Indie hotels hurt by Web rating systems

Thank you for the insightful article “Decoding Hotel Ratings: What’s a Star-Crossed Traveler to Do?” [Internet Traveler, Aug. 29]. One thing you didn’t mention, which I think is pertinent, is that InterActiveCorp also owns TripAdvisor and Citysearch.

This is frightening to independent hotels such as mine, which have become more of a target for businesses such as Hotels.com, Travelocity and Expedia as chain hotels regain control of their pricing and inventory.

The fear stems from rating systems that don’t allow for the uniqueness of a market or property. In Palm Springs, there are about 80 small resorts, inns, motels and hotels that are personable, historical, architecturally significant and unique operations. Most of these fall off the rating chart completely.

The guidance the goliaths are giving consumers is profit-driven, favoring larger hotels, which will sign the most lucrative contracts.

How soon before these companies have so much control over the marketplace, including customer opinion and ratings, that they will be virtually running our hotels? Not long.

Casey Jones

Island Manager, Caliente Tropics Resort

Palm Springs