Hotel review framing and the “law of small numbers”

Abstract

AbstractOnline booking engines are the primary method by which consumers purchase hotels stays. Thus, understanding the best ways to present hotel information to consumers is critical. An experimental study investigated how review framing, presentation format, and number of reviews influence consumers' intention to book. The findings reveal that the way hotel reviews and ratings are presented plays a significant role in consumers' booking intentions and hotel evaluations. The results demonstrated that positive framing, abstract numerical presentation, and a small number of reviews result in more favorable evaluations and intentions than negative framing, concrete presentation, and a large number of reviews. However, these variables influence different outcomes at each stage of the purchasing process. Practically, this study aids hoteliers by providing approaches to increase bookings and attract consumers. Theoretically, it demonstrates how the presentation of ratings information leads to judgmental heuristics that can bias consumers' judgments throughout the decision process.