Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 00:1–24, 2015
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1936-8623 print/1936-8631 online
DOI: 10.1080/19368623.2015.983631
Understanding Satisfied and Dissatisfied Hotel
Customers: Text Mining of Online Hotel
Reviews
KATERINA BEREZINA
College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership, University of South Florida
Sarasota–Manatee, Sarasota, Florida, USA
ANIL BILGIHAN
College of Business, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
CIHAN COBANOGLU
College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership, University of South Florida
Sarasota–Manatee, Sarasota, Florida, USA
FEVZI OKUMUS
Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
This article aims to examine the underpinnings of satisfied and
unsatisfied hotel customers. A text-mining approach was followed
and online reviews by satisfied and dissatisfied customers were
compared. Online reviews of 2,510 hotel guests were collected
from TripAdvisor.com for Sarasota, Florida. The research findings
revealed some common categories that are used in both posi-
tive and negative reviews, including place of business (e.g., hotel,
restaurant, and club), room, furnishing, members, and sports.
Study results further indicate that satisfied customers who are will-
ing to recommend a hotel to others refer to intangible aspects of
their hotel stay, such as staff members, more often than unsatis-
fied customers. On the other hand, dissatisfied customers mention
more frequently the tangible aspects of the hotel stay, such as
furnishing and finances. The study offers clear theoretical and
managerial implications pertaining to understanding of satisfied
Address correspondence to Katerina Berezina, College of Hospitality and Technology
Leadership, University of South Florida Sarasota–Manatee, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL
34243, USA. E-mail: katerina@katerinaberezina.com
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.
tandfonline.com/whmm.
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