Exploring how empowered consumers are by Trip Advisor in the decision making process of booking a hotel

This dissertation is submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the BSc (Honours) in Business Management

of the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.

2013

Exploring how empowered consumers are by Trip Advisor in the decision making process of

booking a hotel.

Martina Curtis

I

DECLARATION OF AUTHORS RIGHTS

The copyright of this dissertation belongs to the author under the terms of the

United Kingdom Copyrights Acts. Due acknowledgement must always be

made of the use of any material contained in, or derived from, this

dissertation.

I declare that the dissertation embodies the results of my own research or

advanced studies and that it has been composed by myself. Where

appropriate, I have made reference to the work of others.

NAME:

SIGNED:

DATE:

II

Acknowledgements

There are a number of people I would like to express my gratitude towards

who have been particularly important in helping me to complete this study,

and without whom much of the work would not have been possible.

Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor Claire Ryder for her on-going

support and encouragement throughout the process.

For those who kindly took the time out of their busy schedules to take part in

the scenario, questionnaire and interview, I truthfully thank you for your

thoughts on Trip Advisor and your patients in completing all three exercises.

Finally, I would like to thank my incredible mother and good friend Annabel

for taking the time to read through all of my work, and for providing me with

reassurance at each stage of the process.

III

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how empowered consumers are by

Trip Advisor in the decision making process of booking a hotel.

To achieve this research, a variety of people’s perceptions and thoughts on

Trip Advisor and booking hotels have been congregated, to enable me to

understand how Trip Advisor can individually be empowering in the decision

making process. To ensure my ideas were supported, a methodological

triangulation was used to collect and analyse data, therefore participants took

part in multiple exercises which are as follows; a hypothetical scenario of

booking a hotel with Trip Advisor, questionnaires and interviews, allowing as

much thought to be expressed as possible.

From participants taking part in my research, a strong sense of satisfaction

towards the service Trip Advisor provides was conveyed. The contents which

were most influential on participant’s attitudes were photos and negative

reviews. However, many expressed a sense of suspicion towards reviews,

highlighting a controversy surrounding review content. Ultimately, once

participants completed the scenario of booking a hotel with Trip Advisor, the

majority of hotel choices did not change, nonetheless, although choice did

not change attitude certainly did. Trip Advisor either changed attitude

negatively, which caused participants to change choice of hotel, but also it

changed attitude positively, by acting as a confidence booster for consumers

to sustain a positive attitude towards their original choice. Therefore to

conclude, although choice may not change after using Trip Advisor, the site

remains to be empowering and persuasive through impacting consumer’s

attitude towards a hotel, therefore consistently effecting decision either way.

On the contrary, it was brought to light that convenience from using Trip

Advisor and booking hotels as a result of our hectic lifestyles is now required

today. Therefore, it has led me to question whether the Trip Advisor usage

and empowerment will continue to be effective in the future.

IV

Table of Contents

Declaration of Authors Rights I

Acknowledgements II

Abstract III

Table of Contents IV

Abbreviations VI

Introduction 1

Background to Trip Advisor 4

Literature Review

Introduction

Consumer Attitude

The website being influential

The content being influential

Summary

7

7

8

12

17

20

Methodology 22

Findings

Trip Advisor site usage

Trip Advisor content: Photos

Trip Advisor content: Reviews

Budget Allocation

Final Decision

26

26

29

30

31

32

V

Discussion 34

Conclusions 44

Self-Reflection / Further Research 48

Bibliography 50

Appendices

Appendix 1:Framework of the Trip Advisor scenario/questionnaire

Appendix 2:Questionnaire Responses

Appendix 3:Interview Responses

Appendix 4: Dissertation Diary

Appendix 5: Research Proposal

55

55

59

68

92

94

VI

Abbreviations

UGC User Generated Content

EWOM E-Word of Mouth

VII

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To analyse how the participants behaviour from completing the Trip

Advisor scenario may relate to or conflict to the literature review

findings.

To overall gain a general impression of how Trip Advisor can add

value to consumers making independent holiday decisions.

A thorough background on the Trip Advisor organisation will follow this

section, as it is crucial to inform readers whom may not be aware of Trip

Advisor of the company’s history. Therefore, details of the services,

operations, funding, ownership and competitors will be included.

An in depth review of Trip Advisor and consumer attitude literature has been

explored in my literature review chapter. This chapter informed me of

possible behaviour to expect in my primary research, and made me aware of

the arguments surrounding Trip Advisor.

A methodology was written in order to justify my choice of research method

and design. This allowed me to shed light on my disposition as a researcher,

so as to ensure ethical consideration was taken throughout my research, and

to ensure my research was unbiased.

To have enabled me to explore consumer’s attitudes towards the Trip

Advisor service, and towards making hotel decisions, my choice of primary

data collection was crucial for gaining a variety of responses. Therefore, the

initial collection stage consisted of, sending out a scenario whereby fifteen

participants had to hypothetically book a city break to Barcelona for 3 nights

with the aid of Trip Advisor, along with completing a questionnaire. Finally,

the last stage contained participants taking part in semi-structured interviews,

which allowed further exploration of consumer perceptions of Trip Advisor to

be congregated.

When analysing and sorting the primary data collected from the

questionnaires and interviews, grounded themes emerged which are

included in my findings chapter. Therefore, my findings chapter presents my

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primary data under these theme headings, incorporating both the

questionnaire data and interview data.

Following this, a discussion chapter has been provided whereby the themes

are analysed further, whilst also comparing and contrasting the findings to

the literature review findings. This enabled any correlation between

secondary data and primary data to surface, whilst also raising any new

issues.

The conclusion section highlights the key issues taken from my research,

and includes an overall evaluation which acts as a general theory in

answering my research question.

Finally a self-reflection and further research chapter have been included. The

self-reflection will provide a personal account of the research inquiry process,

and the further research will propose forthcoming areas which can be

potentially researched concerning Trip Advisor.

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Background to Trip Advisor

Trip Advisor is the world’s largest travel site, enabling travellers to plan and

have the perfect trip Trip Advisor (2013). To fulfil travellers perfect trip, the

sites main providing’s are reviews and images of hotels, restaurants and

attractions, which produce opinions for consumers when making a choice.

The service is diverse in that the reviews and images are supplied by

consumers rather than the company itself. This is classed as user generated

content, which means the information is provided by the general public. The

service is aimed at both consumer and business. From the consumer

perspective, the reviews provide information on choices and also provide a

platform to voice opinions. From the business perspective, it provides

companies with a form of feedback, information on competitors, and an

opportunity to respond and use the service as a marketing tool. The original

idea to create this type of service came from the CEO, Steve Kaufer when

booking a holiday in 1999 and being overwhelmed by hotel choices. Due to

the confusion this caused, Steve consulted the internet and came across just

a few comments which helped him make a choice. It was therefore the

scarcity of the everyday person’s opinion which he believed was helpful,

which inspired him to set up Trip Advisor in 2000, with its headquarters being

based in Massachusetts in the USA Root (2010).

Trip Advisor appears to have grown rapidly over the years, therefore today

the company makes up the largest travel community in the world. It has more

than 60 million unique monthly visitors and over 75 million reviews that can

be accessed in 30 countries worldwide Trip Advisor (2013). Subsequently,

Trip Advisor and a few of its other branded sites such as Cruise Critic have

recently been recognised for their popularity in The Times 50 top travel

websites Callahan (2013). Above all, what seems to make the site so widely

accessed is that it is completely free to use, for both consumer and mostly

free for businesses, unless they choose to advertise or subscribe to a

business listing on the site. It may seem bizarre how the company therefore

generates revenue. This is achieved through conventional means such as:

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cost per click advertising, referral fees, banner advertising and subscriptions

Root (2010). Consequently, Trip Advisor’s revenue stands at $763 million for

2012, showing a 20% increase from the previous year Tsuruoka (2013). Trip

Advisor has recently spun off Expedia, its parent company, and now trades

solely on the stock market Jopson and Makan (2011). Trip Advisor shares fell

initially, however they have since risen and currently trade near 44 according

to Cariaga (2013), as opposed to 27 on the first day of trading Jopson and

Makan (2011).

It appears Trip Advisor’s constant growth is due to the company’s ever

evolving services it offers, and its subsequent innovative reputation within the

travel industry. In recent years the main focus for the company has been put

onto integrating its services with social media and new technologies to stay

highly accessed by consumers. Trip Advisor’s major social media connection

is with Facebook, whereby last spring, Trip Advisor added a “friend of a

friend” feature Huang (2013) which enables you to view your friend’s reviews,

see which hotels they’ve stayed at and the cities they’ve visited Schaal

(2013). The company is able to reach out to large volumes with social media.

Moving forward though, one of Trip Advisor’s most wide spread ventures of

which they are currently trialling is a hotel metasearch platform, which

provides pricing and availability information for its huge database of

properties Travolution (2013). This latest idea should at least sustain or if not

increase consumer use, because everything the consumer needs from

opinions to prices will be available through one site. Trip Advisor’s

innovations appear to be therefore moving towards becoming a ‘one stop

shop’ for all travel needs.

Trip Advisor is not however the only provider of travel and restaurant reviews

in the industry, Google, Yelp and Wikimedia are also competing for a share

of this particular market. Google Places, which offers reviews of hotels and

restaurants, has put the search giant into direct competition with travel firms

such as Expedia and Trip Advisor BBC (2012).Google appears to be Trip

Advisor’s major competitor in particular due to the search engines ability to

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prioritise its own services in search results at the expense of independent

sites Bradshaw (2012). This behaviour has resulted in Trip Advisor filing a

complaint with the European Commission to address anti-competitive and

unfair practices by Google Garside (2012). Yelp is another competitor for Trip

Advisor, as the site has around 71 million monthly unique visitors, a large

customer base similar to Trip Advisor Simon (2012). However Yelp differs in

that it is more focused on the American market and restaurants in particular.

Another future competitor Trip Advisor is aware of is the Wikimedia

foundation, because they plan to launch a new travel review site Trefis Team

(2012). Wikimedia could potentially be a strong competitor, because the

company already has a large following with Wikipedia, and could therefore

gain a phenomenal user rate with the travel site. Despite concerns increasing

regarding competitors, Trip Advisor also have concerns regarding their

competitive image due to false review allegations. It has been suggested that

competitors can post reviews on rival hotels and hotels are able to boost their

own reviews. Trip Advisor claim to have a department which deals with false

reviews Trip Advisor (2013) and are more than likely going to need to put

emphasis onto showing the public more of this departments work in the

future, so as to shift attention away from this negative image which has been

portrayed in the media frequently.

