Maybe the better question is: how far will the hotel industry go to monitor customer reviews?

TripAdvisor, known for its millions of customer reviews and photographs from hotels around the world, set the curve for customer reviews when it launched its website in 2000.

The concept: a forum that allows guests of hotels to post their honest thoughts about their stay - good or bad. The company evolved over the years and recently came under scrutiny by legal associations claiming that hotel employees would write nasty comments on their competitor hotel pages in TripAdvisor, or that hotel employees would write rave reviews for the company's they work for.

TripAdvisor maintains it's a strict customer-review site, and that it takes every precaution necessary to determine if posts are fake or "planted" by competitor hotels. But just how they do that has been the topic of speculation among hoteliers for years. No one can argue that TripAdvisor is still the most widely read site for hotel reviews and suggestions among travelers, but now some hotel chains are wondering if they can't do it better.

In a move that caused some hoteliers to wonder 'what are they thinking?!' two of the world's largest hotel chains announced they would launch their own customer review sites directly on specific hotel websites, allowing guests to post their honest opinion of their stay.

USA Today first reported the news that Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International would roll out these new platforms in the new year. A risky move? I'll stand on the line and say "absolutely", but this could also be a brilliant marketing move for the hotels.

According to USA Today [travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/11/marriott-rewards-to-let-members-publish-hotel-reviews/561574/1 ], here's how the guest review platforms work:

• Starwood will allow guests to post their thoughts about the hotel they stayed at directly on the hotel's website. Marriott will run the reviews on its website, Marriott Rewards Insiders, which currently has 25,000 members.
• Both hotel companies will monitor every comment, to ensure no profanity is published and that the guest actually stayed at the hotel.
• Anyone will be able to read the reviews and share via Facebook and Twitter.
• Neither hotel will offer incentives to customers to write reviews.

As I see it, there's pros and cons to this.

The bad news: one dismayed guest on a mission to vent frustrations could work against the hotel, especially as those comments are spun through social media webs. While the hotel does have the opportunity to make things right, if they don't catch the consumer in enough time the damage is already done.

On the plus side, with hotels offering direct ways for guests to comment on their stays (the good and the bad), they are showing guests that their comments are valued. We all know there will be posts about week WiFi and noisy rooms, but what about a guest who writes about a rude hotel staff member, or lack of service at the hotel restaurant?

These comments, while negative in nature, offer long-term benefits to the hotel. New training sessions, for example, or corporate outings can be just the thing uninspired workers need to boost their morale.

The best result, however, comes in the form of brand recognition. While I'm skeptical that these customer reviews will actually be beneficial for bookings, I do think allowing customers to comment on your hotel, directly on the hotel's website, does something dramatic for the hotel brand.

These hotels are saying to guests, "We want your opinion" and not just via a guest card handed to them at check-out. They want everyone in on the opinion, and a brand that takes a personal interest in its guests is a brand that will generate more guests over time.

Readers/hoteliers: What do you think? Will you trust the consumer reviews on hotel-specific websites? Send me your comments for placement at 4Hoteliers.com.

Melanie Nayer is a hotel reviewer and expert on luxury travel around the world. She has covered all aspects of hotels including corporate restructures, re-branding initiatives, historical aspects and the best of the best in luxury hotels around the world.

Melanie writes a weekly exclusive column for 4Hoteliers.com