For those who don't realise, it is very easy to get fake reviews added to a business to bump them up the ratings. Some businesses give incentives (bribes) to customers to place reviews. Some even get friends and family to add reviews. If you do not join in the 'game' the number of reviews will be significantly lower and you will sit lower in the ranks. Lets face it, we are all getting a little 'review fatigued' now.
Tripadvisor will never address this as they want businesses to compete and to proliferate their brand - very clever! There are genuine reviews but within the mix of the less than truthful versions it all becomes a bit unreliable really. The verified reviews you get from other sources, the big OTA's, are great in one major way, you can only leave a review if you book through them, so they are far and away a more trustworthy resource for knowledge.