Surrey licensee urges Tripadvisor to create pub listing

The Merry Harriers in Hambledon, Surrey, which has three letting rooms, appears under two listings on the site – restaurants and hotels - but publican Colin Stoneley warns the system has resulted in reviewers leaving feedback under the wrong tabs and cites a single ‘pub’ heading as a solution.  

Accuracy​

“There are several reviews in the hotel listing from people who have never stayed and just popped in for a pint,” Stoneley told the PMA​. “Likewise there are reviews under restaurants from people who stayed because they were attending weddings etc elsewhere but never ate or drank here.”

In addition, the licensee said his letting rooms were listed on the website as being 1.8 miles away from his pub.

“To further complicate things, we are in Hambledon, Surrey but there is also a Hambledon in Hampshire,” he said. “If you go to the latter, local attractions include Vann Gardens, which is actually one mile from here.

"While TripAdvisor cannot be expected to check the factual accuracy of reviews, they have a duty to make sure the accuracy of locations, at the very least, is correct.”

Attraction​

However, a spokeswoman for TripAdvisor said the mileage error was “in the process of being changed”. “If the map on the actual listing is not correct the owner can send the correct coordinates through to us through the management system,” she said.

She also pointed out that pubs and bars that do not serve a sit-down food menu option could still be listed on the site as an “attraction”.

“We would encourage bar and pub owners to register their businesses on the site​,” she added.

“Nothing is more important to us than ensuring travellers gain an accurate and useful picture of the businesses and destinations they research on TripAdvisor. As such, we do welcome feedback from our community of travellers and owners on any listing they feel is inaccurate.”

“We don’t comment on potential site enhancements, but I can say that we’re always exploring ways to improve the site, and we do take on board the feedback we get from business owners and our community in our planning process.”