Hotel Owner May Sue TripAdvisor.com

A Volusia County hotel is threatening legal action after a website listed the hotel as one of the dirtiest in the country. According to state officials, the report by TripAdvisor.com paints an inaccurate picture of conditions at The Desert Inn Resort.

The owner, Dennis Devlin, showed WFTV his hotel which is located on Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach. Devlin said he’s furious at the travel website, which advertises reviews from travelers.

“When they put someone on a list, you think they’d at least do an on-site inspection to verify what they’re saying is true,” said Devlin.

Some of the reviews said the Desert Inn Resort has roaches; however, the hotel just passed a state inspection which looks for sanitation and safety violations.

Devlin claims that a majority of the reviews are bogus.

“One person can write two negative reviews a month just by having different e-mail addresses, different IP addresses,” he said.

A spokesperson from TripAdvisor.com told WFTV that the reviews are based on cleanliness ratings from travelers who said they’ve stayed at The Desert Inn Resort.

They said out of hundreds of reviews, 80 percent wouldn’t recommend the hotel.

A spokesperson for the hotel said they don’t ask for confirmation numbers or receipts to prove its travelers stayed at the hotel.

Delvin said it’s unfair and that’s why he plans to sue TripAdvisor.com.

Previous Stories: January 26, 2011: Volusia Co. Hotel Ranked 3rd Dirtiest In U.S.