TA have not removed it, other members have by reporting using the innapropriate post option.
The OP (or others) can ask to get it reinstated & it most likely will be if it was travel related & all within TA guidelines.

As I have not read the post myself, can I ask why members considered it inappropriate?
Just noticed there are 94 guests online - we must be having some party

The above problems with TA are one of the reasons I much prefer HT. People can just click on report a post and it goes, no Moderator looks in to it or makes a considered decision about if it is a reasonable report. The Algarve forum on there is currently trying to cover up all the problems with muggings, gang warfare & stabbings in certain areas. There is no meaningful discussion is to be had, a whole group of regulars reporting every negative post, some have business interests there.

Whole threads, just disappear overnight including those from people who have unfortunately been involved, their experiences are disputed, dismissed and then vanish. It's a bit like the secret police.

At least on HT we have meaningful discussions and sometimes things may get a little bit heated or go near the knuckle at times, but you feel you can ask a question and hopefully get a warts and all answer and not a sanitised, rose tinted version. Most people would rather know the truth, it probably wont even stop them from going somewhere, it will just make them more aware of how to look after themselves.

Doe

As I have not read the post myself, can I ask why members considered it inappropriate?

Because there are people who will not have anything wrong said about a place, they will not allow anything negative to be posted, even a post about some poor disabled soul being robbed because many have a vested interest....and it happens on other destination forums too.

The system is flawed when members can determine what does or does not stay on the board, and it kindda proves my point about click happy members, so who's running the show? the mods or certain members with their version of their rose-tinted utopia.?

Sanji

I think both forums have a place. Often I don't find TA easy to use and better moderation is required but it's my English language forum of choice because there is so much more information available to me for destinations that I plan to visit than on HT. That doesn't mean though that I don't find some of the posts and discussions on HT interesting and I don't see why both can't exist alongside each other without being thought of as being in competition..

Judith

I use both for reviews (there are a lot more on TA) and any other forums where I can find reviews of the hotel I'm looking at. I take everything with a pinch of salt, look at pictures, weigh up what I've read and make a balanced decision- I haven't been disappointed yet

I also join in with discussion forums on the both sites but wheras I'm in HT posting everyday, I only post in TA when I have something specific to ask. I think the way the TA discussion forums are set up and moderated make it more difficult to glean information quickly.

I use both too, only because there are more reviews over there, but TA is so frustrating as threads are not grouped together so you really have to search to get the information.
Also on certain threads (mainly those frequented by the Americans) people are really rude and loads of threads get removed.
I love HT people are so friendly and helpful and I think people don't use it as much because A) less people are going abroad B) a lot of people go back to the same resort so don't need the advice.
I come on HT everyday whether I'm going on holiday or not!

I also usually have a look on here everyday and you're right. I'd guess most of us often frequent the same sorts of holiday destinations and thanks to sites like this already know lots and lots about where we are going!

I used to love the off topic forum on here. I did go on the 'new' off topic forums but found them quiet, maybe I'll try again!

TA has it's uses and I do read the reviews on there but whenever we're looking to book a holiday I'm sat at my pc with The hotel reviews page from HT open and am flicking back and forth between hotels.

I used to love the off topic forum on here. I did go on the 'new' off topic forums but found them quiet, maybe I'll try again!

Agree right back to the days of the 'Cyber Cafe' ditching it was a mistake it was the thing that made this site a community rather than just another holiday revue site.

What is the difference between HT and TA? One is a privately owned site and the other is a commercial operation. If I want local news and views on world affairs I read the local paper, if I wish to read in depth analysis of world affairs then I read the Times. I do think so often that people confuse the objectives of the two sites. We do have a wide range of members. There will be among them those who have never been further than Blackpool but enjoy reading what others have done, the places they have been and everything in between. I had an aunt like that. We will have seasoned travelers who possibly look at what some of us post and think what to us is a fabulous holiday as rather mundane.
I see no reason to agonise over the success of TA - big is not always beautiful.