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Literature Review

Introduction

In order to facilitate and help me gain insight into my Research Question

‘Exploring how empowered consumers are by Trip Advisor in the decision

making process of booking a hotel’, my literature review will provide an

understanding of both the theory surrounding the consumer in the decision

making process, and the literature surrounding Trip Advisor.

Initially my literature review aims to provide a discussion around the theories

of consumer attitude. I aim to focus on consumer attitude, because attitude

appears to provide the consumer with a vital starting base and point of

reference towards and throughout making decisions. Consumer attitude

therefore seems invaluable to research, because it incorporates the process

a consumer would go through when booking and making a hotel choice. This

will enable me to put myself in the position of the customer, or in the case of

this dissertation, the traveller, in order to look at how the traveller would make

a decision based on their attitude towards Trip Advisor, and towards what the

website provides them with in terms of choice. This will serve me with a

background on what goes on within the consumer when making decisions

which, will then be used to compare and contrast to my findings.

Subsequently, I wish to focus on the literature surrounding current discourse

prevailing over Trip Advisor. Therefore through identifying two major themes

in the academic research which are; Trip Advisor’s most influential selling

point is its website and Trip Advisor’s most influential selling point is the

content on the website, I wish for this section to highlight these and identify

literature surrounding both themes. I will therefore display the literature as

follows; firstly I will discuss the academic research that has reviewed UGC’S

which Trip Advisor provides. I then wish to discuss the academic research

which has reviewed the content on the Trip Advisor site.

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Overall, this chapter aims to explain the issues surrounding my study and will

provide a theoretical underpinning, which will be used to aid my research and

used to reflect upon in my discussion chapter.

Consumer Attitude

An attitude is a lasting, general evaluation of people including oneself,

objects, advertisements or issues Baron and Byrne (1987) cited in Solomon

et al (2010:275). The following will discuss how a consumer’s attitude is

formed, maintained, or changed over time.

One theory put forward to explain attitude formation is the functional theory

developed by psychologist Katz (1960) cited in Solomon et al (2010:275).

This theory indicates how attitudes are formed through consumers wanting

them to serve a function in the future. Functional theory recognises

individuality, through suggesting two people could have the same attitude but

for varying reasons. Katz (1960) four functions therefore explain these

varieties in attitude;

Utilitarian function, whereby the consumer forms an attitude based on

reward and punishment. For example; if the object provides the

consumer with pleasure a positive attitude is formed.

Value-expressive function, whereby an attitude is formed due to what

the object says about the consumer’s values.

Ego-defensive function, whereby an attitude is formed to protect self-

image.

Knowledge function, whereby an attitude is formed due to a need for

order, structure or meaning in times of uncertainty.

Although an attitude can contain more than one function; a dominant function

will persist due to a preference being provoked. It is the power of this

dominant function which makes a consumer’s attitude relate to one product

more.

In assessing how an attitude is formed it is important to look at the ABC

model. This model was formed through the agreement of researcher’s beliefs

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that an attitude contains components. The three components are affect,

behaviour and cognition. Affect refers to consumer’s feelings, behaviour

refers to consumer’s response, and cognition refers to consumer’s beliefs

about the object. Solomon et al (2010:277) implies this model emphasises

the interrelationship between knowing, feeling and doing. My understanding

is therefore, a consumer’s overall evaluation is what forms an attitude. It is

not simply because they know the holiday for example is luxurious; it is how

they interpret this through feelings and actions which forms an attitude.

A hierarchy of effects has been developed to explain the impact of all three

components.

Experiential Hierarchy

Solomon et al (2010).

Standard learning hierarchy indicates consumers gather information about

the product and forms beliefs. Then they form feelings toward the object and

engage in a relevant behaviour. These consumers seem to be more aware of

the object and more loyal to it.

Low-involvement hierarchy implies consumers have little knowledge and

beliefs about the object, and engage in behaviour on this limited basis,

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meaning feelings are formed post-use. These consumers seem more willing

to test objects and form attitudes through learning.

Experiential hierarchy identifies consumer’s emotions seem to play a large

role in forming an attitude. It is emotion which makes the consumer engage

with behaviour and beliefs are formed post-use.

The hierarchy of effects is therefore useful for explaining individual attitudes

however; it does seem rationalistic in that it uses sequences to demonstrate

how a consumer forms an attitude.

To explore why an attitude can be maintained or even changed, Festinger’s

(1957) cited in Solomon et al (2010:284) theory of cognitive dissonance is

relevant. The idea expressed with this theory explains how a consumer

seeks harmony within their attitude, which builds on Katz (1960) idea of the

utilitarian function causing an attitude to be formed to avoid punishment.

Consumers try to avoid conflicting attitudes due to the discomfort caused,

therefore they either hold onto the original attitude and post-use boost

confidence by increasing the attractiveness of the chosen over the unchosen.

Alternatively, the consumer may alter the overall attitude and behaviour to

reduce this feeling causing a change in attitude to persist. This I feel provides

a realistic picture of how the consumer can hold onto an attitude, due to

simply making do.

The above theories provide intrapersonal explanations of what happens

within the consumer to make them form, hold and change an attitude. This

has led me to question whether any theorist suggests external factors may

also affect attitude. The Fishbein (1983) model of reasoned action cited in

Solomon et al (2010:291) therefore puts forward the theory that multiple

external factors such as intentions and social pressure can limit/change

attitude. Intentions to behave in a certain way due to attitude may be affected

externally e.g.through lack of money to buy product. Social pressure may

influence behaviour over consumer’s attitudes through desire to fit in. This is

important to be aware of because, although the consumer may be fixed with

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an attitude they could be persuaded to change attitude, by reflecting on

external influences such as family comments Schiffman et al (2012),

meaning decisions can be less rationalistic after all.

To expand on this theme, through investigating how the unconscious is also

influential on attitudes, Graves (2010) found after a long career in market

research, that although the dominant discourse has led the consumer to

believe they are rational in forming attitudes and behaviours, in reality ‘a

rational purchase decision even of a major product was virtually impossible’.

This was investigated through assessing people attitudes towards the

decision of purchasing a washing machine and their subsequent actions. He

found the unconscious part of the mind would trigger emotions, which can

default the consumer to select something familiar, or allow somebody else to

make the choice for them, meaning rational decisions are not always made.

Therefore maintenance has not only been explained above but also

persuasion which allows consumers to change attitude. To continue to show

how persuasion is powerful in changing an attitude, the elaboration likelihood

model will ultimately be explored. This theory was founded by Petty and

Cacioppo in (1980) cited in Schiffman et al (2012:304) and suggest similar to

formation we follow routes into being persuaded to change attitude. These

consist of a central or peripheral route. The central route to persuasion is

achieved when the consumer is highly involved with the object. Therefore,

through a strong, wholesome message the consumer can analyse its

importance to consider change. The peripheral route is achieved when the

consumer has a low involvement. Therefore these consumers are not

necessarily persuaded by content, but by the attractiveness of the source,

photographs, image etc. This theory is understandable because dependent

on how enthusiastic/involved a consumer is, differing information will be

appealing to different consumers.

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The website being influential

User Generated Content can be explained as ‘the contribution of any rating,

review, testimonial, video or other types of content made available for other

online consumers’ Bowker (2012). It is evident that Trip Advisor’s website

falls under this umbrella of UGC, due to the sites nature of offerings such as;

consumer reviews, ratings, photos etc. UGC seems on point today,

predominantly due to the increased popularity in use, according to Daugherty

et al’s (2008) ‘exploring consumer motivations for creating user-generated

content’ journal, there were more than 69 million users worldwide of UGC.

Also because of society’s increased reliance upon the internet as a source of

information, may it be for work, personal use or social use. UGC has

therefore evolved over the years, and can subsequently be found in sites

such as; Facebook, Wikipedia, Trip Advisor etc., meaning a major theme

throughout the literature supports the argument that it is the UGC websites

which play an important role in influencing.

One perspective is that it is the diverse yet informative nature of this

particular website which is what sells to the consumer. The information is

diverse due to being created by users over experts, and goes beyond the

norm of simple description and proves to be more interactive. Daugherty et

al’s (2008) research therefore concentrates on the importance of how the

consumer feels about using such sites initially, as to how they will react to its

content at a later stage. This was achieved through exploring consumer’s

attitudes towards consuming, so using these sites and creating, so

participating with these sites, and was analysed through surveys whereby

325 American people completed an emailed questionnaire which asked them

to score UGC by time spent, type used and attitudes towards it.

One result from their research found that certain UGC’s are ranked as more

favourable than others, as shown below:

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Daugherty et al’s (2008)

It is clear these findings support the argument that consumers require diverse

information to motivate the initial use/creation of UGC. O’Connor’s (2008)

research agrees with Daugherty et al’s (2008) findings of pictures being

influential, he found ‘candid photos, taken by consumers, were included on

practically all reviews (92%), increasing the richness of the information.’

However, although the ranking system chosen by the researchers is

insightful, it potentially does not highlight the feelings behind the consumer’s

choice, which may be an area for further research.

Katz’s (1960) Functional Theory of Attitudes was also used in assessing

consumer’s attitude towards creating UGC. Their findings suggest, creators

of UGC show signs of the social and ego-defensive functions. The social

function, because consumers want to interact and feel important and the ego-

defensive function, because consumers want to feel a sense of community.

Although the research focuses on attitudes towards creating UGC, it could

potentially also relate to why consumers consume. Perhaps if more of Katz’s

(1960) theory could have been explored, it could relate to a wider range of

UGC’S, because it seems through the social and ego-defensive functions

being exemplified, it is more aimed towards social UGC sites.

