What moderates the influence of extremely negative ratings? The role of review and reviewer characteristics

Online customer reviews are increasingly used by travelers to inform their purchase decisions. However, the vast amount of reviews available nowadays may increase travellers’ effort in information processing. In order to facilitate traveller’s decisions, social commerce organizations must help travellers rapidly identify the most helpful reviews to reduce their cognitive effort. Academic literature has often documented that negative reviews are judged as helpful by consumers. However, extremely negative reviews are not always perceived as such. This study is the first that unveils what factors moderate the influence of extremely negative reviews on review helpfulness. The study has adopted a sample of 7455 online customer reviews of hotels to test hypotheses. Findings show that reviews with extremely negative ratings are more likely to be helpful when the review is long and easy to read and when the reviewer is an expert or discloses his identity (i.e. geographical origin).     

Interaction between hotel service robots and humans: A hotel-specific Service Robot Acceptance Model (sRAM)

The growing implementation of robotics in hospitality and tourism requires broader research into customers' experience with service robots. This study explores human-robot interaction (HRI) in the context of tourists interacting with hotel service robots. The data, 7994 online TripAdvisor reviews of 74 hotels, were subjected to a content analysis based on the Service Robot Acceptance Model (sRAM) and its dimensions (functional, social-emotional and relational). A sentiment analysis was also carried out. The results identify the principal dimensions and variables involved in HRI and the feelings robots inspire in different types of travellers. Guests most often comment on the functional dimension. Robots' functions determine this experience and influence the interaction between robots and hotel guests.     

Expanding the concept of the VFR market: Excavating ‘hidden VFR travellers’

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travellers have often been categorised based on their purpose of travel and their use of accommodations. This study focuses on the non-VFR category defined by these two factors and on the investigation of ‘hidden VFR travellers (HVFRs)’ in the non-VFR category. A total of 500 Japanese participants who met their friends or relatives in five major English-speaking destinations completed an online survey. Using the two criteria, 164 were categorised as VFRs, whereas the others were grouped into the non-VFR category. Among the non-VFR travellers, there was a group that shared similar characteristics with the VFR travellers. The result implies that there are HVFRs in the non-VFR category. To expand the current understanding and concept of VFR travellers, this study proposes an additional criterion for categorising VFR, namely, the influence of VFR hosts.     

Investigating cross-national heterogeneity in the adoption of online hotel reviews

Increasing reliance of potential guests on online hotel reviews has given rise to trepidation among some hospitality managers recently, thus necessitating a better understanding of its adoption. Literature on multicultural studies have suggested that behavioral models do not universally hold across cultures. In view of the limited generalizability and applicability of extant cross-cultural studies to this context, this study generates cross-national insights into the antecedents of travelers’ intention to use online hotel reviews to better understand the use of consumer-generated reviews across cultures. Generally, the predictive power of the model derived from the Motivation Theory and TAM holds true for both the United States and Singapore. Nonetheless, tests for structural invariance reveals some noteworthy differences between the two countries. The results highlight the complex cognitive mechanisms determining the acceptance of online hotel reviews in each country as moderated by national culture orientations. Findings hold implications for practitioners and researchers as they navigate through social media in different cultural contexts.     

Analysing behavioural differences between e- and m-bookers in hotel booking

This study analysed the behavioural differences between e- and m-bookers in online hotel booking. The theoretical relationships among functionality and usability, perceived value for money and time, and satisfaction and loyalty were analysed based on the quality–satisfaction–loyalty framework. Results from a sample of 431 and 401 e- and m-bookers, respectively, affirmed the similarities and differences between the two types of bookers. Results also showed that e- and m-bookers substantially differ in their perceptions on functionality and usability performance, perceived value for money and relative importance of functionality and usability in online hotel booking. Moreover, the findings revealed the moderating effects of perceived value for money and time on the satisfaction–loyalty link among m-bookers.     

The impact of online user reviews on hotel room sales

Despite hospitality and tourism researchers’ recent attempts on examining different aspects of online word-of-mouth [WOM], its impact on hotel sales remains largely unknown in the existing literature. To fill this void, we conduct a study to empirically investigate the impact of online consumer-generated reviews on hotel room sales. Utilizing data collected from the largest travel website in China, we develop a fixed effect log-linear regression model to assess the influence of online reviews on the number of hotel room bookings. Our results indicate a significant relationship between online consumer reviews and business performance of hotels.     