I use both for reviews ............. and any other forums where I can find reviews of the hotel I'm looking at. I take everything with a pinch of salt, look at pictures, weigh up what I've read and make a balanced decision-

The above quote is really what it is all about and in particular I take everything with a pinch of salt

I browse the net and read the views but I will stick with HT.

fwh

It doesn't help when we have HT members who make post such as this one today

my review will be on "another review website" soon

If a member can post a review on another website and then come on to HT and promote it I don't think it unreasonable to expect that they should also post a review here in our own reviews section
Graham

I don't think it would be unreasonable if just promotions were stopped

I think a lot depends on exactly what you want from a holiday review site. If like me you joined basically to find out more about far away destinations and activities available in these places, then for me TA wins hands down. If my holidays were mostly to beach destinations within a few hours flying time then HT would be probably my first stop. Having said that the appartment hotel and even the resort that I am staying in during an upcoming break to Portugal isn't reviewed once on HT.(I will post reviews on my return though)
I do enjoy the chat on some of the HT forums though others usually leave me cold, but I basically I only joined to obtain info about holidays and maybe share some of my travel knowlege if I can and apart from the odd post I'm not really interested in chatting about clothes and makeup and I'm sometimes surprised about the topics that people introduce.

But I guess there are still a few interested posters around as this topic has already reached over 230 replies, though it does seem to have developed into basically HT versus TA which I'm sure is not the real reason for the drop in the number of posts being made.

I posted "The Sunday Times" article merely for those to read it, who might not otherwise.
My personal opinion is that I find TA has just become too big and therefore the standards that we have come to take for granted in HT, they don't exist in TA.

I know when I was wanting information about Sydney/OZ that only a few members were able to help me in here (thank you, you know who you are) and whilst I was disappointed because it sometimes feels like it's one way traffic coming from my end, I had to put it into perspective regarding how many folks from the UK go to Australia on a regular basis.?
TBH because I wasn't looking for accommodation/flights, I actually found plenty of up-to-date information from the official Australian sites.
Yesterday my son sent me photos of a place called Ngong Ping, I had no idea where it was and I had to Google it, and there's plenty of info out there without going to TA.

I guess what I'm trying to say is (unless you're going to some far flung destination and need info from every source) some people have become lazy, they don't want to do the research, and when sites like TA have it all under one umbrella and such a hold on the world wide audience, people are going to make TA their first port of call and sites like HT are always going to be the shadows, because the financial restraints alone will always mean that we never play with the same ball, but personally I think there are some people who are being duped when commercialism takes over from the truth.
The thread about a disabled woman being robbed has vanished overnight, so any disabled person going to the same place and looking at TA for information will never be warned about it, so IMO that's TA =Truth Avoidance

I think if TA/HT were put side by side with identical ‘power' and the same amount of posters, then HT would win hands down by their standards such as the levels of moderating, stopping the in-fighting, self promoting and vetting the reviews.
I think we need to get that message out there, we need to make them aware that there is life beyond TA and we are worth taking a look at.

I like a good old scrap and I think we need to take the gloves off and come out fighting again, if we are independent, then we need to get that banner going again and if it means highlighting the faults in TA, then as far as I'm concerned, so be it.
I said many posts back that any forum is only as good as its members, and more reviews and posts in the relevant forums will boost HT up the Google search results. This will reach out to a wider audience, and that will only happen if people stop reading and start typing.
When people say they don't post much but still like to read, IMO reading is doing this site no good at all and somebody has to write for those people to read, so why don't you (if you are one of those people and you love this site as much as some say they do) why don't you start to type and boost HT up the Google search results.?

The other alternative is to let the forum die a slow death, Vanlaywan sells the site and make himself a millionaire, and we can all be under the spell of the giant travel agent Expedia.
I guess I've always been a sucker for truth, freedom of speech, fair play and justice.

