Negative Word of Mouse in the Hotel Industry: A Content Analysis of Online Reviews on Luxury Hotels in Jordan

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to identify the nature of e-complaints directed at luxury hotels in Jordan. For this purpose, a content analysis was conducted based on 424 negative reviews posted for these hotels on the User-Generated Content (UGC) travel website TripAdvisor. The study found that the most frequent e-complaints were about service quality, the efficiency of hotel facilities, and cleanliness and hygiene. The study showed that e-complaints were mostly posted by British, American, and Emirati guests. The hotels' responses to e-complaints were also examined. The findings suggested that less than one-half of the e-complaints (approximately 43%) received an online response from the hotel management and that more than one-half of these responses (56%) were posted within a week of the e-complaint's posting date. Recommendations to effective e-complaint management in the hotel industry were given in light of the article's findings.