Trip advisor

[roxytoo]

Just got this from TA


'Jacki, could you take this booking?
One of our travellers, Brian C, recently tried to book a place like yours, but it wasn’t available. We’d like to recommend your rental as a great alternative!
Property: Villa xxxxxx
Dates: October 1 - 8, 2017, 7 nights
Guests: 7 adults
Yes, recommend my rental!
No thanks, but send me similar alerts''

[kg1]

New one to me. Especially as they always have pop ups of other properties on your advert anyway. Are you sure it's genuine?

[roxytoo]

Yes pretty sure

[e-richard]

Yes, I'd guess it was genuine too.

(sort of) Unrelated I was recently checking my listing on HomeAway anonymously and suddenly found a pop-under window with recommendations from TripAdvisor for "similar properties". It shows that they're trying....

[FelicityA]

But I don't understand why they are asking? Can't they just put your place in front of their disappointed client? Surely, that is what you are paying them for anyway. Are they just trying to ingratiate themselves with you?

[kg1]

But I don't understand why they are asking? Can't they just put your place in front of their disappointed client? Surely, that is what you are paying them for anyway. Are they just trying to ingratiate themselves with you?

Have been with them for about 10 years and never had that message, which is why I questioned whether it was genuine.

[Marks]

What's the email address this has come from?

[roxytoo]

rentals@e.tripadvisor.com

[FelicityA]

Isn't that a doubtful looking email address?
edited to say, I checked it out and it is legit as a tripadvisor email. I still don't 'get' it though...

[roxytoo]

No I've checked it and its ok

[Joanna]

I had one of those a few months ago. I think it was for dates that I'd marked unavailable and at the time I wondered whether it was TA fishing to see if the dates really were unavailable or not.

is yours for available dates?

[roxytoo]

yes I am available. It is genuine. Just seems odd as they always in the past have just shown extra properties anyway, seems odd to come through to me directly to ask if they can put it forward.

[Perran]

I've had at least two of these messages and I have said yes in the hope that the travellers might be interested. They are genuine. I don't think they did bring in extra business though.

[russellt]

Are they just trying to ingratiate themselves with you?

+1

I have had several of these in the past few months. They are genuine, but have never resulted in new bookings.

I think FelicityA is correct. What with all the other important communications that they send(Badges, Awards, Certificates of Excellence, Advice, 'You're Doing Great' messages, etc, etc), they clearly feel that they need to keep us onside. So, why not ask us if, perchance, we'd like them to do something crazy like promote our accommodation to prospective bookers? Probably gets a 99.999% positive response rate - a statistic to publish in their annual report, I guess.

[e-richard]

.. seems odd to come through to me directly to ask if they can put it forward.

Please don't take this personally, but the message you're getting is just a stock phrase of Marketing BS from the Handbook of Travel Sales ruses.

Its in the same category as

Only two seats left at this price
There are 41 other travellers looking to book
This was fully booked on 32nd August 2016

Yup, its just a computerised random number generator and precious little to do with reality !