ما به بررسی این موضوع پرداخته ایم که راهبردهای بازاریابی دیجیتال (مثل داشتن یک طرح بازاریابی دیجیتال، پاسخگویی به درخواست های مهمان ، و نظارت و ردیابی اطلاعات درخواست های آنلاین) تا چه اندازه به طور مستقیم بر رزرو اتاق های هتل و درآمد حاصل از هر اتاق و به طور غیرمستقیم از طریق اثر حجم و ظرفیت درخواست های آنلاین اثر می گذارد. همچنین به بررسی میزان تفاوت این مکانیزم برای انواع مختلف هتل ها در زمینه رتبه بندی ستاره هتل و هتل های مستقل در مقایسه با هتل های زنجیره ای پرداخته ایم.

تحقیق در ۱۳۲ هتل در بلژیک انجام شد. نتایج نشان می دهد که حجم درخواست ها، بر رزرو اتاق و ظرفیت بازنگری بر درآمد حاصل از هر اتاق تاثیر می گذارد. راهبردها و فنون بازاریابی دیجیتال، بر حجم و ظرفیت درخواست های آنلاین، و به طور غیرمستقیم بر عملکرد هتل تاثیر می گذارد. این موضوع در مورد هتل های زنجیره ای بیشتر از هتل های مستقل صدق می کند. همچنین در هتل هایی که دارای ستاره های بیشتر هستند در مقایسه با هتل های بدون ستاره بیشتر صدق می کند.

کلمات کلیدی: راهبردهای بازاریابی دیجیتال هتل ، حجم و ظرفیت درخواست های آنلاین، عملکرد هتل، ظرفیت اتاق، درآمد حاصل از هر اتاق

Abstract

We investigate to what extent digital marketing strategies (such as having a digital marketing plan, responsiveness to guest reviews, and monitoring and tracking online review information) influence hotel room occupancy and RevPar directly, and indirectly through the mediating effect of the volume and valence of online reviews they lead to, and to what extent this mechanism is different for different types of hotels in terms of star rating and independent versus chain hotels. The research was carried out in 132 Belgian hotels. The results indicate that review volume drives room occupancy and review valence impacts RevPar. Digital marketing strategies and tactics affect both the volume and valence of online reviews and, indirectly, hotel performance. This is more outspoken in chain hotels than in independent hotels, and in higher-star hotels than in lower-tier hotels.

Keywords Digital hotel marketing strategies; Volume and valence of online reviews; Hotel performance; Room occupancy; RevPar

۱. Introduction

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is “all informal communications directed at consumers through Internet-based technology related to the usage or characteristics of particular goods and services, or their sellers” (Litvin et al., 2008). eWOM can take many forms, the most important one being online reviews. eWOM has a profound effect on attitudes and buying behavior of consumers and on commercial results in many product categories, such as books (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006), movies (Duan et al., 2008a; Liu, 2006), online games (Zhu and Zhang, 2010) and restaurants (Kim et al., 2016). eWOM appears to be particularly important for experience products.

These are goods or services the quality of which cannot be judged easily prior to consumption, like hotels (Casalo et al., 2015). In such situations, the opinion of other consumers who post their experiences in online reviews, provides information from a source that is perceived as more independent and trustworth than company information (Zhao et al., 2015; Ye et al., 2011). In the travel industry, in the USA alone nearly two thirds of Web users relied on digital channels for travel information in 2013 (eMarketer, 2013). More than 74 percent of travelers use the comments of other consumers when planning trips (Gretzel and Yoo, 2008).

Thus, online reviews are an important source of information for prospective hotel consumers, and they have an influence on trust and enjoyment (Sparks and Browning, 2011; Gretzel and Yoo, 2008), perceived credibility (Casalo et al., 2015; Mauri and Minazzi, 2013), hotel awareness (Vermeulen and Seegers, 2009), corporate reputation (Baka, 2016), attitudes (Casalo et al., 2015; Vermeulen and Seegers, 2009), hotel quality perceptions (Torres et al., 2015), booking intentions (Casalo et al., 2015; Ladhari and Michaud, 2015; Mauri and Minazzi, 2013; Sparks and Browning, 2011), hotel choice (Sparks and Browning, 2011; Vermeulen and Seegers, 2009), and willingness to pay (Nieto- García et al., 2017). As a result of this, online reviews also have an effect on hotel performance. Online reviews have been found to influence room occupancy, RevPar (revenue per available room), prices (Ögut and Tas, 2012; Ye et al., 2009, 2011) and market share (Duverger