The internet practices of hotel companies: an analysis from Greece

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the practices hoteliers use to design their hotel web sites. It argues that hoteliers provide groups of relative information services, they provide them in different degrees of occurrence, and some of them being significant are not provided to meet the customers' demands, while others are provided regardless of their low perceived significance. Design/methodology/approach This work distinguishes groups of information services according to their occurrence and significance. The content of 798 Greek hotel web sites is recorded using the frequencies of 66 information features. Also a sample of 17 users provides the significance ratings of the information features. Findings Greek hotel web sites are primarily designed to serve as electronic brochures and, while they generally satisfy most of the users' needs, they partly serve as online transactions media, a function considered significant. Practical implications Identifies and rates the rendered groups of related information services at hotel web sites. Originality/value Enables hoteliers and web designers to evaluate significant web sites' characteristics.