Aicher, J.; Hauschild, M.; Zöhrer, M.; Egger, R. at ENTER2016 eTourism Conference

1. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 1
Online Hotel Reviews:
Rating Symbols or Text… Text or Rating Symbols?
That is the question!
Johanna Aicher, Miriam Hauschild, Martina Zöhrer &
Roman Egger
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Austria
roman.egger@fh-salzburg.ac.at
http://www.fh-salzburg.ac.at

2. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 2
We would like to ask you...
Who of you is consulting online hotel
reviews when looking for
accommodation?

3. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 3
Research Objectives
The main research aims:
•Investigate whether potential travellers first read the text
of a hotel review or look at the rating symbol(s)
•Explore whether the ratio of positive and negative reviews
impacts the way a potential traveller regards the product

4. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 4
Research Questions
• Main Research Question: Do hotel reviews impact the decision-making
process when choosing hotel accommodation and which role do symbols
play on hotel review and electronic booking intermediary websites?
• RQ2: Do potential travellers first look at the actual hotel review, which
means the written text, or at the rating symbol?
• RQ3: Is there a relation between the ratio of positive and negative reviews
and the potential travellers’ perception of the product?

5. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 5
Definition of a symbol
“A mark or character used as a conventional
representation of an object, function or
process.”
(oxforddictionaries.com)

6. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 6
What did we do in order to answer our
research questions?

7. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 7
Methodology
• Pre-test
Latini
Hotel
Holiday Inn
Salzburg City

8. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 8
Basis for prototype

9. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 9
Prototype for eye-tracking

10. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 10
Task

11. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 11
Questionnaire

12. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 12
Findings
• RQ1: The decision to book a hotel is mainly based on symbols and ratings rather than
the content of reviews
• RQ2: First look was at stars & scoring (rating symbol) - Regardless of whether
respondent was in positive or negative group
• Back-up of results of eye-tracking through questionnaire
• Questionnaire: Do online hotel reviews influence your decision?
• 50% yes
• 50% no

13. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 13
Discussion & Implications
•Booking platforms should put more emphasis on the symbols regarding color & font size
•Negative reviews may make your product authentic; cannot be generalized
•Hotel reviews are never written without bias
•Limitations of words
•Text of a hotel review only accessible at second look

14. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 14
Limitations & Future Research
• Limitations
– Nature of the prototype itself (manipulation, pre-selection)
– No real-life scenario
• Future research
– Consider the time component more thoroughly
– Quantitative instead of qualitative approach
– Does the rating symbol/headline fit the text?

15. ENTER 2016 Research Track Slide Number 15
Thank you for your attention!