Kishore Bitra thought he’d found the perfect hotel in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The detailed customer reviews praised the property’s “upscale” amenities and “attentive” service. But when Bitra checked into his room, he found something entirely different: a broken air conditioner, dirty sheets and a property in a state of disrepair.
Then he took a closer look at the user comments and noticed they were all posted the same week. To the average guest, that might not seem strange. But to Bitra, an engineer who works for the city of Baltimore, it raised a red flag.
How AI Can Manufacture Trust
“These aren’t real people,” he concluded. “They’re AI agents managed by reputation management firms.”
More than 20% of luxury hotel reviews were AI-generated in 2025, according to Originality.ai, a content verification tool that detects AI-generated text. That’s double the rate in 2022. The fakes skew flattering: 57% of them carried five stars. A recent survey by WalletHub shows that 83% of Americans are concerned about being manipulated by AI.
“It’s become very difficult to sort the actual customer reviews from the auto-generated ones,” said Joe Cronin, president of International Citizens Insurance.
Travel companies can use generative AI to flood the zone with synthetic praise and bury legitimate complaints. Companies may also use AI to remove blemishes from photos, erase power poles and brick walls from listings, or make crowded resort beaches look pristine.
They can create AI sock puppets — fake digital identities with credible histories that post across multiple platforms to drown out real voices.
One-third of adults in a recent study couldn’t tell the difference between an AI-generated image and a real one.
“AI now allows companies to influence search results, automate reassuring responses and control the flow of information in ways that make it harder for travelers to understand what the experience is really like,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “AI helps travel providers charge consumers more as well, from the booking price to how much you pay for incidentals after the fact.”
Three Signs a Travel Review May Be Fake
Companies may be using AI to manufacture trust at scale. Experts point to several warning signs:
- Reviews arrive in a burst. Legitimate reviews trickle in over months. If a hotel gets 20 glowing reviews on a Tuesday and nothing for the rest of the month, it may be a bot farm.
- The language is too polished. Real people mention staff names or specific, messy details. AI tends to favor generic praise such as “exceptionally attentive.”
- The reviews repeat an error. One resort had 47 consecutive five-star reviews that all mentioned a restaurant three blocks away. The restaurant had been closed for two years.
“I ignore 5-star and 1-star reviews,” Bitra said. “The 3-star review is usually written by a rational human being who actually stayed there.”
Look for human details, such as mentions of a noisy ice machine, broken elevator or terrible service. A real reviewer discusses the bed and shower; generic claims about “excellent service” deserve more scrutiny.
How to Protect Your Travel Budget
AI-generated content is getting harder to distinguish from human-generated text. Some platforms have introduced “verified purchase” badges, which can help consumers evaluate reviews.
Other AI systems can change the website you’re browsing based on your habits, making a product look more appealing. These systems can be difficult to detect, so compare information across multiple sources and study the fine print before booking.
Treat online reviews skeptically until you can verify the experience through consistent details, recent photographs and feedback spread over time.
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. Reporting by Christopher Elliott, Special to USA TODAY.
Add a Comment