Do Hotel Responses Matter?

Wenlong Liu,Rongrong Ji

doi:10.4018/irmj.2019070104

Abstract

This article aims to examine how hotel responses to online reviews influence how potential consumers perceived the helpfulness of the online reviews. Response length and voice were employed to measure the hotel's response quality. 637 reviews with responses were used for empirical analysis. The study identified three different types of response voices: disputed voice, professional voice, and empathetic voice. The results show that both response length and response voice have significant effects on the helpfulness perceived by potential consumers. Moreover, they also have some interaction effects with star ratings, review length, and review image. This study suggests that hotels should strategically respond to both positive and negative online reviews so as to both create a positive interaction atmosphere and resolve consumer complaints. The findings of this study can, to some extent, help manage word of mouth reputations.

Highlights

Research Background Marketing studies have long shown that word of mouth (WOM) can influence consumers’ decisionmaking in purchasing (Kim & Kardes, 1992)
The results show that both response length and response voice have significant effects on the helpfulness perceived by potential consumers
This study suggests that hotels should strategically respond to both positive and negative online reviews so as to both create a positive interaction atmosphere and resolve consumer complaints

Summary

Introduction

Research Background Marketing studies have long shown that word of mouth (WOM) can influence consumers’ decisionmaking in purchasing (Kim & Kardes, 1992). With the development of information technology and easy access to the internet, consumers’ face-to-face or offline communication has been replaced by multiform electronic-word-of-mouth (eWOM). According to Hu and Chen (2016), eWOM is defined as “all informal communications directed at consumers through Internet-based technology related to the usage or characteristics of particular goods and service, or their sellers.”. In shaping consumer behavior and influencing their purchase decision, online reviews are the most influential eWOM (Hu & Chen, 2016). Online review is a type of product information generated by consumers based on their personal experience (Purnawirawan, Pelsmacker, & Dens, 2012).

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion