On the safe side… TripAdvisor to flag hotels with reports of sexual assault

What a great idea.

In the weeks where dozens of women have come forward to voice their stories of sexual assault, travel website TripAdvisor has announced that it will now flag hotels where sexual assault has been reported. The website will now have a red flag over any area that has been deemed unsafe, and will also urge visitors to the site to conduct further background checks of the location.

"TripAdvisor has been made aware of recent media reports or events concerning this property which may not be reflected in reviews found on this listing.

"Accordingly, you may wish to perform additional research for information about this property when making your travel plans," the red flag will read.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the travel site said: "We have decided to introduce a new 'badge' notification that will be displayed on a business' listing page when an issue relating to that business is reported on by credible media sources, such as issues around health and safety or allegations of discrimination.

"The aim of the badge is to alert travellers to issues they may want to more fully research outside of TripAdvisor. Development of the badge is complete."