The Role of Brand in Influencing Online Hotel Booking

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influences of the number of hotel management responses and especially the textual similarity in hotel management responses to online reviews on hotel online booking. Design/methodology/approach This study used the data from 437 hotels in New York City on Expedia. The data specifically include online reviews, management responses and real-time number of online hotel bookings, which were merged to create one dataset for this study. To calculate the management response similarity, three widely recognized text mining functions of calculating textual similarity were adopted in this model. Fixed-effect panel data model was then used to examine the influence of management response to consumer online reviews on online hotel booking volume. Findings The empirical results demonstrate that the number of management responses to consumer online reviews does not significantly affect hotel booking; compared to none or only one management response, or management responses with low similarity, management responses with high similarity can significantly reduce the hotel booking on Expedia. Practical implications This study suggests that the similarity of management responses influences customers’ hotel booking, and hotel managers should avoid providing too similar management responses. Originality/value First, this study, for the first time, proposes the concept of management response similarity and its measurement methods. Second, this study takes an initial attempt to empirically test the influence of response similarity on hotel booking by using secondary data online.

PurposeThis study examined how marketer- and user-generated photographs jointly influence consumers' online hotel booking.Design/methodology/approachViewing photographs as stimuli that influence consumers' online hotel booking, this study proposes a research model and validates that using one quasi-experiment.FindingsThe findings of this study provide some empirical insights. Marketers can release room- and scene-related photographs. Users can release product- and social-related photographs. The interaction between room-related photographs by marketers and product-related photographs by users can promote energetic arousal and dominance and then promote online booking intention. The interaction between scene-related photographs by marketers and social-related photographs by users can promote energetic arousal and dominance and then promote online booking intention. Pleasure, energetic arousal and dominance can positively influence the attitude toward photographs. Pleasure and energetic arousal can positively influence the attitude toward photographs and then positively influence booking intention. Dominance can positively influence booking intention.Originality/valueThe findings of this study reveal significant interaction effects between marketer- and user-generated photographs on consumers' online booking. The findings will help researchers and marketers better understand the impact of photographs on consumers' online hotel booking.

With the internet now the primary channel of hotel bookings for many consumers, this study sets out to analyse if a consumer forms a relationship with their online booking channel, as much of extant hospitality literature analyses post-purchase or post-stay relationship satisfaction. This is a breakthrough study for two reasons: measuring the multiple Organisation-Public Relationship (OPR) dimensions simultaneously, in the new contexts of one-off, online, discretionary hotel bookings, has determined that a relationship does exist. Secondly, it provides a relationship definition specific to this study: in the context of a reintermediated hotel industry, where the consumer is the dominant party, a relationship in a technology enabled booking process exists where both the requisite levels of attachment and benefits are provided to establish satisfaction with the process, as predicted by the three key indicators of trust, reliability and commitment, thereby prompting long term usage. To analyse this relationship, a mixed-methods approach was taken. The exploratory qualitative study determined that a relationship does exist between the customer and the booking channel. Taking the Hon and Grunig (1999) OPR model as the basis for investigation, the results revealed that the dimensions of trust, commitment, control mutuality and exchange relationship are present. To measure the strength of each dimension, an online quantitative study was distributed to over 500 respondents in the UK, inclusive of both hotel website and Online Travel Agent (OTA) website users. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to measure and validate the relationship dimensions present in the model. The findings were illuminating; firstly, the OPR dimensions were highly correlated in this context, prompting a redistribution of the measurement items. The resultant Hotel Booking channel Relationship model (HBR) was validated, providing the new insight that the dimensions of reliability, commitment and trust are the strongest predictors of a consumer’s satisfaction with their booking channel, which remained true for all of the moderators. This study has made the following original contributions. Methodologically it tested the OPR model in new contexts of marketing led, online hotel bookings that are a one-off discretionary spend and secondly, implemented the rigour and flexibility of the PLS-SEM analysis to generate the HBR model and moderator analysis. Theoretically the qualitative research identified the impact of the functional and emotional benefits, the quantitative developed and confirmed the new HBR and the analysis confirmed the emergence of reliability, trust, and commitment as the significant dimensions within this context. Managerially the HBR can be used by both hotels or OTAs to develop valued consumer relationships and for other tourism sectors such as destination marketing or cruise products.

With the digital revolution, travelers can compare prices and get information about the experience of other guests, which can influence online hotel booking. In addition to hotel customers can readily find most of the information they need online price, location, star rating, comfort, cleanliness, security, service quality and reputation to compare hotel properties and choose the most appropriate. Online reviews and ratings have an important role in the decision-making process, reducing uncertainty. Interaction is a seriousness feature of marketing communication; hotel website interactivity is indispensable to engage customer attention towards online buying or online booking. The research objective was to shed light on the factors affecting customer decision on online hotel booking. The study has some of limitations: The data was collected through questionnaire with a sample of Luxor hotels the period of January 2020 till March 2020. The received questionnaires were 860, but the correct samples to be statistically analyzed were 720 with a percentage of 83.7 %. This tool was used to investigate the factors affecting customer decision on online hotel booking. Results showed that there are many factors such as (Previous guests' experience, location, price and loyalty program) positively influences on online hotel booking. Moreover, online hotel booking positively influences on hotel booking.

