MAKING HOTEL RESERVATIONS ONLINE: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF U.S. TRAVELERS’ COMMENTS

Abstract

As a substantial portion of online room reservations continues to be made via intermediary travel Web sites, the American hotel companies deploy large amounts of resources to attract travelers to their Web sites through lowest guaranteed rates, direct connections with agencies and corporate clients, and industry partnerships. This article reports the results of a study that investigated travelers’ comments about their reservation experiences via hotel-owned and intermediary Web sites. The study revealed that the travelers had more favorable views of intermediary Web sites rather than hotel-owned Web sites. Travelers’ comments addressed the need for lowest room rates online, easy to use reservation tools, comparisons of room rates across properties within a destination, and security of online transactions. Hotel brand and travelers’ experience with online reservations have not been found to play a substantial role in travelers’ Web site preferences.