The Impact of Hotel Customer Experience on Customer Satisfaction through Online Reviews

Abstract

With the growing popularity of the internet, customers can easily share their experiences and information in online reviews. Consumers recognize online reviews as a useful source of information prior to consumption, and many online reviews influence consumer purchasing decisions. Understanding the customer experience in online reviews is thus necessary to maintain customer satisfaction and repurchase intention for the sustainable development of the hotel business. This study assessed the fundamental selection attributes of customers from online reviews reflecting the hotel customer experience, and investigated their association with customer satisfaction. A total of 8229 reviews were collected from Google travel websites from December 2019 to July 2021. Text mining and semantic network analysis were adopted for big data analysis. Factor and regression analyses were then used for quantitative analysis. Based on linear regression analysis, the Service and Dining factors significantly affected customer satisfaction. Service is a critical selection attribute for customers, and the provision of more particular services is necessary, especially after COVID-19. These results indicate that understanding online reviews can provide theoretical and practical implications for developing sustainable strategies for the hotel industry.

Predictors of Hotel Clients’ Satisfaction in the Cape Verde Islands

“…Information shared by consumers on the Internet is classified as more reliable and credible since consumers freely contribute with their opinion without any psychological constraint [27,28]. Clients' opinions are essential since 84% of travel evaluations reported that online evaluations significantly influenced consumers' purchasing decisions [29].…”

Text Mining with Network Analysis of Online Reviews and Consumers’ Satisfaction: A Case Study in Busan Wine Bars

“…Information is collected through user reviews provided by people who have already experienced it, and the information is actively reflected in the selection [21]. Therefore, online reviews are perceived as having relatively high reliability, relevant information, and wine bar management aspects because they influence those who plan to visit a restaurant or wine bar to shape their overall expectations for the wine bar, particularly with regard to the menu and the service [22][23][24].…”

Online Customer Reviews and Satisfaction with an Upscale Hotel: A Case Study of Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai

“…In the service industry knowing how to attract and obtain customers is critical, and these factors are closely related to customer satisfaction level, which determines a customer's willingness to choose and return to a hotel [32]. In the field of hospitality, researchers are passionately exploring factors, which affect hotel customer satisfaction [11,12,15]. Customer satisfaction can be seen as the difference between expectations and experiences.…”

“…Research using online reviews to assess customer satisfaction in the hospitality field has been increasing recently [11][12][13][14][15]. However, there is limited research using online reviews to conduct customer satisfaction research of upscale hotels with theme parks.…”