Analyses of customer dissatisfiers in hotel online reviews and the consequences of customer dissatisfaction

Abstract

Customer satisfaction is one of the most widely researched topics in management literature, and enhancing customer satisfaction is a core strategy for business. However, it is also important to understand customer dissatisfaction in order to maintain a sustainable business, given that the negative effects of customer dissatisfaction in service businesses may be even greater than the positive effects of satisfaction.This study investigates customer dissatisfaction in the hotel context. In particular, firstly, this study is to identify dissatisfiers and satisfiers, and compare dissatisfiers to satisfiers based on Herzberg's two-factor theory by analyzing online hotel reviews generated by customers. Secondly, this approach is applied to compare between upscale and budget hotels, which can show different levels of customer expectation. Thirdly, it examines its consequences by focusing on the effect of customer dissatisfaction on attitude toward a hotel. It identifies a role for attitude in the relationship between customer dissatisfaction and negative behavioral intention (switching service provider, spreading negative word-of-mouth, and complaining). Fourthly, it is to compare the dissatisfaction relationship paths for two datasets drawn from customers of different hotel classes of upscale and budget hotels.Results of Study I showed the two distinct sets of satisfiers and dissatisfiers in upscale hotels with the exception of two overlapped service-related factors, the results in budget hotels revealed the two sets of satisfiers and dissatisfiers with five common factors which are one service-related, one monetary factor, and three room facilities-related factors. As a result, the most critical factor was "staff and their attitude." In addition, results of Study II showed a full mediating role of attitude toward a hotel in the relationship between customer dissatisfaction and negative behavioral intention (switching service provider,spreading negative word-of-mouth,and complaining). The relationship paths between upscale and budget hotel datasets showed a same pattern for upscale and budget hotel customers.This study attempts to suggest the significance of customer dissatisfaction as an independent concept differentiated from satisfaction by analyzing customers{160} unsatisfactory reactions in form of electronic word-of-mouth based on theoretical foundation and broaden our knowledge of the role of attitude in the literature on customer dissatisfaction.