Identifying value-creating aspects in luxury hotel services via third-party online reviews: a cross-cultural study

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to identify critical value-creating elements of luxury services expressed in ratings and reviews posted on third-party sites and examine cross-cultural differences. To this end, the research analyzed online ratings and reviews of luxury hotels posted on TripAdvisor from customers of four European regions (East, North, South and West).Design/methodology/approachEight hundred thirty-eight online user-generated ratings and reviews of luxury hotels were analyzed quantitatively using MANOVA and qualitatively using text analysis.FindingsThe study findings support (a) that product and physical evidence are the most critical experiential elements of luxury hotels' offerings and (b) cultural differences among tourists from various regions of Europe in their hotel ratings and reviews. Specifically, Eastern and Northern Europeans are more generous in their review ratings than western and southern Europeans. Moreover, eastern Europeans value the hotel's physical evidence/environment whereas western Europeans prioritize the core product (room and food) followed by the physical environment/servicescape. Southern Europeans and Northern Europeans value most the personnel, followed by the physical environment and the core product, respectively.Practical implicationsCultural differences provide several implications with regard to luxury services segmentation, social media management, service marketing mix development and hotel promotion.Originality/valueThe value of this study originates from studying post–purchase customer behavior in luxury services from a cross-cultural perspective. Moreover, identifying critical aspects of value-creating customer experience in a luxury context adds to the available literature.

Delineating transformative value creation through service communications: an integrative framework

“…(2014) postulate that engagement is key to boost organizations' social media presence, influence and thus agenda-building. Consumer-initiated engagement (reviews/recommendations) has stronger agenda-building effects than organization-initiated engagement (posts/(re)tweets) (Yang and Saffer, 2018) and user generated content is perceived as more helpful and credible than information provided by the service company (Tsiotsou, 2019, 2021b), demonstrating again that corporate, public and media agendas interact. Engagement efforts must resonate with consumers in order to actively involve them (Yang and Saffer, 2018).…”

“…Furthermore, there is no empirical evidence on the dialectics developed between the various actors involved (service personnel, consumers, other consumers and techno-actors) throughout the service consumption process and their role in TVC (Tsiotsou, 2021a). Research shows that an important element of the post-purchase phase, consumer reviews or electronic word of mouth (eWOM), is highly influential on other consumers and impacts service firms (Tsiotsou, 2021b). Reviews are often perceived as being more credible and authentic than corporate communications as they can influence the image and reputation of service providers.…”

“…Value creation is a central concept in marketing theory and management that results from consumer interactions and experiences. However, over the years, there has been a shift from the interactive nature to the dynamic, dialectic, transformative, multi-actor (Blocker and Barrios, 2015; Tsiotsou, 2021a) and multi-level formation of value creation (Tsiotsou, 2021a, b). Value is dynamic because it is characterized by constant changes as a result of the dialectics (theses and antitheses) created between the various actors involved (e.g.…”

Editorial: the “nip and tuck” service framework: bright and dark side of beautification/modification services

“…The new reality supported by contemporary technologies has increased the struggle between the real self, the ideal self, and the socially expected self (ought self) (Higgins, 1989) and may influence consumers' self-esteem (Jin et al, 2019) negatively. The social media environment feeds off an individual's self-esteem with the positive engagement of others through 'likes', 'shares', or 'comments' on photos or videos (Ashman et al, 2018;Tsiotsou, 2021). Furthermore, AR beauty apps such as L'Oréal's smart mirrors and Youcam are becoming the "dressing room" before cosmetic procedures enabling consumers to envision themselves by trying on different versions of themselves (Javornik et al, 2021).…”

Pengaruh Selebgram Endorser, Online Consumer Review, dan Brand Image terhadap Minat Beli (Studi Kasus pada Brand Byoote)

“…Sedangkan untuk online consumer review, Byoote mendapatkannya dari platform e-commerce mereka, Shopee. Tsiotsou (2022) yang mengatakan online consumer review sebagian besar ditemukan di platform pihak ketiga, demikian juga Byoote yang mendapatkan online consumer review-nya dari Shopee sebagai platform pihak ketiga. Melalui online consumer review inilah, Byoote mendapatkan feedback dan informasi berharga untuk meningkatkan kualitas layanan hingga kredibilitas dan brand image mereka.…”