Ann Murray
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Consider this: According to research psychologists, because negativity creates a greater electrical surge in our brains, we require five times more positivity than negativity in order for the positive to outweigh the negative.
As a result, travel websites suffer from negativity bias: Many users miss out on potentially magical travel experiences simply because reviewers may overstate the bad and underreport the good.
Additionally, because travel review sites use a one-size-fits-all rating system, the reviews you read may not be relevant to you and your specific tastes.
Enter HeyLets -- the world's first travel app focused exclusively on "posi-mendations" -- positive recommendations directly from locals with similar interests. On HeyLets, there are no negative or even average reviews -- everything is a recommendation that’s right for you, whether you’re at home or away on a trip.
Here's how HeyLets can fix issues with travel review sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp:
1. On traditional travel sites, you'll wade through low-star restaurant reviews from a steak lover who went to a mostly vegetarian restaurant or a senior citizen who found his way to a modern, chic restaurant. But on HeyLets, you'll be taken directly to local recommendations for the hidden hotdog stand that just might serve the world's best frankfurter.
2. On traditional sites, you'll see negative news posted about specific tourist destinations from reviewers who don't like the same things you do. A reviewer may like science museums where you prefer art. But on HeyLets, you'll bypass the obvious and see positive reviews from someone with your same set of travel tastes.
So have you been planning your vacation wrong all this time? Should you stop looking at bad places to avoid and start discovering life-changing experiences?