Purpose The importance of online reviews on online hotel booking has been widely acknowledged. However, not all online reviews affect consumers equally. Compared with common online reviews, key online reviews (KORs) have a greater influence on consumers' decisions and online hotel booking. This study takes the first step to investigate the factors affecting the identification of KORs and the role of KORs in online hotel booking.Design/methodology/approach To test the research hypotheses, this study develops a crawler to obtain 551,600 online reviews of 650 hotels in ten representative large cities in China. This study first uses a binary logistic regression to identify KORs by combining review content quality and reviewer characteristics and then uses a log-regression model to investigate the role of KORs in online hotel booking.Findings This study mined the factors affecting the identification of KORs by analyzing review contents and reviewer characteristics. Our results revealed that KORs play a mediating role in the effects of review content and reviewer characteristics on online hotel booking.Originality/value This study focuses on KORs, which have received limited attention in research but are important to practitioners. Specifically, this study investigates the antecedents and consequences of KORs. Our results enable hotel managers to manage online reviews effectively, particularly KORs.

With the development of the economy and the maturity of the network market, more and more people book hotels and tickets online.When the customer book hotels online, online reviews play an important role in consumer booking decision.Despite researcher's attempts on examining different aspects of online reviews, its impact on hotel sales remains largely unknown in the existing literature.Objective: In this paper, we give one method to investigate the impact of online reviews on consumer's hotel online booking decision.Method: Utilizing data collected from the so jump website in China, linear regression analysis is used to find out which aspects of online reviews have impacts on the consumer's hotel online booking decision.Result: Our results indicate a significant relationship between online reviews and consumer hotel online booking decision.Six factors of online reviews influencing consumers in hotel online booking were found.Conclusion: In this paper, we have successfully indicated that the linear regression model analysis can be used to investigate the relationship between online reviews and hotel online booking decision.

In light of travelers’ growing preference for sustainable hotel accommodation, this study investigated the relative importance of green certification labels/badges in online hotel selection/booking choice. A conjoint analysis was performed on seven online hotel attributes (including green certification labels/badges) in two specific scenarios (imagining they were booking in a pre- and post-COVID-19 setting) using 270 U.S. subjects surveyed in April 2020. The results revealed that green certification labels/badges do impact travelers’ online hotel booking choice, but not as much as cancellation policies, hotel rating, price, and location. Price in particular exerted a greater influence on travelers’ booking preferences in the post-COVID-19 scenario. Yet, a significant percentage of travelers (around 40% in both scenarios) were willing to pay more for a hotel with green certification. These results contribute to our theoretical and practical understanding of the factors that influence online hotel booking, as well as the power of green certification labels/badges in driving online hotel bookings in the pre-and post-COVID-19 contexts.

Innovative technologies are paving the way for the online purchase of products and services. The COVID-19 also harness online shopping and hotel booking in the post-COVID-19 era. Online hotel booking is becoming the norm among young consumers. The six determinants of the intention to use online hotel booking platforms (OHBPs) are information quality, integrity, perceived risks, perceived benefits, system quality, and service quality was utilized in the study. Cross-sectional data were collected through the online survey, and 884 valid responses were utilised for the data analysis. The analysis results showed that the perceived benefits, system quality, and service quality significantly predicted the intention to use the OHBPs. Meanwhile, the usefulness and quantity of online reviews and the intention to use OHBPs have a positive and significant effect on the usage of the OHBPs. The study results confirmed the insignificant moderating role of the usefulness and quantity of online hotel booking reviews in the relationship between the intention to use and the usage of OHBPs. The intention to use OHBPs had low predictive power, while the usage of OHBPs had high predictive power. This study’s findings have offered valuable theoretical and managerial contributions. The management of OHBPs needs to concentrate on information quality and integrity to help manage the associated risks of online hotel booking. Previous customers' reviews are vital to encourage the usage of OHBPs. Finally, social media usage and promoting the OHBPs by sharing satisfied users' experiences improve the intention and usage of the OHBPs.

As people feel more comfortable using the Internet, online hotel bookings has become popular in recent years. Understanding the drivers of online booking intention and behavior can help hotel managers to apply corresponding strategies to increase hotel booking rates. Thus the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the use intention and behavioral intention of online hotel booking. The proposed model has assimilated factors from the extended Unified theory of Acceptance and use of Technology (UTAUT2) along with age, gender, and experience as moderators. Data were collected by conducting a field survey questionnaire completed by 488 participants. The results showed that behavioral intention is significantly and positively influenced by performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition, hedonic motivation, price value, and habit behavior. Use behavior is positively influenced by facilitating condition and hedonic motivation. As for moderators, gender moderates the relationships between performance expectancy, social influence, and behavioral intention. Age moderates the relationships between effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, and behavioral intention. Experience moderates the relationships between social influence, price value, and behavioral intention and between habit behavior and use behavior. Based on the results, recommendations for hotel managers are proposed. Furthermore, research limitations and future directions are discussed.