The research from Adaval and Wyer (1998) therefore builds on the

understanding of diverse information being influential for consumption and

generation. The research concentrates on how consumer’s process

information, to identify what form of information is most influential. This was

researched through various experiments. The first experiment tested whether

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narrative information was more favoured than list information, through

providing participants with holiday brochures displayed in each format

including photos. Participants were asked to rate the holidays on various

aspects and were made to recall information. The second experiment tested

the impact of self-generated images, by providing both brochures without

photos. Here participants were asked to imagine themselves in the situation

and rate each brochure. The last experiment tested the influence affect has

on processing both forms of information. Participants in the final experiment

wrote about a past holiday experience before reading the brochures, and

after reading were asked to rate the holidays. This research appears to link

to the ABC model Solomon et al (2010) which has been discussed in

consumer attitudes. This is shown through the researchers wanting to find

out what people believe about information, which supports cognition. Also,

we can see affect has been assessed to show how consumer feelings affect

information influence.

The main findings from the research were that narrative formats created

more positive effects on consumers and pictures ‘are likely to facilitate the

construction of the sequence’. This seems relevant to UGC sites because,

both photos and narratives usually trigger memories and provide

expectations for consumers. It also supports Daugherty et al’s (2008) and

O’Connor’s (2008) findings that photos are important in UGC, and indicates a

further understanding as to why generators of UGC usually provide both

traditional and diverse information in order to meet the needs of these users.

Also, it was found ‘participants generally reported having less difficulty

imagining vacations that were described in a narrative’ Adaval and Wyer

(1998). This potentially contradicts Daugherty et al’s (2008) research

because; the research makes the assumption that diverse information such

as photos is not necessary in having an imaginative influence on consumers.

This assertion favours the more traditional information methods being

influential on consumers, which show disagreement of the actual sites

diverseness being attractive. Lastly, it was found that affect which was

created from writing about an experience did not have an impact on how

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people process any form of information. This seems a reasonable

assumption about information processing because, affect seems more

relevant in an attitude and behavioural context which the researchers did not

wish to test in this research. Overall, this paper provides an understanding as

to how consumers relate to both traditional and conventional information, in

particular with holiday choices, which supports why consumers wish to be

involved with UGC sites. However, we do need to remember this was

researched before UGC sites evolved, which may be why more emphasis is

put onto traditional narrative information.

An alternative perspective taken by Clemons and Gao’s (2008) research

delves deeper into the actual consumers themselves, due to recognising how

consumers have changed from these sites providing’s. They indicate ‘recent

improvements in information availability have significantly changed the

marketplace’. Cunningham et al (2010) who use Clemons and Gao’s (2008)

work show support and state ‘this increase in the availability of information

results in travellers being better informed, which in turn leads to a more

efficient market’. Clemons and Gao’s (2008) work therefore concentrates on

identifying the strategies consumers now use in decision making, due to not

always seeking a mass marketed product because of this revolution. Through

comparing Trip Advisor reviews to hotel sales in the USA, two major themes

were identified to explain; because of UGC sites being available today we as

consumers have formed strategies from the sites information. They express

consumers now trade down, by putting emphasis on price and still want

quality, or they trade out, by putting emphasis on a unique experience and

are willing to pay the same if not more. Although they do not focus on

attitude, trading down assumptions seem to relate to Katz’s (1960) utilitarian

function in that, although consumers do not want to spend too much on a

hotel, they also wish to avoid disappointment whilst there. Trading out seem

to link to Katz’s (1960) value-expressive function because, a unique

experience voices consumers values about luxurious/exciting hotels. It is

understandable that these strategies have emerged, because through being

well informed we have much more choice today. I also believe these

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assumptions link towards not just internal reasons for change, but also,

external factors such as; intentions and social influences that Fishbein’s

model of reasoned action cited in Solomon et al (2010:291) puts forward.

This provides an explanation as to why it is the sites which are influential

because, they seem to provide a social external factor which could have

potentially changed previous stagnant behaviour.

To expand on the argument that the sites have influenced change in the

consumer, throughout the academic research a common theme has surfaced

which suggest, the sites have handed power over to the consumer and away

from the business. This has been emphasised through the researcher’s

agreement of the impact EWOM has had. O’Connor (2008) who researched

into the practices of Trip Advisor, through analysing 100 London hotel

reviews main findings emphasise the impact the consumer’s availability to

speak out has had. ‘On today’s web, the model has changed from where

brand image was set by suppliers to one where it is forged in continuous

dialogue with consumers Milan (2007). This implies the consumer is now in

control and has power over companies. Cunningham et al (2010) supports

this ‘EWOM is much more efficient than old fashioned word-of-mouth’. It

therefore seems to me, these sites have amplified the reach of word-of-

mouth which makes the sites themselves highly influential. As we know

word-of-mouth has been a great marketing tool for years, so this may provide

an explanation as to why so many get drawn into such sites.

However, the findings from the research carried out by Cunningham et al

(2010) implies it is not simply the UGC sites which are influential in the

process, but search engines which support UGC sites play an important role

in supporting the use of such sites. One of the findings suggests ‘search

engines link travelers directly to social media sites, thus increasing the

impact.’ This means because review sites are being backed by search

engines it is increasing influence on use. Cocotas (2011) would agree with

this, as through reviewing the Trip Advisor business he suggests ‘now that

Google has full-on moved into the travel space, Trip Advisor is only a step

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away from directly competing with the hand that feeds it’. My understanding

is, although consumer’s opinions are powerful, the exposure given from

subsequent search engines are powerful too, in that they prompt site usage.

The content being influential:

Literature surrounding Trip Advisor’s content seems necessary to review,

because not only would consumers be engaged with the site due to its

diverse and technological nature but, they would also be engaged by the

detail of what the site provides. Research investigating Trip Advisor content

has therefore, in particular, concentrated on reviews as being what is

influential on the consumer.

Cunningham et al’s (2010) research is in support of reviews being influential

on consumers. They express ‘clearly positive reviews are good and negative

reviews are bad, but the full picture is more complicated’. To show an

understanding of how it is the reviews positive or negative nature which is

powerful, they make reference to Clemons and Gao’s (2008) research, and

suggests if a consumer were to be trading down, strongly negative reviews

will have a bigger impact. This assumption links to Festinger (1957) cited

from Solomon et al (2010:284) cognitive dissonance theory because, if the

person reading the reviews wants to book a particular hotel which they have

formed an attitude of being good value for money, negative reviews that

appear would show conflict to the original attitude, and the person may

change their attitude of the hotel and look for an alternative. This shows

support to the argument that it is the review which is powerful in the decision

making process, because it appears the reviews may dictate our choice, with

negative review in particular being influential. This research takes note of

what is being written in the review potentially provoking emotions, and

supports Graves (2010) unconscious decision theory, which shows how

consumers allow others, in this case the reviewers, to make the decision for

them due to the discomfort the conflict causes. Furthermore, the research

recognises how consumers may individually be influenced by different

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contents on Trip Advisor, and provides a strong support of negative content

having a negative influence.

Adaval and Wyer’s (1998) research contradicts Cunningham et al’s (2010)

findings, because their research found ‘undesirable features of a generally

attractive vacation will have less impact, if these features are described in a

narrative than if they are contained in an unordered list’. This implies

negative reviews are not so bad after all, if presented in a particular way.

Although this research has supported the argument that it is the site which is

powerful, it is still possible to draw a link to review content because a

narrative format brushes onto how reviews are produced. This alternative

perspective provides us with an understanding that if a holiday is described

like a story, we are more than likely to ignore the bad points due to painting

an overall picture, which makes us remember the positives. This is

understandable but, would such reviews be as powerful if they were not to

contain any negatives? Therefore, although it is easy to relate to this idea

due to understanding emotions play an important role in persuasion, we must

remember this research did not investigate purely negative narratives.

Subsequently, the findings may compliment mixed reviews, but may not

compliment purely negative reviews.

Likewise Ivar and Daphne’s (2009) research expresses an alternative

perspective. Their journal ‘tried and tested: The impact of online hotel

reviews on consumer consideration’ investigated the impact reviews can

have on hotel consideration. Their research was achieved through, 168

people from the Netherlands completing an online questionnaire which tested

hotel awareness, through participants indicating knowledge of a hotel after

reading fictitious reviews. The hotel awareness findings show, reviews

increase awareness of hotels particularly for lesser known hotels. This

assumption seems to support the low-involvement hierarchy cited in Solomon

et al (2010:278) because; this suggests the consumers who have not formed

an attitude are more likely to be effected by the review information. Hotel

attitude findings express positive reviews yield positive attitude change, and

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negative reviews yield negative attitude change. These findings support

Cunningham et al’s (2010) negative stance on negative reviews. However,

the findings also support Adaval and Wyer’s (1998) more positive stance on

negative reviews through suggesting ‘even though negative reviews lower

consumer attitude, enhanced awareness compensates this effect yielding a

near neutral effect on consideration’. My understanding from this is, because

the consumer will be more informed of the hotel, the negative reviews will not

affect behaviour even though it may attitude. I understand why the

researcher’s assumptions suggest attitude may not affect behaviour,

because attitude simply provides us with a prediction. However, due to

consumer feelings being involved within an attitude, it is important to develop

a greater understanding as to how this is involved in the process. Finally,

hotel consideration findings suggest positive reviews have more of an effect

on consideration of lesser known hotels, and no significant effect on known

hotels. This discovery once again links to the low-involvement hierarchy cited

in Solomon et al (2010:278)because, it suggests consumers who are not

aware of the hotel are more likely to consider it, if it has positive reviews over

a hotel they are already aware of which has positive reviews.

Overall, the findings imply we should not be as concerned about positive and

negative reviews being influential on decisions, it is more to do with the

exposure these hotel reviews themselves give of the hotel and the site, as to

how it is influential. This provides an explanation as to why these reviews

may be more beneficial to users who are not aware of hotels. However, I

believe we must also pay attention to users who are aware, as these are the

people who contribute to reviews and may benefit from the site in other

contextual ways e.g. photos etc.

The review content however, has seemed to have caused a lot of media

attention over the years which seems important to identify, as this could

discourage consumer to use Trip Advisor. Review authenticity is a major

theme touched upon by many. In the academic research of Cunningham et al

(2010) they express concern about how ‘companies have emerged that claim

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to offer hotels an online reputation enhancement service through the use of

insiders on social media sites’. This implies the review content may not meet

consumers’ expectations in reality after all. In the media recently Trip Advisor

has been seen to have had to remove the slogan which implies all reviews

are real by the Advertising Standards Authority Smith (2011). This indicates

the company is also aware of the fraudulent reviews however, the company

does appear to convey a rather confusing message. For example; in a recent

interview, on the one hand they suggest ‘we have confidence that the 50mil

users who come to our site every month trust the review they read’ but, on

the other hand they state ‘we know that our users approach Trip Advisor with

common sense and make an educated decision’ Hall (2012).

