User-generated content on sites such as TripAdvisor has gained notable footing in the hotel industry, influencing guests’ perceptions and decisions throughout the travel planning process. This study focused on one type of user-generated content, consumer reviews. The content of 3,600 consumer reviews for 120 hotels across 3 major U.S. cities was analyzed to identify the attributes most-often cited by consumers, and those most-frequency discussed in a positive, and negative, light. Differences across hotel class were also assessed. Service, Rooms, and Location emerged as the top three major themes for all hotel classes. Sub-themes such as friendliness and helpfulness of employees were ranked among top positively-mentioned attributes, while noise and shared bathrooms ranked among the top complaints. By performing such content analyses on reviews for their own properties, hoteliers can better understand the expectations and perceptions of their guests, and thus develop strategic plans to create a superior guest experience.
