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- TripAdvisor has placed a warning message on the page of a Thai hotel that arrested a guest on defamation charges after he wrote negative reviews.
- Resort with sea views states that American Wesley Barnes wrote “a series of harassment reviews” that led to his legal action.
- Barnes was arrested and spent two nights in prison, facing a possible two-year sentence.
- TripAdvisor paid Barnes’ legal fees and the three parties reportedly reached an agreement that the charges would be dropped and the review removed, but the hotel claims the travel site has retracted its agreement not to add. a warning message.
- In a statement, TripAdvisor said it “strongly opposes any action where a company, such as the Sea View Hotel & Spa on Koh Chang, uses local law to send someone to jail for expressing their opinion.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
TripAdvisor placed a warning message on a hotel page in Thailand after one of its guests was charged with defamation for writing a negative review.
American Wesley Barnes was facing up to two years in prison and spent two nights in a Thai jail after Sea View Resort on Koh Chang arrested him for a negative TripAdvisor review, as Insider’s Kelly McLaughlin previously reported.
The Sea View Resort Tripadvisor page now has a red message at the top warning potential guests, which reads:
“This hotel or individuals associated with this hotel brought criminal charges against a TripAdvisor user in connection with the traveler who wrote and posted reviews online. As a result, the reviewer spent time in jail. TripAdvisor provides better service to its guests. users when travelers are free to share their opinions and experiences on our platform, both positive and negative. The hotel may have been exercising its legal rights under local law, however, it is our role to inform you so that you can have this in mind when researching your travel plans. “
TripAdvisor said in a statement that it “strongly opposes” properties that use local laws to punish travelers for expressing their opinion.
However, Sea View Resort told Insider that Tripadvisor “did not keep their word”, claiming that all parties had reached an agreement that it would not involve the posting of any messages on the website.
Wesley Barnes, who lives in Thailand, visited the island resort in June 2020 and has been accused of posting multiple negative reviews.
Left a one-star review of the property, titled: “Unfriendly staff and horrible restaurant manager.”
Barnes wrote: “Unfriendly staff, no one smiles. They act like they don’t want anyone there. The restaurant manager was the worst. He is from the Czech Republic. He is extremely rude and impolite to guests. Find another place. There are many. with friendlier staff who are happy to have him stay with them. “
However, Barnes had also posted another now-deleted review, accusing the Sea View Resort of “modern slavery,” according to the hotel.
Sea View Resort told Insider that it was this review plus “a series of harassment reviews” that led to its legal action.
The hotel claims it asked Barnes to delete its review and, when he refused, they contacted the police and charged him with defamation. He was arrested in September and then spent two nights in jail while facing two years in prison on the charge. However, the BBC reports that Wesley will now avoid jail after reaching an agreement with the hotel.
Thailand has strict laws against defamation, which can lead to two-year prison sentences or fines of 200,000 baht ($ 6,300).
Hotel claims TripAdvisor backtracked promise not to give them a ‘red badge’
TripAdvisor paid Barnes’s legal fees and he was released from jail, and all parties reportedly reached an agreement that the charges would be dropped if Barnes removed his review and TripAdvisor failed to post a warning on the hotel page.
But visitors to the Sea View Resorts TripAdvisor page are currently greeted with a “red badge” at the top, which can be a “death sentence” for hotels, according to Forbes.
“The hotel is deeply disappointed that TripAdvisor decided to disgrace the deal and put a notification message on the hotel’s website,” Sea View Resort told Insider.
The hotel claims that there was a mediation process with TripAdvisor, the Thailand Tourism Authority and Barnes, after which all parties were satisfied.
“We don’t understand how TripAdvisor breaking its word and being impartial is helpful to any of the parties involved in this case,” he said.
The hotel said further discussions with all parties would be needed “to determine the objectives and reasons for such acts that cause further damage to our reputation.”
The hotel said it had seen a drop in its rating due to the red badge and claims this is “extremely misleading”.
TripAdvisor says it will promote freedom of expression
In a statement sent to Insider, TripAdvisor said: “TripAdvisor believes in the right of every traveler to write about their first-hand travel experiences, good or bad. Travelers love to share good news about their travel and dining experiences on our website. platform. Most of the negative reviews posted are valuable customer service and learning experiences for companies that choose to engage constructively with these comments. “
The statement continued: “However, TripAdvisor strongly opposes any action in which a company, such as Sea View Hotel & Spa on Koh Chang, uses local law to send someone to jail for expressing their opinion. This extraordinary action it is the reason we have taken steps to issue an alert to other travelers, in the form of a notification on the hotel’s profile page on Tripadvisor. “
Wesley Barnes did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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