It is because reviews can be created by anybody that people have expressed

concern with review authenticity. For example, a recent article in the guardian

‘Why Trip Advisor is getting a bad review’ Cochrane (2011) interviewed a

hotelier who expresses ‘he would like changes in the law that meant people

who posted reviews had to be visible and accountable’. This theme has

arisen, because people can post reviews without even necessarily staying in

the hotel. It therefore appears as the site is growing in popularity, a few

deficiencies seem to be coming to light that could discourage users if they

are not controlled.

Summary:

Consumer attitude which has been explored has provided me with an

understanding of how consumers form, hold onto and change attitudes either

rationally or irrationally, which will be invaluable when investigating how

consumers make hotel decisions. UGC research has been highly researched

and therefore emphasised to me the importance of living in a technological

driven society today. Research on Trip Advisor content however, appears to

be more limited in that it has mostly concentrated on reviews, this may be

due to the controversy which surrounds reviews and the power these appear

to exert. Through identifying two major themes in the literature, it is clear

consumers are individually affected by differing factors. My research, through

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exploring consumer’s opinions will therefore delve deeper into the reasons

behind these differing factors, and will provide an up to date outlook which

will contribute to Trip Advisor literature.

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Methodology

The following chapter will outline and justify my choice of research design

and data collection methods, which I have used to investigate my initial

research question of ‘Exploring how empowered consumers are by Trip

Advisor in the decision making process of booking a hotel’ This chapter is of

great importance, and was therefore one of the first chapters to have been

established, because the methodological choice has guided me and has

impacted throughout all sections of my research.

Primitively, it is important for me to explain my ontological disposition in this

section, because I want to show my commitment to the way in which I

understand and perceive the nature of social reality to be. My ontological

disposition is attracted more towards a subjective stance, this is because I

believe social reality to be constructed, with it being shaped by our

perceptions Saunder’s et al (2012:132). Therefore, the way in which I

understand myself and others to be follows a path of interaction to gain

knowledge of different insights, meanings and interpretations which in turn

guides my ideas. Forming understanding through interaction I therefore

highly value. It has been invaluable to reflect on my ontological disposition,

because it coincides with the way in which I have carried out my research,

and by being open about my disposition I am ensuring my research is

unbiased.

The research paradigm I have therefore used is that of an interpretivist

paradigm. This choice of paradigm has allowed me to get involved with the

people within my research, to gather multiple perceptions and meanings on

the topic of Trip Advisor, which in turn has enabled me to interpret,

understand and explain the situation I have experienced. This paradigm was

appropriate, because participants had various outlooks on Trip Advisor which

were useful in the analysis stage of my research. The approach I have

adopted throughout my research is that of an inductive approach. ‘If your

research starts by collecting data to explore a phenomenon and you

generate or build theory, then you are using an inductive approach’

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Saunder’s et al (2012:145). An inductive approach was appropriate, because

I initially began my research with specific observations: newspaper and

journal articles on Trip Advisor, but also my own experience of using the Trip

Advisor website. As a consequence, my primary research was collected

following this observation, meaning this process allowed a general theory of

how the consumer can be empowered by trip Advisor to evolve following my

data collection process. A general theory was achieved, through identifying

themes and patterns which emerged, whilst also comparing/contrasting these

ideas to the research in the literature review.

Through my research approach provoking theory to evolve, it has influenced

my research design in that I have chosen to questionnaire participants, and

also subsequently perform semi-structured interviews, in order to arrive at a

wholesome understanding of various consumers opinions. A small sample of

fifteen people of which had various backgrounds from lecturers to retired

family members, to users of Trip Advisor and to non-users of Trip Advisor

were selected to take part in my research. It may be perceived as a limitation

of my research that only a small sample were selected however, I tried to

overcome this by conducting thorough research through using both

questionnaire’s and interviews with each participant. Also, to show ethical

consideration a variety of demographics were chosen to ensure I would not

be singling a certain group out of my research.

A methodological triangulation was adopted with respect to data, whereby,

‘more than one method is used to collect and analyse data, with the methods

being chosen from the same paradigm’ Collis and Hussey (2009:85).

Through using a combination of methods such as setting out a scenario,

providing a questionnaire and performing semi-structured interviewing with

participants, it has allowed me to gain a variety of narratives on how

empowered consumer are by Trip Advisor. This allows my ideas to stand

stronger, because the methods support one another and consequently

provide a much richer picture. Furthermore, by using a methodological

triangulation, a mix of both qualitative and quantitative research has been

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collected. However, I have put more emphasis onto qualitative data, because

this supports my interpretivist paradigm, and supports my interest in

interpreting people’s opinions to create meaning in my findings.

The first stage of my data collection process therefore consisted of setting

out a scenario, whereby participants had to hypothetically book a city break

to Barcelona for 3 nights, and make a shortlist of hotels through firstly using

hotel websites, travel search engines or travel comparison sites only, and

then being given the access to search the Trip Advisor site to check the hotel

reviews and photos etc. (of which the framework can be seen in appendix 1

and responses can be seen in appendix 2). After completing the scenario the

participants answered a questionnaire consisting of eleven open and closed

questions (please see appendix 3 for interview responses) which enabled me

to gain some initial opinions and thoughts on the Trip Advisor experience.

The scenario and questionnaire stage in fact acted as a pre-interview

exercise after all, of which I was able to draw some initial themes and

questions from, to subsequently use in the interview stage and analysis stage

of my research.

The semi-structured interview stage of my data collection process therefore

consisted of me asking the participants further questions about the Trip

Advisor scenario experience. To form a basis for the interview, I prepared

several open style interview questions, open questions were chosen because

I wanted to encourage participants to elaborate on their responses but also,

to avoid directing the participants to a particular answer; to ensure they gave

their own feelings and meanings to the topic. This firstly allowed me to create

questions based on themes that arose from the questionnaire responses, this

was important because it enabled me to interpret whether or not they were

prominent themes after all. Furthermore, by following a semi structure

interview format I was able to delve deeper into participant’s perceptions

through being flexible, asking on the spot questions which reacted to

individual responses. In turn this allowed new themes to emerge which may

not have unfolded if the flexibility was not prominent. Overall, I feel the

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interview stage enhances the validity and grounding of my research, through

participants being much more responsive in the interview compared to the

questionnaire. Furthermore, to support the reliability of my findings, I made

sure to record and transcribe all of my interviews, to prevent my disposition

getting in the way, and to prevent simply recording what I deemed important.

I highly value that the participants played an active part in my research,

which is why an interview was important for me to include, and is also why I

used a £20 amazon gift voucher as an incentive for participants to be

involved with my research.

Due to the use of questionnaires and semi structured interviews to collect

insights and opinions from participants, issues such as confidentiality and

anonymity had to be considered. Therefore, to ensure I showed ethical

consideration towards the participants I have made all my data anonymous.

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Findings

This chapter summarises my findings from sending out a hypothetical

scenario of booking a hotel with the help of Trip Advisor, to fifteen

participants, and getting them to complete a questionnaire along with a semi-

structured interview based on their experience. The research data I used was

firstly questioning participants in a questionnaire, after they had taken part in

the hypothetical scenario, using open and closed questions. This allowed me

to draw some themes within the data which I was able to explore further in

the interview stage, and it also highlighted to me any gaps which would need

to be clarified in the interviews. Therefore, my second stream of research

data I used was interviewing participants, to be provided with an in depth

understanding of their thoughts and feelings towards Trip Advisor. The

interviews gave me an opportunity to get involved with the research, and

react to individual responses, which helped towards clarifying and expanding

on the trends that originally emerged from the questionnaire. Due to the

questionnaire acting as a pre-interview, which put forward themes that were

carried forward into the interview stage, along with additional ideas, I feel as

though the two data streams complement each other. Therefore, themes and

patterns have been constructed from analysing and incorporating both the

questionnaire and interview data, meaning in this section I will present my

findings under these theme headings, providing examples from both data

streams.

Trip Advisor Site Usage

From the questionnaire twelve participants indicated they had used Trip

Advisor before the hypothetical scenario, with the majority of participants who

had used the site before, stating they used it every time. Additionally, all

fifteen participants of which included previous users and non-users,

expressed a consideration to use Trip Advisor with future hotel bookings.

Likewise in the interview, many participants exhibited a preference towards

using Trip Advisor by making reference to ‘double checking’ a hotel with Trip

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Advisor for reassurance, when asked whether they would simply book from a

hotel website.

‘In all I think it is worth taking that time out to have a look at people’s

photographs and reviews, because it’s just proven on this occasion that I

would have booked the worst one out of all that I had chosen before using

Trip Advisor’. (Participant H)

‘I think for reassurance I would now always go onto Trip Advisor’. (Participant

C)

Furthermore, one surprising trend was numerous participants disclosed a

willingness to use Trip Advisor throughout multiple stages of a hotel booking,

explaining how the site can also be used towards the build-up of a hotel stay,

and on the return of the stay, emphasising how the usage goes beyond

simply using at the stage of booking.

‘I would check the reviews daily up until the day we actually take off, and the

day we come back I will check the reviews again to see what other people

have put in the meantime against my own review’. (Participant D)

On the other hand, through responding to participant’s apparent attitude in

the interview, the site appeared to also be viewed as undesirable for some to

use, dependent on circumstance. It was suggested for example, in the

circumstance of a participant booking a branded hotel or a package deal, Trip

Advisor would not be consulted due to trusting these alternative services.

‘The reason that I went for the brands I did was because my choice in terms

of a hotel whether it be for business or a holiday, will in 99 cases out of 100

be based around brand positioning and my knowledge of them being able to

deliver, either through my experience or through somebody else in the

industry that I trust’ (Participant O)

‘I would usually book through Thomson’s or something like that and they

would do the hotel, they would do everything for me so I wouldn’t worry about

- 28 -

looking at each individual hotel due to booking package deals’. (Participant

B)

Similarly, one participant in particular stressed the importance of the

accessibility of Trip Advisor, explaining how the site needs to be prominent

on Google as it determines its take-up. In support, the majority of participants

indicated a preference towards using Google to search for hotel choices.