Unravelling the effects of cultural differences in the online appraisal of hospitality and tourism services

International travelling has increased the likelihood of service interactions between customers and providers of different nationalities, frequently speaking various language, and repeatedly experiencing issues with intercultural communication. By examining more than 700,000 online reviews written by hotel guests of 101 different nationalities, using 84 different languages in their reviews, this study unravels cultural differences and examines through a direct measurement approach the simultaneous influence of national and linguistic differences between service customers and providers on online review valence. After controlling for reviewers’ demographics, behavioral features, trip related factors and location of service provider, the study findings reveal that while the influence of national cultural distance on online ratings is country- and destination- dependent, the usage of a common language is positively associated with online review valence irrespective of the destination/country where the service provider is located. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Towards a Model of Electronic Word-of-Mouth and Its Impact on the Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT

Scholars and practitioners recognize that spreading word-of-mouth can play an important role in the formation of a hotel’s image. However, the relationships among various measures of online customer engagement are relatively unknown. The present study analyzes the relationships and quantifies the impacts of various measures of online engagement including the number of online reviews, overall rating, and relative ranking. The researchers used path analysis on a sample of 178 hotels to study the relationships among relevant variables and build a model to explain the impact of such measures (Figure 2). The results reveal there is a positive direct effect of the number of reviews on a hotel’s TripAdvisor rating. A negative direct effect was found between TripAdvisor rating and a hotel’s comparative ranking. Finally, the researchers discovered that TripAdvisor rating fully mediates the relationship between the number of reviews and a hotel’s comparative ranking. This article concludes with a discussion of both the theoretical and practical implications of such findings.     

Insights into Suspicious Online Ratings: Direct Evidence from TripAdvisor

Online ratings and online reputation management are becoming increasingly popular and important. With this increasing importance, attempts to manipulate online reviews through fake reviews have become more prevalent. Suspicious online reviews (ratings) exist on many e-commerce platforms, but these reviews have rarely been observed and reported as manipulation in academic studies using different test methods. In our research, we examine empirical evidence of suspicious online ratings based on 41,572 ratings on TripAdvisor. Applying quantitative analytics, we find three important results: (1) the gap between overall rating and individual ratings does exist and is significant, especially among the lower class hotels; (2) the proportion of suspicious ratings is about 20% at a standard of 0.5; and (3) reviewers who tend to post excellent ratings are less likely to generate big gaps when posting ratings. We offer specific managerial implications for hotel managers on online reputation management and selected suggestions for future research based on the empirical findings.     

Online Reputation Monitoring: An Exploratory Study on Italian Hotel Managers’ Practices

This study aims to understand current Italian hotel managers’ practices in monitoring online reviews included on travel websites and online travel agencies. Results obtained by a web survey indicate what hotel managers monitor (rating, rankings, guest comments regarding different service elements) and managers’ orientation in replying to customer reviews. Findings may support online reputation management tools providers and consulting firms by highlighting the degree of hoteliers’ interest in UGC monitoring and providing insights on possible factors that differentiate current management practices and should be considered in order to offer technical solutions coherent with the distinctiveness of Italian context.     

Can Response Management Benefit Hotels? Evidence from Hong Kong Hotels

With the growing influence of online reviews, more hotels are adopting online response management, but whether this works and benefits a hotel has rarely been studied. In this research, we study the impact of response management on hotel online ratings using data retrieved from TripAdvisor with a focus on Hong Kong hotels. We find that (1) high class hotels are more likely to adopt response management; (2) there is no significant difference among different hotel classes in terms of response rate; and (3) targeted response management has a significant positive effect on hotel ratings. In addition, Asian customers tend to give lower ratings than Western customers. We outline specific implications for hotel managers and their online management and offer suggestions for future research based on the empirical findings.     

住客酒店点评对调节焦点个体的说服效果

网络Web 2.0时代,游客在预订酒店时常常通过查询先前住客点评内容来了解酒店情况。住客生成的网络点评内容是影响口碑效果的重要因素,但点评内容正负性和详略性的作用现有研究还存在一些争议。以调节焦点理论为基础研究酒店预订中住客点评的说服效果,通过2×2×2实验研究发现,负向酒店点评对预防焦点个体的说服效果更优,正向酒店点评对促进焦点个体的说服效果更优,详尽的酒店点评内容对预防焦点个体的说服效果更大,简略的酒店点评内容对促进焦点型个体的说服效果更大。     

Helpful Reviewers in TripAdvisor,an Online Travel Community

Online communities need a critical mass for communication, information, and entertainment and should provide useful information for their members in order to obtain this critical mass. The abundance of online travel reviews increases cognitive costs of travelers, and travelers use extrinsic cues to judge the quality of online reviews to eliminate costs associated with the information process. Of various cues used in online environments, this study examined an online reputation system in TripAdvisor.com and profiled the reviewers who post helpful reviews in the online travel community. The key findings include that helpful reviewers are those who travel more, actively post reviews, belong to any age and gender groups, and give lower hotel ratings. This study adds to research of online travel reviewers by characterizing helpful information creators among online content creators.     

