Online Consumer Review Factors Affecting Offline Hotel Popularity: Evidence from Tripadvisor

Abstract

The business value of online consumer reviews has emerged in recent year as one of utmost importance for hotel marketers. This study examines how online consumer reviews affect offline hotel popularity. Using time-series data of 56,284 hotel reviews posted for more than 1000 hotels listed on TripAdvisor, this paper estimates the effect of factors of online consumer review, including quality, quantity, consistency, and recency, on the offline hotel occupancy (i.e. how popular the hotel is among consumers). The empirical evidence shows the relative effect of online consumer review factors on offline hotel popularity when controlling for other hotel characteristics. In particular, the effect of review quality lasts for at least a couple of quarters, whereas that of other online consumer review factors remains short-term. The findings provide a managerial basis to improve the online presence of hotels on social media platforms by strategically utilizing important review factors.

Disney Shanghai Park: A Cultural and Psychographic Assessment

“…Some of the elements that define a property are the price, amenities and services. These are attribute that often explain why people make decisions (Choo and Tan, 2017;Elmwood, 2011;Xie et al, 2016). Popularity, satisfaction, and success are outcomes influenced by these factors.…”

Examination of Urban Hotels Online Review Site Performance with a Comparative Approach based on TripAdvisor and Booking

“…Normally, tourism products/services can be evaluated after purchase and experience. However, potential tourists gain insight about their potential experiences, in other words, indirect experience through reviewing the contents shared by other tourists (Bickart and Schindler, 2001;Xie, Chen and Wu;2016). Apart from these advantageous of online reviews for tourists, these contents reduce tourists' costs (time, effort etc.…”

“…Fortunately, they can both read and generate content with the foundation of web 2.0 technology. Social media is the top of the agenda for many business executives (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010) because consumers can share their opinions, ideas, expectations, experiences in social media and contribute to the enrichment of the online content through their sharing (Litvin, Goldsmith and Pan, 2008;Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010;Leung, et al;Xie, Chen and Wu, 2016). In a sense, customers have a new communication channel in which their voices can be heard by all the stakeholders of the organizations.…”

Guests’ Motives to Write Positive and Negative 5-star Hotel Reviews on TripAdvisor

“…6. However, some studies assessed the main components of online guest reviews (Stringam, et al, 2010;Ramanathan, 2011;Ögüt and Tas, 2012;Li, & Law, 2012;Limberger, et al, 2014;Xie et al, 2015;Molinillo et al, 2016), there is no studies investigates the relationship between online review components and actual writing online reviews. The current study fill these research gaps by measuring the effect of both guests" motives and review components on the actual writing positive and negative reviews on TripAdvisor in the Egyptian hotel context.…”

“…The research demonstrated that the overall satisfaction of the guest"s entire hotel stay is influenced mainly by each of these seven different subcategory factors. These seven dimensions of online hotel guest reviews are identified and developed based on a content analysis of previous studies and major hotel booking agencies (Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Priceline.com, Orbitz.com and Travelocity.com) (Stringam, et al, 2010;Ramanathan, 2011;Ögüt and Tas, 2012;Li, & Law, 2012;Limberger, et al, 2014;Xie et al, 2015;Molinillo et al, 2016).…”