Moreover, travel comparison sites were also indicated as a tool for hotel

searching, due to all required information being concentrated on the one site,

emphasising this trend of convenience.

‘I guess that for me it is important when I go to Google these sites come up

as some of the first options; otherwise probably I would find something else

before even getting to Trip Advisor’. (Participant M)

‘If I got a very good experience with Trip Advisor and then I thought oh my

god this is saving even more time because everything is concentrated here

so it makes my decision even more efficient then I might change’. (Participant

M)

Adding to the undesirability of using the Trip Advisor site, two participants in

particular voiced concerns about the site’s design in the interviews, with

surprisingly both of their choices of hotel not changing after using Trip

Advisor. The concerns they expressed were the way in which the site is set

out, and the appearance, factors of which potentially distract hotel choice or

alternatively detract users from using as a consequence of the need for ease

of use.

‘There are lots of features, so too many things you can select, how can I say

it there are too many photos and reviews. It is just here there and everywhere

as such. So the layout can be confusing’. (Participant F)

‘There is almost too much information, it would be nice to have a homepage

which says welcome to Trip Advisor how can we help you, look through these

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boxes below which have lists of subjects and you click the sector you want

rather than blowing people’s minds with all this information’. (Participant O)

Trip Advisor Content: Photos

The initial impression I gained from the questionnaire was that image in

terms of self-image, and hotel image was important to participants, through

the language used to give reasoning for hotel choices, for example; flash,

amazing, modern. (Participant B) However, after further analysis of the

questionnaire responses and from interviewing participants, I realised image

in terms of hotel and self-image were not of upmost importance after all, but

image in terms of the visuals consumers are provided with at the decision

making stage are what appear to be important.

From the questionnaire, just three participants out of the fifteen did not select

traveller photos as being a powerful feature on the Trip Advisor site.

Likewise, in the interview the majority of participants manifested an

appreciation towards the photos Trip Advisor provide, with many suggesting

they would actually rely on photos over reviews in the decision making stage

of booking a hotel. The reasoning given for a photo content preference was

that, traveller photos provide a true outlook on hotels and comparisons can

be made with the images hotel websites present.

‘This is what changed my mind as I said previously I was looking at

photographs and as soon as I went into Trip Advisor it made me realise the

photographs are very deceiving. So my main priority is people’s photographs

because they are the most truthful, nobody can disguise a terrible bathroom

etc. with these’. (Participant H)

‘Photos, well you can’t not be slightly swayed by a photo can you? and

particularly when you compare the people who post things on Trip Advisor

their own photos of the room, or their view outside the window which you

wouldn’t necessarily get on the glossy website pictures’. (Participant C)

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Trip Advisor Content: Reviews

The review content on Trip Advisor however appears to be more

controversial, in that some participants took on board comments that were

made in the reviews as part of the mix of photos and reviews that are

available in the decision making process, yet others were wary about the

reviews and hinted at taking them with a pinch of salt.

From the questionnaire, there was a great support of reviews with twelve

participants out of fifteen selecting review content as a powerful feature on

Trip Advisor. Likewise, from the interview a few participants expressed

support of reviews however, it did seem the reviews were not a stand-alone

important factor in the decision making process, with participants also

acknowledging photos alongside the reviews.

In support, from the interviews there were also many participants who were

suspicious about the reviews, highlighting how reviews may be false or even

misleading due to sometimes being dated. Also, explaining how we are all

individual, meaning a clash in opinions may exist between the reviewer and

reader. A concern with the Trip Advisor content therefore surfaced with

regards to reviews.

‘Yes I don’t like the fact that people can comment on their own businesses

and it will bring up the satisfaction levels, so if you are the owner or friends

then you can say this hotel or restaurant is wonderful, yet its lies because it is

them doing it’. (Participant B)

‘You need to look very carefully at when they reviewed something because

the one that came up first was not the most recent’. (Participant O)

‘I am always of the view that one person may have a very good experience of

a hotel and it may not be the same experience that I would want’. (Participant

J)

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Budget Allocation

Budget was a significant theme to emerge from both data streams, and was

an important factor for all participants in their hotel choices. Although mostly

all participants took note of budget in the scenario of booking a hotel, some

participants were more price aware than others, with a few putting emphasis

over the holiday experience instead.

Phrases used by participants in the questionnaire to justify hotel choices

such as: the cheapest, good for budget and the word price repeatedly being

used made me initially realise that participants budgets would be important in

the decision making process. Therefore, when preparing the interview, I

thought budget would play a significant role in decision making, but it was

only after interpreting the interviews that I ultimately recognised budget also

impacted the way in which each grouping used and was influenced by Trip

Advisor. Those who were price aware emphasised the impact of photos and

reviews for example that had poor/expensive food, as this would be an

additional cost to consider, so therefore imposed an interior orientated

interest. On the contrary, those who were experience focused, viewed

reviews and photos of the surroundings/attraction etc. as useful and

expressed an exterior orientated interest.

‘I think I would have been disappointed to have stayed in my original first

choice, because from the reviews the food was expensive so this would have

been an additional cost to add onto the trip’. (Participant K)

‘I am prepared to pay for my holidays and I spend a lot of money maybe even

more than I spend on my cars, for us holidays are really important as it’s a

time to spend with your family and be together and we love hot weather, we

love going to the beach and we love travelling’. (Participant M)

Additionally, mostly all participants including those with a price aware

disposition voiced a willingness to shift their budget and potentially spend

more on a hotel after using Trip Advisor. A willingness to shift budget was

exemplified by participants proposing Trip Advisor was persuasive through

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presenting what participants were able to get for their money, and how much

they would have to put in addition if they required more.

‘I have done that in the past, been influenced, I have realised from my price

range I am not going to get what I like so therefore, I had to sacrifice a bit

more to get what I wanted by using Trip Advisor to see what I can get and

how much they were’. (Participant A)

Final Decision

After participants completed the Trip Advisor scenario, seven participants

changed their first choice of hotel with eight participant’s choices remaining

the same. Moreover, in three cases even though the participant’s first

choices did not change, their second or third choices from their shortlist did.

For those who changed their first choice of hotel after using Trip Advisor, the

feedback the participant’s received from the Trip Advisor content, regarding

their first choice or alternative choices appeared to be persuasive in changing

their decisions, as conveyed in the questionnaire.

‘After researching the reviews, location seems more adequate and the

reviews on my original choice changed my opinion of the hotel’. (Participant

D)

When preparing the research I thought for participants to feel empowered by

Trip Advisor, their final hotel choice would have had to change, because if

their choice had changed they would have experienced the full force of Trip

Advisor. However, after reflecting on the interview responses I have realised

that for participant’s whose choice did not change, Trip Advisor may still be

influential after all. These participants remained to convey a sense of

satisfaction with Trip Advisor, by expressing how it reassured their choices

and provided them with additional information on the hotel/surroundings.

‘It has really affirmed my thought process. It’s also good for just getting an

idea of the local area, and what it is near to, e.g. good restaurants nearby’

(Participant A)

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Finally, although not all participants’ choice of hotel changed after using Trip

Advisor, when asked how influential they felt Trip Advisor was in changing

choice of hotel in the questionnaire, on a scale of 1-5 Trip Advisor scored a

mean of 3.5 illustrating a seal of approval by most.

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Discussion

This chapter provides a critical analysis of my findings, by continuing to

discuss and analyse the themes from my primary research, along with

comparing and contrasting these against the relevant findings from the

literature review. Issues which have emerged from my research which have

not yet been raised in prior research will also be discussed.

As previously brought to light in the literature review, there were many

journals which put emphasis on the influence UGC has on consumers today.

Participant’s accounts are supportive of UGC literature, in that the Trip

Advisor site was desirable to use by mostly all participants, with many

expressing a wish to use the site in the future. Trip Advisor had even been

used at multiple stages of booking a hotel whilst also being used to ‘double

check’ choices as exemplified in the interviews. The feeling I therefore gained

from the majority of interviews was that participants made the most of the

Trip Advisor information, through being able to use the one site to fully

investigate a hotel, utilising as much UGC available to them as possible. This

provides a justification for how UGC is seen as adding value in the decision

making process of booking a hotel, due to participants being able to utilise

carrying out thorough research which may not have been possible without

such site initially.

However from the interviews, some participants would also consider

disregarding Trip Advisor in the decision making process for various reasons

such as; if they were to book a branded hotel or package deal, due to issues

of accessibility, or due to undesirability towards the site design. From

participants expressing such reasons to not use the Trip Advisor site, a

significant issue has emerged which has been overlooked in previous Trip

Advisor literature. The issue of, consumers increased need for convenience

when booking hotels and using Trip Advisor.

Participants, whom suggested alternatively booking branded hotels/package

deals over using Trip Advisor, conveyed a need for convenience by making

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reference of knowing what to expect from these services. Branded

hotels/package deals therefore appeared to be safe options for participants,

meaning participants were not preoccupied about further researching hotels,

saving valuable time throughout the decision making process. A strong sense

of confidence in predicting a positive end result due to trusting

brands/package deals was therefore conveyed by this group. This supports

Katz utilitarian function (1960) cited in Solomon et al (2010:275) in that the

attitude formed about branded hotels/package deals used by participants,

ensures confidence is boosted in receiving a rewarding stay. This provides a

possible explanation for why these participants did not feel the need to

always look for an alternative/undertake further research with Trip Advisor,

because through maintaining a utilitarian attitude a reward is insight, resulting

in searching for a differing choice to be unnecessary.

