Abstract
A hotel is a complex, experience-based product and thus, finding out what leads to guest satisfaction is a practically important question. In this study, we explored the usefulness of applying guest experience dimensions previously identified based upon authentic online customer reviews to understand what types of hotels make their guests (un)happy. Hotels were grouped by experience dimensions and satisfaction ratings using cluster analysis. Then, these hotel clusters were examined in relation to words in customer reviews with correspondence analysis. The findings show that there were different types of hotels with unique, salient traits that satisfied their customers, while those who failed to do so mostly had issues related to cleanliness and maintenance-related factors. This study demonstrates that consumer generated content such as customer reviews can be useful data sources to generate new insights into the nature of the hotel product. It also points to a promising direction to employ authentic consumer experience data to support perceptual mapping and market segmentation for the hospitality and tourism industry.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Boyd, D., & Crawford, K. (2012). Critical questions for big data: Provocations for a cultural, technological, and scholarly phenomenon. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), 662–679.
Browning, V., So, K. K. F., & Sparks, B. (2013). The influence of online reviews on consumers’ attributions of service quality and control for service standards in hotels. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 30, 23–40.
Chathoth, P., Altinay, L., Harrington, R. J., Okumus, F., & Chan, E. S. (2013). Co-production versus co-creation: A process based continuum in the hotel service context. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32, 11–20.
Crotts, J. C., Mason, P. R., & Davis, B. (2009). Measuring guest satisfaction and competitive position in the hospitality and tourism industry an application of stance-shift analysis to travel blog narratives. Journal of Travel Research, 48(2), 139–151.
Dolnicar, S., & Otter, T. (2003). Which hotel attributes matter? A review of previous and a framework for further research. In T. Griffin & R. Harris (Eds.), Asia Pacific Tourism Association 9th Annual Conference (pp. 176–188). Sydney, Australia.
George, G., Haas, M. R., & Pentland, A. (2014). Big data and management. Academy of Management Journal, 57(2), 321–326.
Ginsberg, J., Mohebbi, M. H., Patel, R. S., Brammer, L., Smolinski, M. S., & Brilliant, L. (2009). Detecting influenza epidemics using search engine query data. Nature, 457(7232), 1012–1014.
Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the nature of man. Cleveland: World Publishing.
Kotler, P., Bowen, J. T., & Makens, J. C. (2006). Marketing for hospitality and tourism. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Kozak, M., & Rimmington, M. (2000). Tourist satisfaction with Mallorca, Spain, as an off-season holiday destination. Journal of Travel Research, 38(3), 260–269.
Lewis, R. C. (1985). Getting the most from marketing research (Part V). Predicting hotel choice: the factors underlying perception. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 25(4), 82–96.
Oh, H. (1999). Service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer value: A holistic perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 18(1), 67–82.
Oh, H., & Parks, S. C. (1997). Customer satisfaction and service quality: A critical review of the literature and research implications for the hospitality industry. Hospitality Research Journal, 20, 35–64.
Pan, B., MacLaurin, T., & Crotts, J. C. (2007). Travel blogs and the implications for destination marketing. Journal of Travel Research, 46(1), 35–45.
Pizam, A., Lewis, R. C., & Manning, P. (1982). The practice of hospitality management. Westport, CT: Avi.
Qu, H., Ryan, B., & Chu, R. (2000). The importance of hotel attributes in contributing to travelers’ satisfaction in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 1(3), 65–83.
Xiang, Z., & Gretzel, U. (2010). Role of social media in online travel information search. Tourism Management, 31(2), 179–188.
Xiang, Z., Schwartz, Z., Gerdes, J. H., & Uysal, M. (2015). What can big data and text analytics tell us about hotel guest experience and satisfaction? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 44, 120–130.
Yoon, Y., & Uysal, M. (2005). An examination of the effects of motivation and satisfaction on destination loyalty: A structural model. Tourism Management, 26(1), 45–56.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Xiang, Z., Schwartz, Z., Uysal, M. (2015). What Types of Hotels Make Their Guests (Un)Happy? Text Analytics of Customer Experiences in Online Reviews. In: Tussyadiah, I., Inversini, A. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2015. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14343-9_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14343-9_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-14342-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-14343-9
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsBusiness and Management (R0)