Understanding the new post-COVID-19 risk scenario: Outlooks and challenges for a new era of tourism

This paper explores the new travel risk scenario by analysing travel risk perception during the pandemic and proposes measures to improve traveller confidence based on the issue-attention cycle. The study was conducted during two stages of the pandemic. During the initial stage, travellers’ decision-making process was studied to learn why travellers chose to maintain or cancel travel plans and what variables influenced their travel risk perception. An online survey was conducted with data collected from 1075 travellers residing in 46 countries (52 nationalities). The second stage of the study started at the beginning of de-escalation in Europe. A qualitative study was conducted in which 28 international hospitality experts were interviewed. They were asked about specific measures to encourage tourism from a global perspective. The results help tourism authorities and companies better understand tourist behaviour and provide concrete measures for restarting tourism.     

Estimating willingness to pay air passenger duty

Carbon taxation on air travellers is widely considered an effective way of offsetting environmental externalities and adjusting tourist flows. Despite the popularity of carbon taxation, research investigating travellers’ willingness to pay (WTP) such taxes remains scant. Using the air passenger duty (APD) levied by the UK government, this study estimates UK outbound travellers’ WTP and further derives the demand curves under six trip scenarios. The contingent valuation method is used to elicit the travellers’ WTP based on an online questionnaire survey. Comparative analysis and hierarchical linear modelling reveal that first, travellers are willing to pay more APD for business class and long-haul trips, and second, all of the demand curves are downward sloping with increasing elasticities.     

Reports of Bed Bugs on Hotel Selection: A Choice Experiment

The resurgence of bed bugs in the United States creates challenges for hotels and motels. One aspect that is especially important to hospitality are reports of bed bugs and how they affect travellers’ selection and potential damage to hotel brands. To address this issue, we conduct a choice experiment of a national sample of US travellers. We find that consumers expectedly respond negatively to reports of bed bugs, and they are sensitive to the number of reports of bed bugs. Through consumer Willingness to Pay for a hotel room, we quantify the negative impact of reports of bed bugs on the hotel industry through lost room premium. Expectedly, avoiding bed bugs is more valuable among those who worry more about bed bugs, but prior knowledge and experience have no effect. How explicitly the reports of bed bugs are disclosed to travellers affects their reaction and Willingness to Pay greatly.     

Which hotel guest segments reuse towels? Selling sustainable tourism services through target marketing

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews and evaluates the wide range of supply and demand side measures employed and tested to reduce the environmental impacts of tourist accommodation. It focuses on the importance of understanding market segments and their pro-environmental behaviour by exploring the personal and travel characteristics significantly associated with pro-environment beneficial change, empirically investigating hotel guest characteristics associated with higher towel reuse. Towel use per day, per room, is modelled according to the number of adults in the room, the number of children, and the type and origins of guests. Observed actual towel use by 204 travel parties spending 480 nights in a four-star hotel in Slovenia reveals key personal and travel characteristics of hotel guests which are predictive of towel reuse: their country of origin, booking methods used, being a business traveller and not being a family. Results point to a-priori market segments which could be given booking preference in periods of high demand to reduce hotel environmental footprints. Results also point to promising leverage points for interventions designed to modify the behaviour of hotel guests on site. The approach and methodology used could be applied to marketing pro-environmental concepts more widely across other sustainable initiatives.     

The Evaluation of Hotel Website Functionality by Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

Although previous studies have identified different factors on hotel website functionality evaluation, the evaluation of the relative importance of these factors has not been empirically determined. This study adopted a sophisticated approach that analyzes the weights of hotel website functionality. This approach involved triangular fuzzy numbers and an analytic hierarchy process to develop a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model which prioritizes the relative importance of hotel website functionality criteria. First, 20 criteria for hotel website functionality evaluation were developed from a literature review and three focus group interviews. After that, a fuzzy AHP approach was used to examine the relative importance of the criteria and sub-criteria of hotel website functionality evaluation. As human judgments are often uncertain and vague, the use of fuzzy set theory, rather than exact numbers, enables us to capture decision-makers' uncertainty. Finally, the results indicated that “Reservation Information” is the most important criterion to hotel website functionality.     

Consumers’ responses to ambivalent online hotel reviews: The role of perceived source credibility and pre-decisional disposition

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is prevalent in today's lodging market and has potential to influence consumers’ decision making. This study investigated how the presence of online reviewers’ personal identifying information (PII) may affect consumers’ processing of ambivalent online hotel reviews and hotel booking intentions. The results of an experiment with a sample of 274 undergraduate students indicate that the presence of PII positively affects the perceived credibility of the online reviews. When coupled with ambivalent online reviews, the presence of PII significantly lowers consumers’ hotel booking intentions.