One idea brought forward in the literature review was that, due to the power

of EWOM, consumers are now in control of shaping the brand of a hotel

(O’Connor (2008), Milan (2007), Cunningham et al (2010)). However, the

results from my research show this is not the case when selecting branded

hotels. Ultimately, the findings contradict EWOM shaping a brand of a hotel,

because it seems with recognised brands; they stand in a league of their own

due to participants indicating how Trip Advisor may not be used in these

circumstances. Ivar and Daphne’s (2009) research therefore suggested Trip

Advisor reviews have no significant effect on consumer consideration of

known hotels. This is more supportive of my findings, because if participants

chose a recognised branded hotel, they may not even use the site let alone

take note of the content. However, this could also be argued against, in that

many participants voiced concerns regarding the survival of hotels, due to

people broadcasting negative experiences as opposed to positive

experiences. Therefore it seems participants could relate to the idea of

EWOM impacting the brand of a hotel; however it appears with respect to

recognised brands participants wanted to protect their image. Subsequently,

due to a strong sense of brand loyalty conveyed by some participants, it

seems possible Trip Advisor may not add value in the decision making

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process for consumers who are brand conscious after all, due to forming this

comfortable utilitarian attitude towards brands. However, although Trip

Advisor may not be effective on the choice of hotel it seems as though it may

still be effective in terms of use, due to the pleasure these participants

expressed from using the service.

Convenience was additionally required by participants through the want of

Trip Advisor to appear as one of the most prominent sites on search engines.

Cunningham et al (2010) believe that the backing of a search engine is

increasing the use of Trip Advisor. In my opinion from the interviews,

participants require instant gratification as a form of convenience from the

internet today, so by search engines sourcing everything consumers require

it fulfils this need. Therefore, it is concerning that Google has become a

major competitor of Trip Advisor, which makes me wonder whether Trip

Advisor reviews will remain to surface prominently on Google in the future,

and leaves me questioning usage frequency. Also, due to participants voicing

a preference towards using comparison sites to search/book hotels, as all

information is provided under the one roof, if Trip Advisor was similar in that

prices were supplied in addition to reviews/photos, making Trip Advisor a

‘one stop shop’ for all hotel needs, then it seems the ability to empower

consumers could extend further. Trip Advisor’s plan to create a hotel

metasearch platform, which provides pricing and availability information for

its huge database of properties Travolution (2013) compliments the needs of

the participants in this research, and will therefore add value in meeting

consumers convenience needs.

An alternative predictor of usage as expressed by participants was subject to

the Trip Advisor site design. In my opinion, this recurrently relates to peoples

need for convenience in today’s hectic lifestyles, because most of the

comments concerning site design described how there was too much

information, and how the layout was overwhelming, therefore hinting at a

need to want to use the service quickly/easily. Surprisingly, the hotel choices

of the participants who commented on site design did not change. Reflecting

- 37 -

on this, the Trip Advisor design may actually be distracting for some in the

decision making process after all. It could be influencing negatively in that, if

the consumer were to feel overwhelmed with information as expressed in the

interviews, they may ignore it completely and revert to a hotel they are

already aware of. Graves (2010) research is supportive of this behaviour,

‘consumers like to think they make rational choices, but due to the

unconscious part of the mind triggering emotions which can default the

consumer to select something familiar, or allow somebody else to make the

choice, a rational choice is virtually impossible’. Alternatively, the design may

allow for a limited amount of information to be taken on board, and a choice

made on this basis could be wrong for the individual. It is therefore

concerning that some consumers may actually make a wrong decision from

Trip Advisor after all, which I did not anticipate before carrying out the

research.

Subsequently it seems to me, although the site has clearly been popular with

participants, it could progress further in terms of adding value for the

consumer, by meeting the newly emerged issue of a need for convenience

from Trip Advisor. Basic changes to the design, the accessibility are required,

which contradicts the emphasis the company has put onto quirky innovations

such as, the ‘friend of a friend’ feature on Facebook Huang (2013).

Surprisingly not one participant mentioned this connection between

Facebook and Trip Advisor, which I thought would have been highlighted due

to living in an innovative driven society today. However, I do realise I could

have a limitation in my research in that I may not have selected a variety of

participants who are involved with social media to give their views.

From analysing what features of Trip Advisor participants felt were influential

in the decision making process, the predominant theme in response was the

photo content. Photos appeared to be highly favourable for many in both the

questionnaires and interviews. It therefore seems to me, people require

visuals as an aid for making final hotel choice’s, which supports Adaval and

Wyer’s (1998), O’Connor’s (2008) and Daugherty et al’s (2008) research,

- 38 -

suggesting photos are an important providing of the Trip Advisor content,

which can trigger emotions and expectations for consumers. With

participants voicing how Trip Advisor photos are the most truthful and how

comparisons can be made between traveller photos and actual hotel website

photos, a nostalgic attachment and an expectation is evident, because

participants appear to value the first-hand take from travellers as it provides a

realistic outlook.

Some participants even expressed relying upon Trip Advisor photos over the

review content in the decision making process of choosing a hotel. Most of

these participants interestingly were people who stated they made quick

hotel decisions in the interview. Therefore, the issue of convenience has also

carried through to the analysis of the participants opinions on Trip Advisor

photos, because the impression I gained from thoughts on photos was that

you are able to get a sufficient enough overview from photos alone. This is

understandable, as it is much more convenient to browse through photos

than it is to browse reviews. Moreover, from reflecting on my research data a

correlation between quick decision makers and photos being influential was

made. This is supportive of Petty and Cacioppo’s (1980) elaboration

likelihood model cited in Schiffman et al (2012:304), because these quick

decision makers have a lower involvement, meaning they are persuaded to

change attitude through the peripheral route, and are therefore persuaded by

light information such as photos as opposed to dense information. Trip

Advisor appears to therefore meet convenience needs with providing photos,

as some people are able to make decisions from photos alone. However, for

the majority of these participants their choice of hotel did not change

therefore, some may say the findings contradict Petty and Cacioppo’s (1980)

theory, because the participant’s attitude of their original choice of hotel did

not radically change. However, I feel from reflecting on participant’s opinions

it is still supportive in that, even if hotel choice did not change after photos,

with many participants voicing how photos reassured them or gave a truthful

outlook, they have added value in making them feel secure to hold a positive

attitude about the hotel.

- 39 -

As previously discussed in the literature review, the review content provided

by Trip Advisor is however viewed as rather controversial by many

academics and journalists. My findings are supportive of this in that although

some participants took notice of reviews, they were taken in context with Trip

Advisor photos, with many exhibiting a sense of suspicion towards reviews.

Reviews’ being used alongside photos is supportive of Adaval and Wyer’s

(1998) findings of photos complementing narrative forms of information,

which in turn is more effective on consumers. Therefore, the argument

stressing the effects of negative and positive reviews in the literature review

does not appear to be of upmost importance in my findings. It seemed as

though the overall impression was more important to participants, compared

to putting emphasis on positive or negative reviews. Although some of the

comments participants made as to how a bad review would be off putting,

and how positive reviews reassured their choices, does also support

Cunningham et al’s (2010) research on the nature of reviews. Their research

found that positive reviews had a positive effect on attitude, which

complements participant’s sense of reassurance, and negative reviews

conflicted consumers original attitude making the consumers attitude of the

hotel change, complementing how participants would be put off. Therefore

the nature of the review can add value to consumer choice, yet it was taken

in context with other Trip Advisor content:photos.

Both quick and long decision makers seemed to look into reviews, with long

decision makers referring to reviews the most. Reflecting on this, a

correlation can be made between long decision makers and reviews being

influential, which links to Petty and Cacioppo’s (1980) cited in Schiffman et al

(2012:304) theory of consumers following a central route into being

persuaded to change attitude. Long decision makers followed this route,

because they were highly involved, and attracted more towards a wholesome

message, which was provided in the form of reviews to influence their

decision. However, the quick decision makers with a low involvement, who

also took notice of reviews contradicts Petty and Cacioppo’s (1980)

peripheral route to persuasion as discussed above with Trip Advisor photos.

- 40 -

These participants should have been interested in photos, which they were,

yet they have also paid attention to reviews. Therefore, it seems no matter

what the person’s disposition towards making decisions is reviews are still

glanced over.

Reviews seem to simply be glanced over in particular due to the concerns

surrounding this type of content, as highlighted in both the literature review

and in my findings. There was a repeated worry expressed by participants

regarding how reviews may be false, due to hotels boosting their own

reviews or tarnishing competitors reviews. This is supportive of Cunningham

et al’s (2010) research which identified companies offering hotels an online

reputation enhancement service. Other concerns regarded when reviews

were posted, and a difference in opinion existing between reviewer and

consumer. These concerns therefore seem to be more personal concerns,

and could link to convenience once again, because it takes time to sort and

pay attention to the most recent reviews and it is timely to analyse the

review/reviewer. One participant emphasised this by voicing how reading

through just a few reviews, and checking out the details of who had written

the review, took a significant amount of time. So the concerns over the

reviews add to the inconvenience of using the site, as suspicion towards

reviews and searching in detail make the process more time consuming.

Budget was also a significant and integral part of how participants were

affected by Trip Advisor content. Some participants were price aware and

took notice of negative reviews/photos, other participants were instead

experience conscious and interested in reviews/photos which provided an

outlook on the hotels surroundings/attractions. This supports Clemons &

Gao’s (2008) research, because the price aware participants appear to have

been trading down, so although they required value for money they still

required quality, which explains why negative reviews/photos changed their

attitude. The participants who were trading down therefore appear to have

had a utilitarian attitude Katz (1960) cited in Solomon et al (2010:275)

because a negative outcome was avoided. On the other hand, the

- 41 -

participants who were experience conscious however support Clemons &

Gao’s (2008) trading out assumption, because the experience is what is of

upmost importance. Participants who were trading out appear to have had a

value-expressive attitude Katz (1960) cited in Solomon et al (2010:275)

which was exemplified in the interviews, through participants expressing how

they value spending enjoyable time with family on holiday. Trip Advisor

therefore seems to have ensured they add value for all types of travellers

making hotel decisions, by providing varying opinions and offerings to suit all.

I anticipated budget to be rather tight/restricted due to the economic climate

we have experienced over the past few years, however mostly all participants

voiced a willingness to shift their budget and potentially spend more on a

hotel after using Trip Advisor. It therefore seems Trip Advisor additionally has

a significant impact on consumer’s attitude towards price, with participants

explaining how the site is persuasive in showing what you are able to get for

your budget. Trip Advisor’s ability to impact attitude towards price has not

been raised in previous literature, and appears to link to Fishbein’s theory

(1983) cited in Solomon et al (2010:291) which puts forward consumers may

change attitude due to social pressures. This seems apparent with budget,

because it is clear that participants reflect on Trip Advisor which acts as a

social pressure, to decide whether to maintain or extend budget. Therefore,

judgement can be made towards Trip Advisor not only impacting decision,

but impacting decision in terms of price, meaning it adds value for the

consumer in knowing what to expect for the money spent, but also adds

value to the hotel industry in persuading consumer to spend more.

