My approach to review sites like Tripadvisor has never been to rely on a single review. I’m looking for themes, and I’m looking at photos. Too many people rate things for the wrong reasons. They’ll trash the Ritz-Carlton Central Park because room service is expensive. Because it’s the Ritz-Carlton. In Manhattan. They just aren’t evaluating the thing for what it is . The average person doesn’t have good taste anyway. I’m not looking for average. Too many reviews are fake, either put up by an owner, manager or other interested party – or by a competitor. However specific comments that keep coming up over and over are likely more salient. Mold. Long waits at the desk. Thin walls. Dirty pool. One mention isn’t useful, but consistent mentions suggest something about a hotel that’s likely true. The same goes for photos. Enough of them with an issue and it’s probably not faked by a competitor. In some places you can’t trust the reviews at all, because there’s a strong reason to believe the content isn’t honest.…