Data Analysis and Applications 3, 3rd Edition

10On Determining the Value of Online Customer Satisfaction Ratings – A Case-based Appraisal

A positive online reputation is one of the most powerful marketing assets a business can possess. Thanks to ubiquitous electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), the Internet has become saturated with online ratings and rankings on consumer satisfaction as a plethora of review sites vie for dominance in the world of reputation marketing. Disconcertingly, the survey design, data collection methods and analytical techniques used for generating such ratings can vary markedly from review site to review site – not just in transparency, but also in value and reliability. This is especially so in the hospitality industry, where hotel review postings, in particular, often attract debate, suspicion and disagreement. It is against this backdrop that a critical appraisal of the Which? Travel Large UK Hotel Chains 2016 survey operation was undertaken.

10.1. Introduction

In a matter of relatively few years, the Internet has revolutionized business and communication beyond all imagination – fundamentally changing the way that buyers and sellers interact in the marketplace.

Today, the Internet is inundated with reviews by customers – documenting their experiences and the quality of the products and services they have purchased. Nowhere is this more true than in the hospitality industry, where review sites such as Booking.com, Tripadviser.com and Expedia.com compete to service a tourist industry whose growth ...