms, you can organize your results by price per night and the number of stars that hotels receive. Most hotel room results come with professional photographs that show you what the property looks like. Most listings also have descriptions that tell you about features like free cancellations, dining options, property features, amenities and other information. You can click on any hotel to learn more about it.

Results on Orbitz look similar when you browse rental cars, cruises and other travel services. You always have a chance to organize listings by price. You can also learn more about each service by clicking on its listing.

What Makes Orbitz Stand Out?

Orbitz takes a comprehensive approach to travel that many websites cannot compete with. When you use Orbitz, you know that you can book all of the travel services and accommodations that you need through one website. This can help you keep your plans organized. In some cases, it can also help you save money.

Orbitz also stands out for its Orbitz Rewards program. The program lets you earn points by booking rooms in eligible hotels and scheduling flights. You can also earn extra points by using an Orbitz Rewards Visa Card. Once you earn enough points, you can turn them in for free hotel rooms and flights. Unlike some companies, Orbitz doesn’t blackout popular dates for people redeeming points.

Common Reviews of Orbitz

For the most part, people like Orbitz because it gives them an easy way to find travel deals without visiting several websites. The website works quickly, so you can plan an entire family vacation in a matter of minutes. Travelers also like the amount of information that Orbitz gives them about hotel rooms and activities that they may want to explore during their travels.

Despite the large numbers of people who love using Orbitz, some people say that they have had negative experiences with the company. Many of the negative reviews focus on poor customer services. Some say that the customer service reps don’t care about meeting the needs of Orbitz users. For instance, one person says that Orbitz wouldn’t help him get an extra night in his hotel even though his flight got canceled. Another person says that Orbitz charged her hundreds of dollars to bring a baby on board.

While it’s easy to see why people might get upset with Orbitz, it’s worth wondering how many of these problems the company could solve. After all, Orbitz can only book a room for you if a hotel has an available space. Regarding the woman with her child, Orbitz doesn’t set prices. Airlines set their prices and fees. Orbitz just makes it easy for you to compare your options. Keep these restrictions in mind when you talk to a customer service rep working for Orbitz and similar travel companies.

Can I Get Deals on the Orbitz Site?

Orbitz encourages travelers to find deals that will make their adventures more affordable. The website has a “Deals” section that features weekly discounts from hotels, airlines and car rental agencies.

Of course, you can also get deals by packaging your travel services. You could save a few hundred dollars by booking your flight and hotel room at the same time through Orbitz. At the very least, you should explore the option to see how much money it may help you save.

You can also get travel deals by joining Orbitz Rewards. With Orbitz Rewards, people who travel a lot can accumulate points quickly. When you cash those points in, you can get free flights and hotel rooms. Orbitz doesn’t prevent you from cashing in your points on busy (blackout) days. You can use them even on busy holidays when paying customers want more flights and hotel rooms.

About the Author

Alex