A cross-country comparison of accommodation manager perspectives on online review manipulation
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Date
2019-08-27
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Rights
(c) The author/s
CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Accommodation businesses are increasingly dependent on a limited number of reservation platforms. A significant feature of these platforms is guest evaluations, which are transformed into ratings and rankings. As the positioning of the business in comparison to competitors determines customer demand, accommodation managers have considerable interest in maintaining or improving their online reputation. One response may be to engage in manipulation strategies. This paper presents the results of a survey including 270 hotel managers in five countries, Germany, Israel, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Managers confirm growing competition as a result of ratings and rankings, and they report that guests are increasingly aware of the importance of reviews. To avert negative online feedback impacts, managers intervene strategically. The paper discusses new market pressures, emergent consumer judgement culture and consumer citizenship, opportunities for legal redress and the emerging importance of reputation management strategies.
Description
Keywords
Consumer citizenship, hotels, manipulation, online reviews, ratings, rankings
Citation
Gössling S, Zeiss H, Hall CM, Martin-Rios C, Ram Y, Grøtte IP. (2019). A cross-country comparison of accommodation manager perspectives on online review manipulation. Current Issues in Tourism. 22. 14. (pp. 1744-1763).