Tripadvisor AI Summaries Accused of Downplaying Serious Hotel Safety Complaints

An investigation by consumer group Which? has found that Tripadvisor's new artificial intelligence-powered review summaries may be masking serious safety concerns at hotels, including reports of food poisoning, sexual harassment, and significant hygiene failures.

Users browsing Tripadvisor are now presented with AI-generated summaries at the top of hotel listings, intended to offer a quick overview. However, the investigation suggests these summaries can be misleading, failing to reflect the content of user reviews found further down the page.

One example cited is the Riu Palace Santa Maria in Cape Verde. Tripadvisor's AI summary described the resort as "popular with many travellers," with "spacious rooms," "diverse restaurants" receiving "rave reviews," and cleanliness noted as "spotless." In contrast, recent guest reviews reported "exceptionally poor hygiene," "no basic cleaning or hygiene standards," and food described as "awful, bland, unsafe and inedible."

Concerns at the Riu Palace include reports of raw chicken being served, flies and birds in buffet areas, and even "dead little roasted mice by the sitting area." One guest's review stated the resort has the "potential to take lives." As of March this year, Which? found 102 mentions of food poisoning at the Riu Palace, with 32 one and two-star reviews posted between December 2025 and April 2026 detailing serious illness. The hotel is reportedly involved in a group legal action involving at least 412 holidaymakers who claim to have fallen ill, with seven deaths reported since 2023.

Tripadvisor's AI trip-planning bot, Ollie, also reportedly failed to adequately warn about hygiene risks. When asked directly about food poisoning at the Riu Palace, Ollie stated it was "quite unlikely" and that the resort had a "strong reputation for high hygiene standards."

Similar discrepancies were noted at other resorts. The Garza Blanca resort in Cancun, Mexico, received glowing AI summaries highlighting "immaculate cleanliness" and positive dining feedback, despite recent guest reviews reporting illness, including among a wedding party. The Occidental Caribe in the Dominican Republic, described by recent reviewers as a "disaster and disturbing," with a smell of sewage and mould reported, and guests resorting to showering with bottled water due to lack of running water, was summarized with only a vague mention of "inconsistent" cleanliness and "maintenance issues."

Serious allegations of sexual harassment at the Kaia Coracesium on Turkey's Antalya coast were also seemingly downplayed. Reviews described feeling unsafe due to repeated harassment from male hotel staff, including inappropriate jokes and persistent requests for social media details. One reviewer reported a staff member followed her daughter to her room. Tripadvisor's AI summary for this hotel described the service as "friendly," with the closest reference to allegations being "Lapses [in service] noted by a few."

Tripadvisor stated that its AI summaries use large language models to identify common themes in recent reviews to create plain-English overviews, aiming for transparency and impartiality by surfacing a range of feedback. The company said summaries are updated monthly, based on the previous 12 months of reviews, and that all reviews are treated equally.

In contrast, the investigation found Google's AI summaries provided more context. For the Riu Palace, Google's overview warned of "potential for illness" and flagged "outbreaks of illness" and "concerns over birds in the buffet areas." A comparison of the Britannia International hotel in London, known for poor ratings, showed Google accurately highlighting "filthy" conditions, while Tripadvisor's summary praised "clean rooms" and a "charming" atmosphere.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, called the failure to surface critical safety information "unacceptable and potentially life-threatening," urging users to scroll past AI summaries and consult individual reviews and other platforms for safety information.

A Tripadvisor spokesperson stated that the company "fundamentally disagree[s] with the premise of this investigation," asserting that AI summaries are designed to uphold integrity and transparency and are not intended to replace individual reviews. The company added that safeguards are in place to ensure safety information is reflected and that its systems automatically suppress summaries for listings with serious safety incident warnings. Tripadvisor acknowledged that its AI chatbot is in development and that it is investigating reported discrepancies. The company believes travelers have the common sense to cross-reference AI advice with its extensive review database.

RIU Hotels & Resorts provided a statement emphasizing that guest health and safety are its main priority, and its hotels operate with the highest international health and hygiene standards, certified by external firms.