Oyster Now Features Reviews for More Than 10,000 Hotels

by Ryan Rudnansky
Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, Thu April 2, 2015

Photo courtesy of Oyster.com

Oyster.com, which is built around independent and honest expert hotel reviews, announced on Tuesday that it now features content for more than 10,000 hotels across 76 countries and six continents.

The site, which launched in June 2009 with 250 hotels, has added more than 7,000 properties since it was acquired by TripAdvisor less than a year and a half ago, and it's appeared in numerous major TV programs and publications.

Oyster's appeal lies in its honesty. Many hotels will doctor photos or use different camera angles to make the property look picture-perfect (labeled "photo fakeouts" by Oyster), while there has been an increasing number of reviewers who post inaccurate negative or positive reviews based on personal and professional agendas (like, say, a hotelier blasting a competitor).

But Oyster employs a global network of investigators who visit, photograph, review and rate each hotel. That includes photographing hotels as they see them. You aren't getting an angled shot that makes a hotel pool look larger. Instead of a photo of a couple enjoying peace and serenity on a secluded beach, you may get a photo of a bunch of people lying on beach chairs on the same beach. Oyster sends at least 50 of its trained experts to hotels on any given day.

"A core principle since our founding has been to show and tell people what their hotel is going to be like before they get there," said Oyster co-founder and general manager Eytan Seidman, via a release. "Our goal is to find them just the right property for their needs. With more than 10,000 hotels, 3.6 million unique photos and our expert reviews, travelers have the information they need at their fingertips."

Oyster photos can also be found under "Expert Photos" on TripAdvisor.com.

"The rapid growth Oyster has had since it joined the TripAdvisor family is exciting," said Adam Medros, senior vice president of global product for TripAdvisor. "With the integration of Oyster photos on TripAdvisor under 'Expert Photos,' our millions of monthly travelers have access to the insights they need when planning and booking their trips."

Oyster has also introduced panoramic HDR photos recently. These panoramas allow travelers to get a complete view of a space, from the guestrooms to the lobby to the pools to an entire stretch of beach. The panoramic shots are currently available for 2,800 properties. Combined with standard still shots, Oyster aims to give a clearer picture of hotels to guests.