Understanding Satisfied and Dissatisfied Hotel Customers: Text Mining of Online Hotel Reviews

TLDR

The study investigates the underlying factors that differentiate satisfied from dissatisfied hotel customers. The authors applied a text‑mining method to 2,510 TripAdvisor reviews of Sarasota hotels, comparing satisfied and dissatisfied guests. The analysis identified shared review categories (hotel, restaurant, club, room, furnishing, members, sports) and showed that satisfied guests emphasize intangible aspects such as staff, while dissatisfied guests focus on tangible aspects like furnishings and finances, offering theoretical and managerial insights.

Abstract

This article aims to examine the underpinnings of satisfied and unsatisfied hotel customers. A text-mining approach was followed and online reviews by satisfied and dissatisfied customers were compared. Online reviews of 2,510 hotel guests were collected from TripAdvisor.com for Sarasota, Florida. The research findings revealed some common categories that are used in both positive and negative reviews, including place of business (e.g., hotel, restaurant, and club), room, furnishing, members, and sports. Study results further indicate that satisfied customers who are willing to recommend a hotel to others refer to intangible aspects of their hotel stay, such as staff members, more often than unsatisfied customers. On the other hand, dissatisfied customers mention more frequently the tangible aspects of the hotel stay, such as furnishing and finances. The study offers clear theoretical and managerial implications pertaining to understanding of satisfied and dissatisfied customers through the use of text mining and hotel ratings via review websites, social media, blogs, and other online platforms.