Hotel Responses Research Articles

Hotel guests’ intention to stay during the pandemic: A comparison of frequent versus infrequent guests

The hospitality industry has been greatly affected by health-related crises due to outbreaks of new diseases. Given the high uncertainty faced in these crises, hoteliers need to understand guests' risk perceptions and how they affect their businesses. By adopting the protection motivation theory, this study explores the differences between frequent and infrequent hotel guests in terms of risk perceptions and intentions to stay at a hotel. Data were collected via an online survey and analyzed employing PLS-SEM. The results indicate that perceived vulnerability negatively influences guests' intentions to stay during a pandemic whereas self-efficacy and hotel's response efficacy show positive effects. The multigroup analysis results show that frequent guests relied on perceived severity, self-efficacy, and response efficacy in decision making, while infrequent guests depended on both perceived vulnerability and hotel's response efficacy. These findings provide insights for hotel managers on effective business strategies for both guest groups.

Do Hotel Responses Matter?

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.

Examining the trade-off between compensation and promptness in eWOM-triggered service recovery: A restorative justice perspective

Our research examines the effectiveness of monetary compensation and the promptness of response during electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM)-triggered service recovery. Drawing upon restorative justice theories, we explore three main questions: whether the hotel's response to negative online reviews are always beneficial; whether offering compensation or responding promptly is more efficient under different levels of service failure severity; and how the hotel's response influences consumers' future engagement through eWOM media. Experimental results reveal that making minimum online service recovery effort is only effective in fixing consumer attitudes for less severe service failures. Compensation is the optimal solution for less severe failures, while prompt response is optimal for more severe service failures. The hotel's responsiveness to negative reviews and the service recovery outcome positively influence consumers' future eWOM behaviours through the same online medium. Implications for hotels seeking cost-effective management of negative reviews and for online media owners are offered.

Factors Affecting the Hotel's Service Quality: Relationship Marketing and Corporate Image

The hotel industry in Taiwan is committed to improving service quality to increase competitiveness and to thereby develop and maintain long-term, steady customer relationships. The aims of this study are to investigate the effect of relationship marketing on corporate image and service quality and the interrelation between corporate image and service quality. The survey results of this study showed that relationship orientation positively affects customer perception of the hotel corporate image and its service quality; the hotel's functional image perception; the hotel's physical equipment, decor and environment; and the hotel's response to customer perception, all of which are mutually related and influenced. This study further found that female customers and customers with higher education positively affect the perception of the hotel's corporate image and service quality. It is important for hotel managers to improve service quality and customer relationship management.