Oyster.com – a hotel review site known now owned by TripAdvisor – has announced it has now published reviews on more than 10,000 hotels across 76 countries and six continents.
Known as the Hotel Tell-All, Oyster.com launched in June 2009 with just 250 hotels, but since it was acquired by TripAdvisor a year and a half ago, it has added upwards of 7,000 properties.
Oyster sends trained experts to visit, photograph, critique and rate each hotel reviewed on Oyster. These reviews are then featured in a wide range of media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Senior Vice President of Global Product for TripAdvisor, Adam Medros said: “The rapid growth Oyster has had since it joined the TripAdvisor family is exciting.”
“With the integration of Oyster photos on TripAdvisor under ‘Expert Photos,’ our millions of monthly travelers have access to the insights they need when planning and booking their trips.”
Oyster investigators visit, photograph and rate each hotel
Oyster employs a global network of investigators who visit, photograph, review and rate each hotel. At least 50 of its trained experts are out in the field on any given day. Oyster Cofounder and General Manager, Eytan Seidman, said: “A core principle since our founding has been to show and tell people what their hotel is going to be like before they get there. Our goal is to find them just the right property for their needs.
“With more than 10,000 hotels, 3.6 million unique photos and our expert reviews, travelers have the information they need at their fingertips,” Seidman said.
New HDR images provide perspective on hotels
In addition to publishing its 10,000th hotel, Oyster has launched several other changes in recent months. One change is its new panoramic imagery through the use of High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography and fish-eye lenses. Currently available for 2,800 properties, these new panoramas allow consumers to more accurately perceive numerous spaces throughout a hotel, such as the Villa Marbella Suites in the U.S. Virgin Islands, these new panoramas allow consumers to more accurately perceive numerous spaces throughout a hotel, including guest rooms, the lobby, pools, beaches etc.
For some examples of Oyster.com’s reviews, take a look at these for New York City hotels, Miami hotels and London hotels.
