Taos is a place with a long history and with deep cultural roots extending back into time immemorial. Those of us who call it home know this and the world knows this, but TripAdvisor.com does not know this. My previous posts lauded Trip Advisor for how wonderful it can be to promote tourism. Unfortunately, there's a dark side to their story when it comes to Taos.
If one were to describe Taos, they would have to do so on many levels. Historical, cultural, political, demographics, geography, climate, and more. To be sure there is what we all know of as the Town of Taos, but there are all of Taos' additional places that have never been incorporated, but are nontheless a part of the culture, heritage, history and politics of Taos. El Prado. Ranchos de Taos. Arroyo Seco, Arroyo Hondo and more.
When Trip Advisor set up designations for lodgers in what we know of as Taos, they decided that they would use Zip Code designations. This means that a businesses location on Trip Advisor will be determined by its Zip Code and not by where it actually belongs or where it identifies itself as actually being. This also means that even if a business belongs to a Professional Association such as the Taos Lodgers Association or the Taos Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns, Trip Advisor will designate its location by its Zip Code.
When you're looking for Trip Advisor reviews and information, do you search by Zip Code? If not, will you click on something called "Taos County" when there's an adjancent link called "Taos."
It's a shameful thing because it is arbitrary, unfair and harmful. Visitors to TripAdvisor.com's Taos page will not see businesses that are outside of Taos' Zip Code 87571. In order to find our peers in El Prado, Ranchos, Arroyo Hondo, Arroyo Seco and more, a visitor to their website must somehow find and click on the "Taos County" page. This means that visitors are not allowed to find the all of the members of our business community unless they are pretty good researchers.
Compare this to a visit to the "Dallas" page on TripAdvisor.com. When the page appears, it contains listings for businesses in Grand Prairie, Duncanville, Irving and more. There is no Dallas County page whatsoever. These are towns listed on one page, not separated out by Zip Codes, but fully formed cities with populations of greater than 100,000 people each. Visitors don't have to dig around looking for choices because they're already given to them. They don't have to look at Dallas County like they would have to do here.
Why the difference, Trip Advisor?
When we spoke to Trip Advisor representatives at the recent Professional Association of Innkeepers International conference in Charleston, SC, they began a circular argument that even they ultimately agreed fell flat. Here's what they said, then caught themselves: "Only Zip Codes matter, but in places like Dallas visitors don't know the names of these smaller cities, so we include them in "Dallas," but since it's all about Zip Codes, Taos' lodgers must all identify themselves by Zip Code only, although Dallas is different."
Huh?
It's not just Dallas. Look at any TripAdvisor page for any large city and you'll see that they have conveniently included all of the bedroom communities in the city's designation. Not so here.
What's the harm? Guests will never see reviews of some of the best B&B's in the Southwest unless they can somehow figure out that TripAdvisor has excluded them from Taos. Visitors will never see Adobe and Pines Inn, designated as one of the "Best of the Southwest" or the Little Tree Inn, the nation's only true all-adobe Inn.
After repeated attempts by various individual businesses to get Trip Advisor to change this and after being told a variety of things, including "No," it's time to get some of our Professional Associations and public officals involved. Therefore, I'm asking that if you have the time, to please approach the Taos County Chamber of Commerce, the Taos Lodger's Association, the Taos Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns, the Taos Town Council, the Taos County Commissioners, the Tourism Association of New Mexico, and anyone else you feel may OFFICIALLY present this problem to Trip Advisor.
Write a letter of follow my Forum posts.
Trip Advisor, LLC
141 Needham St.
Newton, MA 02464
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i14281-k4177751-l30721587-Incorrect_Geographic_Listings_in_Taos_Area-Owners.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i12104-k4177765-l30715037-Geographic_Designations_of_Properties_in_Taos_New_Mexico-Help_us_make_TripAdvisor_better.html
Our local businesses are being hurt. It's time to get this fixed.
1 comment:
I hope, it's OK
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