As my research question aimed to develop an understanding into how Trip

Advisor may empower the consumer in the decision making process of

booking a hotel, I thought it would be interesting to see how many

participants choices changed after using Trip Advisor. Surprisingly, the

majority of participant’s hotel choices remained to stay the same after using

Trip Advisor, with just a few participants changing choice of hotel. Therefore,

some may think Trip Advisor is not empowering in the decision making

- 42 -

process of booking a hotel after all, if the majority of participants choices did

not change. However, it does seem to have empowered both groupings in

diverse ways due to persuading attitudes differently. The participants whose

choices did change seem to mimic Festinger’s (1957) theory of cognitive

dissonance cited in Solomon et al (2010:284). This is because they were

persuaded to change their attitude of their original choice of hotel, due to the

discomfort caused by a conflict between negative reviews/photos and the

original positive attitude towards the hotel. This contradicts Adaval and

Wyer’s (1998) research which found undesirable features have less of an

impact if they are described in a narrative format, because participant’s

attitudes and choices did change after evaluating negative reviews/photos.

Therefore, it seems it depends upon the consumer’s initial attitude, as to

whether they can ignore negative features, because in this case with

participants holding utilitarian attitudes which ensure punishment is avoided,

negative reviews have certainly impacted choice. On the other hand, for the

participants whose choices remained the same, it was still influential,

because the additional information and reassurance provided supported

original beliefs about the hotel, which therefore boosted confidence to form a

positive attitude. This links to the standard learning hierarchy Solomon et al

(2010:277) because information has been gathered to form beliefs and

feelings towards the hotel, which in turn has allowed participants to keep their

original choice. Therefore, although choice may not have changed, attitude

has certainly been affected in both cases which will impact decision on

choice each time.

Reflecting on the theme of choice, it appears for participants who were long

decision makers their choice of hotel changed the most over quick decision

makers. This has made me question whether Trip Advisor is utilised more

and found to be more empowering for consumers who possess a more highly

involved attitude towards the process. How dedicated consumers are to

researching Trip Advisor has been overlooked in previous literature, and if I

had more time available this could be an avenue to further concentrate my

research into, by comparing types of consumers and the effectiveness of Trip

- 43 -

Advisor. Furthermore, with regards to final hotel choice I have realised my

research may have a limitation in that only 4* hotels were specified to be

selected by participants, and I wonder whether the results regarding hotel

choice would have varied if a different hotel star was specified.

- 44 -

Conclusions

The main aim of my research was to explore how empowered consumers are

by Trip Advisor in the decision making process of booking a hotel. Having

provided a critical analysis in the form of a discussion chapter, I now wish to

draw conclusions, in order to answer my research question.

The UGC Trip Advisor provides has allowed consumers to have access to

contents which were previously unavailable, and has therefore been highly

appreciated by participants in my research. Although literature has focused

on review content being influential on consumers, my research differs in that

it supports both photo and review contents adding value for consumers.

Photos were predominantly influential as they reassured or even persuaded

participant’s to change their attitude of a hotel, due to a sense of valuing the

first hand take provided from traveller photos, as opposed to the glossy

superficial ones supplied by hotels. In my opinion, I feel consumers are able

to connect more with photos, which is why they are used by all types of

consumers. Therefore, they do not just empower consumers to change their

attitude towards a hotel, but they empower site usage, because everybody is

interested in viewing photos of their accommodation.

From analysing literature surrounding Trip Advisor reviews, I was prepared

for review content to be viewed as controversial in my research, and

participant’s opinions of being suspicious towards reviews continued to

support this theme. However, reviews did also remain to be glanced over and

were taken notice of in context with photos, but with regards to the nature of

the review, negative reviews seem to be most empowering on attitude.

Negative reviews highly influenced participants to change their choice of

hotel, and in particular these participants were people who held utilitarian

attitudes, so understandably the fear of an unpleasant stay was off putting. In

my opinion both forms of content were influential on attitude no matter

whether hotel choice did or did not change, because the contents certainly

made participants in all case reflect on their initial beliefs about a hotel.

- 45 -

It was only after reflecting on consumers attitudes towards budgets, that I

realised budget also plays an integral role in what content is found

individually attractive and influential by consumers. Understandably some

participants in my research were price conscious, whilst others were less so,

putting more emphasis onto the hotel experience. Due to a difference in

dispositions surfacing, it allowed me to realise just how important both Trip

Advisor contents are, and that a variation in observations provided in the

format of reviews/photos are valued by users of Trip Advisor. For those who

were price aware, negative reviews/photos which suggested additional costs

being incurred were influential on attitude, whereas for those who were

experience conscious reviews/photos which emphasised the attractiveness

of the surroundings persuaded attitude. In my opinion, this brought to light

how the contents Trip Advisor supplies are empowering in reaching out to

varying attitude needs. Furthermore, the service not only empowers attitude

but also attitude towards budget, because through the content demonstrating

what the customer will receive, it was persuasive in touching upon

consumers feelings towards budget, giving them a nudge to potentially spend

more.

Ultimately, it was therefore surprising to me that the majority of participant’s

choices remained to stay the same after using Trip Advisor. This was

surprising because I thought for participants to feel empowered, they would

have had to witness a radical change in choice, however this research has

taught me that choice does not have to change for the service to be

empowering. It is the way in which consumer’s attitudes towards a hotel are

influenced which is important, and predominantly affects choice either way. It

was both empowering through influencing attitude negatively which caused

hotel choice to change, and it influenced attitude positively in boosting

consumers’ confidence to sustain their original choice, still showing a change

within the consumer and an impact on hotel decision.

On the contrary, Trip Advisor’s ability to empower consumer’s attitude

towards a hotel and towards using the site is questionable, due to an issue

- 46 -

persisting from my findings concerning how consumers require convenience

from booking hotels and using Trip Advisor easily/quickly, as an indicator of

or hectic lifestyles today. This issue contributes greatly towards my research,

as it has not been highlighted in prior Trip Advisor research, and supplies an

opposing argument as to why Trip Advisor may not be empowering.

Consumers required convenience in a number of ways as expressed from

participants completing the scenario of booking a hotel with Trip Advisor. At

the searching stage, convenience is required in the form of Trip Advisor

appearing prominently on Google, or alternatively branded hotels/package

deals are searched for, so as to avoid the Trip Advisor process because

brands/package deals are trusted, and finally convenience was required at

the usage stage of searching Trip Advisor through comments suggesting the

process can be timely due to site design. Therefore, it would appear from my

research, Trip Advisor have many opposing reasons as to potentially why the

site would be disregarded in the decision making process. However, referring

back to Trip Advisor content, it appears consumers have overcome issues of

convenience through focussing in on researching Trip Advisor photos.

Photos were convenient for participants to form an attitude of a hotel from,

because they alone provided a sufficient visual overview throughout the

process. Therefore, although consumers have found a solution for

convenience, it is a worry that Trip Advisor can be seen as an added chore in

the eyes of consumers. Therefore going forward I would recommend for Trip

Advisor to address this issue.

Overall, I feel Trip Advisor has been successful in empowering consumers in

the decision making process of booking a hotel from reflecting on participants

behaviour in my research. It seems as though Trip Advisor adds value

through further informing consumers of their choices, so as to either

persuade the consumer to change their attitude of their original choice, or

maintain their attitude through confidence boosting. Furthermore, although I

worry about the issue of consumers need for convenience impacting the Trip

Advisor take up and ability to empower, it seems the company have

remained to sustain consumers through providing photos which have so far

- 47 -

met convenience needs, due to consumers being able to make quick

judgements from photos alone.

Personally I know that I will always use Trip Advisor for each hotel booking I

make, and am willing to allow the service to persuade my choices, therefore I

am excited about the future plan of the site providing pricing information

alongside reviews/photos, which will more than likely make me spend an

increased amount of time using the service. Therefore, to conclude, it will be

interesting to see over the next few years whether usage continues to

increase, and whether empowerment will extend on consumers after Trip

Advisor implement pricing information, because could this potentially fulfil

consumers increased need for convenience?

- 48 -

Self-Reflection/Further Research

All research has its limitations and in this section I wish to highlight any

problems that were faced, and how I overcame these recommending what I

would do if I were to repeat the study. I will also discuss what I found

enjoyable about the process, and where I would recommend taking the study

next.

Reflecting on my data collection, I believe I should have specifically sought

for some participants to have been people who were particularly involved

with social media, because I feel as though my research may have a

limitation in that it does not reflect the social media connections Trip Advisor

have implemented. If I had had more time, I would have research into the

participants themselves more, which would have allowed me to make an

informed decision as to how the social media features may be effective.

Also, some of the interviews with participants were rather short where some

people did not wish to elaborate on their responses. Therefore looking back

on this, it might have been a good idea to allocate time slots alongside a date

for the interviews, as opposed to simply arranging a date because

participants may have made a judgment of how much discussion was

expected of them that way. However, in my opinion due to interviewing all

fifteen participants I feel as though my research was thorough enough for the

purpose of this study.

Overall, I really enjoyed getting involved with the research for this study, and

it has increased my interest in Trip Advisor and consumer behaviour further.

The most valuable learning curve from this dissertation for me has been

having the confidence to edit my work, to make it succinct without worrying

about losing content. Furthermore, I feel the research has been rewarding

through allowing me to put my organisation skills into practice, which have

been invaluable when sorting and analysing the primary and secondary data.

For more of my reflections on the dissertation process please see the

dissertation diary I have included in appendix 4, in which I have highlighted

- 49 -

both the low points and high points I faced throughout each stage of my

research.

There are two areas I would recommend taking this study in next; the first

would be to perform a comparative study between consumers with different

levels of involvement towards Trip Advisor, to pin point precisely what type of

consumer is most empowered by Trip Advisor, because as could be seen in

my research there was a difference between long and quick decision makers.

The second area would be, to research consumers attitude towards Trip

Advisor once Trip Advisor have provided pricing information along with their

hotel reviews/photos, to examine whether empowerment extends once this is

in place.

