The influence of outsourcing activities on the perception of service quality. An empirical study based on online reviews by hotel customers

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of the outsourcing of hotel departments on service quality measured through online customer reviews. Design/methodology/approach Three models were developed, considering three important online tourism reputation websites, to establish the relationship between the outsourcing of hotel activities and service quality. Findings The results show that in the three databases, hotel outsourcing has a negative influence on online reputation. A higher level of outsourcing reduces service quality, the percentage of recommendations and the value perceived by customers who carry out online reviews of these hotels. In addition, different models were established for each type of department. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents the first empirical study to analyse the relationship between the impact of process outsourcing and customers’ online reviews. It is also the first empirical research to consider the relationship between outsourcing and ratings by hotel end-customers as a performance measure.