- At the beginning of the month, the European Commission unveiled a new Code of Conduct on tourism reviews, designed to weed out fakes and restore trust.
- Only genuine guests should be able to leave ratings under the new framework.
- The initiative was created with hotel groups, platforms, and consumer organizations.
- HOTREC, Europe’s hospitality federation, welcomed the Code as a step toward fairness.
- The Code is open for adoption by accommodation providers, associations, platforms, and consumer groups.
A Common Standard Across Europe
Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, put it plainly: “Reliable online reviews are essential for trust in tourism. With this new Code of Conduct, we are raising the bar across Europe, ensuring that only genuine guests can leave reviews.”
The Code was developed in collaboration with hotels, platforms, and consumer groups, and it seeks to create standard practices for transparency. Reviews should be clearly identified as guest or non-guest feedback, and platforms will be encouraged to apply stronger verification systems.
HOTREC, the umbrella group representing Europe’s hotels, restaurants, and cafés, immediately endorsed the move. In their words: “This Code of Conduct provides a structured forum for dialogue with platforms hosting reviews, paving the way for greater transparency and renewed trust in online feedback.”
They have a point: fake reviews not only mislead travelers but also distort competition and chip away at the revenues of honest operators.
The Importance of the New Code of Conduct
For travelers, this Code is more than a legal footnote in Brussels. It is about trust — about knowing that the charming three-star hotel in Crete really does have warm showers and working air conditioning, and that the family-run pension in Burgos is as welcoming as reviewers claim.
For businesses, it is about fairness. Operators who pour time, money, and pride in hospitality deserve protection from competitors who exploit the system with fake reviews.
The Code of Conduct is currently voluntary, open to accommodation providers, platforms, trade associations, and consumer groups who want to sign on. It will not eliminate every fake review overnight — the digital world is slippery that way — but it marks the beginning of a long path toward something travelers value deeply: the confidence that the stories they read online were written by real guests, in real rooms, with real experiences.
In a world where one bad review can sway a traveler’s choice, Europe is saying it is time to protect the truth. And that, in itself, is worth five stars.
