What Does Hotel Website Content Say About a Property—An Evaluation of Upscale Hotels in Taiwan and China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Websites are important platforms for hotel Internet marketing. Website content can directly influence customer preferences and decisions. This study proposes a comprehensive model, which is more objective and valid than others, to evaluate 158 hotel websites in Taiwan and China according to three dimensions: feature breadth, stage of website development, and feature enrichment. The samples came from four different types of hotels: Taiwanese international tourist hotels, Taiwanese ordinary tourist hotels, Chinese five-star hotels, and Chinese four-star hotels. We find that these four types of hotels emphasize features on their websites differently and that the degree of website robustness ranks as follows: Taiwanese international tourist hotels, Taiwanese ordinary tourist hotels, Chinese five-star hotels, and Chinese four-star hotels. Managerial implications and suggestions are also proposed.