Hotel choice: a closer look at demographics and online ratings

Abstract

In this paper, the authors explore how demographic variables and online ratings may affect hotel choice in a sample of 279 customers. By means of an alternative-specific conditional logit (asclogit) method, the authors evidence that age and gender affect choice decisions about motels, city hotels, and hotel resorts differently. There is a lower chance for customers to choose a motel if they have a higher income. The authors also find that domestic customers have a higher preference for hotel resorts, while foreign customers prefer city hotels, even though there are more motels in their area. Finally, online ratings exert strong effects on hotel choice at the 5-star rating level. The findings of this study provide marketing scholars and practitioners the necessary evidence for making statistic inferences on a choice behavior model and predicting customer decision-making. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd