One experience and multiple reviews: the case of upscale US hotels

Purpose – The present study aimed to understand the relationships between the various kinds of feedback received by hospitality operators. Information from guests, experts, and internal sources are often received, valued, and processed in various ways. The researchers sought to further explore the usage of such feedback and implications for theory and practice. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was sent to hotel general managers of four‐ and five‐diamond properties around the USA using the listing of the American Automobile Association (AAA). A total of 140 responses were received. The researchers utilized correlations and canonical correlation analysis to help understand the relationships among the variables. Findings – The results of the study revealed moderate to strong correlations between improvement in consumer‐generated feedback and customer satisfaction; between improvement in AAA ratings and customer satisfaction and mystery shopping scores. There were also moderate to high correlations among value placed in consumer‐generated and that placed on other electronic forms of electronic feedback such as social networking, blogs, and online travel agency feedback. Canonical correlation was also performed among the variables in the various correlation matrices. Two statistically significant dimensions emerged. The most influential variables in the first dimension were value placed on TripAdvisor and value placed on meeting planner feedback. The second dimension featured three influential variables: value placed on reviews in TripAdvisor, value placed on social networking, and perceived improvement in consumer‐generated ratings. Practical implications – The present research revealed two distinct sets of general managers: those who have a strong preference towards online feedback and those who place greater value in traditional sources of feedback such as letters from customers. Additionally, the researchers discovered some similarities between improvement in scores of experts and consumers. This in turn, points out to the existence of some universal aspects of service that appeal to both stakeholder groups. The different levels of value placed on various kinds of feedback points out to the need for tourism and hospitality operators to adopt a more comprehensive strategy to collect, analyze, and take appropriate actions based on such information. Originality/value – The researchers contribute to the nascent literature on consumer‐generated feedback by exploring its relationship to other variables. Furthermore, the study of various sources of feedback (i.e. guests, experts, and operators) is often studied separately in the tourism literature. It was the aim of this study to explore all of these together in order to better understand their relationships, value, and uses.