TripAdvisor's found a new way to make money from its hotel search service, but it may make life a bit more confusing for travelers as it sells 'top of search' positions to any hotel owner who shares rates and availability.
What it means in practical terms is that when you search for a hotel in a particular city and set of dates, the top of the list won't be highest-rated, or lowest-priced, or closest-to-downtown—it will show you the listings of hotels that paid TripAdvisor to put their empty rooms at the top of the list.
The program, called Sponsored Placements, has previously been available only to a select few with a special relationship to TA is now available to any hotel listing its rates. It can be turned on or off, pre-scheduled, run certain days or more. Conceivably, on a slow day in some cities, there could be many such listings before you get down to the main list.
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