Sanji x

I've tried to interest my friends in HT but not one of them joined as they said the forums didn't meet their needs.
OK I know the holidays that usually appeal to me are not mainstream so not many people will have neither the interest or info that I require (though I must say that when I posted my report of a holiday in Laos nearly 4 years a few hundred members were interested enough to read the report) My friends are probably the same. I spend weeks researching the trips I take and checking on TA and HT will be only a small part of that research so the odd untruthfull, manipulated post on TA will just as Shirley said be taken with 'a pinch of salt'.

I'm all for attracting new members or bringing back many who no longer post, but is increasing posting on our part especially in some of the threads that seem to me to be so puerile (I suppose that's just the grumpy old woman in me)going to accomplish this. I don't think we can post on TA 'Why don't you check out HT, the holiday review site that lives up to it's title'. Or can we.... I don't think the post would last long though.

Vanlaywan sells the site and make himself a millionaire,

In his dreams

But then Sanji says

some people have become lazy, they don't want to do the research, and when sites like TA have it all under one umbrella and such a hold on the world wide audience, people are going to make TA their first port of call

and

personally I think there are some people who are being duped when commercialism takes over from the truth.

Those comments are very true. You only have to look at the Complaints section for confirmation. People might not always like the answers that they get when they post here on HT but of one thing they can be sure. They get the correct facts and they get the truth!


fwh

Over on TA I always recommend HT - albeit mainly to British people and especially those wanting flight information. I have never known a post of mine to be removed due to mentioning HT.

I agree very much with the posts made by Judith, i think the points made are straight-forward and objective , i am amazed by how many people do not even look at reviews for holidays they book. I've spoken to people at work and they've told me they are going to ...... and i ask which hotel and they don't even know the name , and if they do , i will ask "what made you choose that hotel? did you check any reviews?" and they have a glazed look and wonder what i'm on about !!!
Some people, like many on here are really interested in holidays and travel and want to know as much as possible and they will probably look around at least a couple of sites like HT and TA . I know that TA is commercially run and travel operators will offer TA reviews in selling their accomodation but then if people who book holidays with these operators actually look at these reviews they might start to search for more information and they might look further than just TA opinions and find their way to HT where they can find a different form of opinions and help. I think that it's good if people become more aware of the vast amount of information to help them get the holiday they want and how to get the best out of it. I know there are some negative points like the manipulation that Sanji mentions but there are more positive points that i see where we can all find far more information . warts 'n' all than just flicking through a glossy brochure like we had to just a few years ago.
I think that HT can become busier because it has some quality information and helpful people on here , it is different from TA and there's nothing wrong with that, it's good to have choices.

I think if TA/HT were put side by side with identical ‘power' and the same amount of posters, then HT would win hands down by their standards such as the levels of moderating, stopping the in-fighting, self promoting and vetting the reviews.
I think we need to get that message out there, we need to make them aware that there is life beyond TA and we are worth taking a look at.

I like a good old scrap and I think we need to take the gloves off and come out fighting again, if we are independent, then we need to get that banner going again and if it means highlighting the faults in TA, then as far as I'm concerned, so be it.

????????? As already has been said, you can't compare the 2 sites, totally different users/reasons for using. If they were given identical power & same level of membership you say HT would win hands down, how? The levels of moderating & vetting couldn't be the same as it is now & the site would inevitably change with a membership base of millions.
Why have a good old scrap & highlight faults in TA? It's irrelevant, they are not competition for HT & I don't see why people can't use whichever provides the help they are looking for at any given time. Both sites have their uses for various types of holidays/destinations/reviews etc, but the fact still remains that they are different!!
There are plenty of other sites too, Fodors (mainly North American usage), Lonely Plant/Thorntree etc, are you saying all of these are competition?? All these other sites have opinions & views from other nationalities, here it is almost exclusively Brits, I am just not seeing the reason for 'bashing' their popularity when you can't compare them like for like.