Israeli Hotels Accused of Paying Guests to Remove Negative Reviews

An Israeli television report has revealed alleged practices by hotels, particularly the Leonardo Club Dead Sea, where guests who leave negative reviews are reportedly offered compensation in exchange for altering or removing their feedback. This raises questions about the authenticity of ratings on booking platforms like Booking.com.

A recording aired by Channel 13 features a hotel representative discussing compensation with a guest who posted a negative review. The guest expressed willingness to soften her language and add positive remarks about the staff member she spoke with, but refused to delete the review entirely, stating her intention was to warn other families about potential negative experiences, not to gain financial compensation. "I am not going to delete it. Not for any money in the world," she asserted.

Further testimony from a former employee of a major Israeli hotel chain, identified only as A., suggests this is not an isolated incident. For six years, A. claims her job involved monitoring booking sites, especially Booking.com, for negative reviews and low ratings. Hotel representatives would then contact these guests, offering improved accommodations or compensation, often with the explicit request to remove the negative review or post a positive one instead.

According to A., this was a structured, weekly process. Each Monday, staff would review weekend feedback, contact guests who rated the hotel below six out of ten, investigate their complaints, offer compensation, and attempt to secure a more favorable review. This practice could potentially explain discrepancies between serious guest complaints and a hotel's seemingly high overall rating.

The report concludes that Booking.com ratings should not be the sole basis for choosing accommodation. It advises cross-referencing information across multiple booking sites, checking social media, and seeking additional opinions, as high ratings may not always reflect the genuine experiences of all guests.

Booking.com stated that it employs dedicated teams and technological tools to detect and prevent reviews that violate its platform's policies.