International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems

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Impact of Online Reviews on Hotel Booking for Novice Travelers


Affiliations
1 Associate Professor, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
2 Assistant Professor, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
3 Assistant Professor, Global Business School & Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
4 Assistant Professor, School of Management, MIT-WPU, Pune, Maharashtra, India
     

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It is quite a common to read online reviews before making a purchase decision. Online reviews have transformed the way individuals make their purchase decisions. Online reviews are more than just a way to collect the information. The present study explained and explored the impact of online reviews on purchase decision among novice travelers for hotel bookings. A structured and un-disguised questionnaire was developed and used to collect the primary data from 427 respondents. Conceptual model was examined by using structural equation modelling. Study delivered detailed insight on various elements used for analysis and revealed that online review score and volume, online review platform, online reviewer expertise, timeliness of review influenced trust of novice travelers. Further, study confirmed mediating role of trust between the online review score and volume, online review platform, online reviewer expertise, timeliness of review and purchase decision for hotel bookings by first time travelers.

Keywords

Online Reviews, Trust, Purchase Decision, Novice Travelers
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  • Impact of Online Reviews on Hotel Booking for Novice Travelers

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Authors

Siddharth Shimpi
Associate Professor, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Sagar Bhadange
Assistant Professor, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Sachin Patil
Assistant Professor, Global Business School & Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Hemant Anbhule
Assistant Professor, School of Management, MIT-WPU, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract


It is quite a common to read online reviews before making a purchase decision. Online reviews have transformed the way individuals make their purchase decisions. Online reviews are more than just a way to collect the information. The present study explained and explored the impact of online reviews on purchase decision among novice travelers for hotel bookings. A structured and un-disguised questionnaire was developed and used to collect the primary data from 427 respondents. Conceptual model was examined by using structural equation modelling. Study delivered detailed insight on various elements used for analysis and revealed that online review score and volume, online review platform, online reviewer expertise, timeliness of review influenced trust of novice travelers. Further, study confirmed mediating role of trust between the online review score and volume, online review platform, online reviewer expertise, timeliness of review and purchase decision for hotel bookings by first time travelers.

Keywords


Online Reviews, Trust, Purchase Decision, Novice Travelers

References