Analysing behavioural differences between e- and m-bookers in hotel booking

Online travel agencies (OTAs) have increased their market share in online hotel booking as the internet has grown exponentially. The present study aims to apprehend travellers using the internet to search and book hotels on the OTA website. Moreover, regarding online satisfaction, this study also tries to find user satisfaction and intention to book the hotel by extending the information system success model. A partial least-square (PLS) structural equation modelling approach was used to assess a research model that included three variables: system quality, information quality, and service quality. A total of 225 usable responses were obtained and analyzed using SmartPLS software. The findings revealed that information satisfaction and service satisfaction significantly influence the online booking intentions. The findings give valuable insights to the OTA website and OTA app developers on how they should postulate complete and accurate information while considering the service quality aspects to influence hotel booking. This research has extended the body of knowledge on online satisfaction and hotel booking intention by implementing and expanding the information system success model.

In the emerging market, the usage of smartphone apps are playing an imperative role and supporting travelers in their online hotel bookings. This study aims to examine the various determinants that affect travelers’ behavioral intention regarding hotel booking through smartphone apps. Data was collected from 379 hotel guests who used smartphone apps for hotel bookings. The respondents for this study are taken from Delhi. Further, the hypotheses of this study were validated with the help of structural equation modeling (SEM) using partial least squares (PLS). The results of this study found all dimensions significant except for effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and habits. A newly added dimension, perceived trust was also found a significant predictor of consumer’s behavioral intentions for hotel booking through smartphone apps. The study provides implications for hotel managers that the information provided on apps must be accurate, up-to-date and reliable regarding hotel services. By incorporating relevant information in the system, travelers’ will feel the hotels are trustworthy and thus their tendency to use smartphone apps for hotel bookings will increase. As well as hotel apps must be easy to operate which reduce travelers extra efforts and time while using it.

Photographic images help customers perceive product information more accurately and clearly. A customer’s perception of a particular product also influences their decision to purchase it. In the context of a hotel, guests evaluate digital hotel photos online during their booking decision process. While a large body of research has contributed to the understanding of how hotel online digital images shape hotel customer behaviour, little is known about the aesthetics, content, and composition of hotel images and their effects on booking decisions. In addition, previous research has routinely been criticised for having methodological limitations. These studies have routinely used surveys and experiments to explore how hotel pictures affect customer perception of the hotel and his/her booking intentions. Unlike prior studies, this research scopes a determination of the ‘selling’ properties pertinent to the hotel’s digital images placed online on the hotel-themed websites with the application of the latest technologies pursuant to visual data mining, processing and analysis. This study employed Google’s Inception v3 neural network as an AI solution for embedding and classifying hotel photo images with the further application of logistic regression and fuzzy cognitive mapping method. The results of the present study determined the hotel picture properties that may engender positive customer perception of the hotel and sequentially can precipitate hotel booking. The revealed ‘selling’ hotel image properties comprise (a) light and time of the photo shooting, (b) image colour scheme, (c) human presence, and (d) shooting angle. This study suggests a set of practical recommendations to hotel marketers to develop ‘selling’ photo images that generate hotel bookings online. The completed research is one of the first in the nascent literature stream in AI-powered computer vision solutions studies to determine the effects of photo aesthetics on online hotel bookings.

With the development of information technology, online travel agency has become an important information and communication source in the hospitality industry. The previous studies assessing the online hotel decision-making behaviours, however, mainly focused on behavioural intentions as well as identifying factors that directly influence the transactional behaviours, which rely on a static approach rather than employing the holistic viewpoints. Thus, this research adopted the choice-set model as a theoretical lens to explore online hotel booking behaviours by using multiple methods (i.e. observation and survey methods). The findings of this research shed light on the dynamic patterns of online hotel decision-making process and identify important factors (i.e. internal and external information sources) across sequential stages of the choice-set model. Therefore, this research provides useful implications to online hospitality marketers.

The method of opaque-selling websites provides leisure travelers an option to lower their travel expenses. Through this method, travelers blindly make a reservation at a profoundly discounted price with limited product information available. Compared with booking hotels through a transparent travel website, consumers may perceive a higher level of uncertainty when purchasing through opaque-selling websites. This study aimed to examine consumers’ intentional buying process while booking hotels through opaque-selling websites. The results indicate that (a) consumers’ perceived risks include hotel performance and website credibility; (b) perceived risks and perceived benefits had different influences on purchase intentions; (c) value assessment played a vital role that transformed consumers’ perceptions toward purchase intentions; and (d) consumers’ risk propensity only influenced their perceived risks and benefits of booking, yet past experience affected all factors except purchase intentions. The insight from this study provides hospitality marketers information regarding consumers’ strategic buying behavior with online hotel bookings.