- 50 -

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- 55 -

Appendix 1: Framework of the Trip Advisor scenario/questionnaire

Researching the use of “Trip Advisor” for hotel bookings

Firstly, thank you very much for agreeing to take part in my research project, which will

explore how people use the Trip Advisor site. For completing this questionnaire you will now

be entered into a prize draw where you could win a £20 Amazon gift card. I would like to

reassure you that your answers will remain anonymous. If you have any queries about the

questionnaire, or have any queries about the questions to be answered, please do not

hesitate to contact me on: 07400212912 or [email protected]

Here is the first stage:

Imagine you have been given the opportunity to take a weekend break away. You will spend

the time in Barcelona on a city break, in a 4* hotel on a B&B board basis, where you and

your partner/friend will stay for three nights. The budget can be set to your own preference,

and you do not have to include airfares, you are simply booking a hotel. You will want the

hotel to be in a central location for ease of access to restaurants, sightseeing etc. Finally,

this break is for your leisure use, not a business trip.

The second stage:

I would like you to go online, and firstly make a shortlist of 3 hotels to consider booking,

based on using hotel websites, travel search engines or travel comparison sites. You need to

arrive at a first choice of hotel from these websites ONLY, and do not consult Trip Advisor at

this stage.

The third stage:

Now you have a shortlist of choices and a final choice of hotel, in this last stage I would like

you to use the Trip Advisor site to search the hotels. From this, I would like to know whether

your first choice may have changed in any way.

The questionnaire will provide you with space to create a shortlist in order of preference, and

will ask you questions about any changes in choice.

Therefore, during and after completing the scenario I would like you to answer the following

questions to help me understand your experience.

Please tick the appropriate response and complete all questions making any additional

comments if you wish.

1) Once you have searched through the hotel websites, travel search engines

and travel comparison sites, could you please complete the following

shortlist. Please provide the names of the hotels you would choose to stay in,

in order of preference and provide reason/s as to why:

First Choice

Hotel Name

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Main Reason/s

- 56 -

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Second Choice

Hotel Name

.................................................................................................................................

Main Reason/s

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Third Choice

Hotel Name

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Main Reason/s

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

2) Now you have searched the Trip Advisor website, is your first choice from the

above shortlist still your first choice?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

3) If your first choice has changed, please indicate how it has changed?

Changed to second choice [ ]

Changed to third choice [ ]

Changed to different hotel [ ]

4) If your order of preference has changed after using the Trip Advisor site can

you say why?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

- 57 -

5) Please explain if there were any comments or photos that affected your

opinion of your original choice?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

6) How influential did you feel Trip Advisor was in changing your choice of

hotel?

(1 being not influential and 5 being very influential)

1 2 3 4 5

Comments

………………………………………………………………………………………………

7) What do you think is/are the most powerful feature/s on the Trip Advisor site?

(Tick as many boxes as you feel necessary)

Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ] Hotel Rankings [ ] Facebook Link [ ]

8) Have you ever used the Trip Advisor site before today?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

9) If yes to question 7, how regularly do you use the Trip Advisor site when

booking hotels?

Every time [ ]

Sometimes [ ]

Once Before [ ]

10) Would you consider using the site for an actual hotel booking?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

Comments

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

11) Do you have any concerns about the Trip Advisor site?

- 58 -

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

12) Lastly, do you have any additional thoughts about the service Trip Advisor

provides?

................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................

Finally, a few questions about yourself:

Age: 20-30 [ ] 31-40 [ ] 41-50 [ ] 51-60 [ ] 61-70 [ ] 70+ [ ]

Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ]

Occupation: Student [ ] Employed Part-Time [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Retired [ ]

Unemployed [ ]

If working, what is your job title?

What is the first part of your home postcode (e.g. GL6)?

- 59 -

Appendix 2: Questionnaire Responses

Questionnaire Responses for Participant A

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Duquesa de Cardona

Main Reason/s

I like the old style of the interior and the pool on the roof looks stunning plus the views over the harbour

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Petit Palace Boqueria

Main Reason/s

The garden at the back is gorgeous, very unique

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Barcelona Universal

Main Reason/s

The rooms and pool terrace look smart and contemporary

2) Yes []

3) N/A

4) N/A

5) N/A

6) 3

Comments

Even though did not change my opinion it still was important in reaffirming the decision already made

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews []

8) Yes [ ]

9) Every time [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

11) There are some very picky people and so you do have to take some comments with a pinch of

salt, you have to decide if they are over exaggerating or not

12) It is a very useful tool to aid you in your decision process as you are spending sometimes a

lot of money on these hotels so it is good to have as much information to hand prior to making

your decision as to which one to go to. The traveller photos allow you to see sides of the hotel

that would never reach you until you got there which can play an important part when deciding

whether to use it, so it’s good they have this available

20-30 [ ] Female [] Student [] Postcode: DE13

Questionnaire Responses for Participant B

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Husa Barcelona

Main Reason/s

Cheapest, modern, convenient to town

Second Choice

Hotel Name

H10 Universitat

Main Reason/s

Cheap and modern, clean looking

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Petit Palace Barcelona

Main Reason/s

- 60 -

Flash, amazing, modern, if we had more money to spend we would go here.

2) Yes [ ]

3) N/A

4) N/A

5) N/A

6) 1

7) Traveller Photos [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Sometimes [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

11) No, I trust it.

12) Very useful, and is often right in it comments.

20-30 [ ] Female [ ] Student [ ] Postcode: GL7

Questionnaire Responses for Participant C

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Cram Barcelona

Main Reason/s

Design of interior/exterior is modern and stylish, location, size and pool.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Silken Ramblas

Main Reason/s

Location, design, size and pool.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Barcelo Raval Hotel

Main Reason/s

Location, pool, fabulous views, design and size.

2) Yes [ ]

3) N/A

4) N/A

5) By going on the Trip Advisor site with more pictures it confirmed my view that the first choice

was good. Also, was very good value for money. Most reviews were excellent and I ignored

the poor ones.

6) 5

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ] Hotel Rankings [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Every time [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

Comments

Think I would do exactly as I have done, do my own search then go onto Trip Advisor.

11) Yes, some of the comments by some guests have to be taken with a pinch of salt e.g. the

safe didn’t work!

12) Most people in the ‘industry’ I know ignore it but, it’s certainly gaining in credibility.

51-60 [ ] Female [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: Lecturer Postcode:GL5

Questionnaire Responses for Participant D

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Confortel Barcelona

Main Reason/s

Swimming pool is essential, five minutes from the beach, easy access to city centre via metro or bus.

- 61 -

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Eurostars monumental sagrada

Main Reason/s

Perfect location for sightseeing, good feedback on accommodation/location.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Salles Hotel Ciutat Del Prat

Main Reason/s

Modern interior and good location.

2) No [ ]

3) Changed to second choice [ ]

4) After researching the reviews, location seems more adequate and the reviews on my original

choice changed my opinion of the hotel.

5) The location was not as central after all.

6) 5

Comments

If I had not researched the reviews I would not have had the most central location that I was aiming for.

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Every time [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

11) I am anxious about the validity of the reviews

12) N/A

41-50 [ ] Male [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: HGV Driver Postcode: SN3

Questionnaire Responses for Participant E

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Vincci Arena

Main Reason/s

Price and looks modern/clean.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Catalonia Atenas Hotel

Main Reason/s

Price and looks attractive.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Hesperia Del Mar

Main Reason/s

Price and location look good.

2) Yes [ ]

3) N/A

4) My original second choice has changed to my third choice. This is due to the photos of this

hotel on Trip Advisor showing the rooms to be messy, dull and rather basic. The reviews also

confused me because they were very mixed, some being excellent and some being terrible.

Whereas, the feeling I got from Trip Advisor of my third choice was that it seemed a good all-

rounder e.g. good location, service, rooms etc. which is what I would expect from a hotel.

5) The photos certainly affected my opinion as they reinforced my preference for my first choice

of hotel, and the reviews were helpful for informing you of what to expect on the trip.

6) 4

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Every time [ ]

- 62 -

10) Yes [ ]

11) No, I don’t

12) I think the service has been very helpful and explanatory in that it has given me an overall

picture of what may be positive or negative about a hotel.

Age: 61-70 [ ] Male [ ] Retired [ ] Postcode: SN3

Questionnaire Responses for Participant F

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Casa Fuster Hotel

Main Reason/s

Modern, City Centre, Swimming Pool, Very appealing.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Evenia Rossello

Main Reason/s

Near to Shopping Centre and it is attractive.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Rivoli Ramblas

Main Reason/s

Modern, transportation and harbour close by.

2) Yes [ ]

3) N/A

4) My third choice has changed to my second choice, because the original second choice had

some horrible photos of the hotel on Trip Advisor. The photos showed the rooms to be very

basic like a Premier Inn equivalent which put me off.

5) There were only 10 terrible reviews of my original first choice of hotel which I thought was

positive looking at the scale of how many reviews there were. Also, the photos made the hotel

and its surroundings look lovely.

6) 3

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Every time [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

11) There are a lot of features on the site which can be a little overwhelming and confusing.

12) Just that I find the site to be very useful when booking a hotel.

20-30 [ ] Male [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: HGV Technician Postcode: SN3

Questionnaire Responses for Participant G

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Mandarin Oriental

Main Reason/s

Perfect location with the fantastic views of the city and the sea but also looks very pleasant inside

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Barcelona Universal Hotel

Main Reason/s

From a Google search this hotel comes up as one of the most stylish hotels in Barcelona as well one of

the most expensive

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Espana

- 63 -

Main Reason/s

When the result came up on Google people had recommended it mainly because of its fantastic

location and its ability to exceed the expectation of the customer

2) Yes [] No [ ]

3) N/A

4) N/A

5) Trip advisor was fantastic as it included photos from visitors rather than professional photos,

this was absolute great as a customer as it gave a realistic snap shot of the place I was

planning to book rather than a photo taken by the hotel itself for marketing purposes.

6) 3

7) Traveller Photos [ ]

8) Yes []

9) Every time []

10) Yes [ ]

Comments

I use it as a guide as I have been about to book hotels in the past but checked out trip advisor and then

changed my decision due to the reviews/ photos that were available.

11) I do feel it could easily be abused by the Hotel and Leisure industries as they could fake

accounts and create false reviews in their favour

12) My only major concern of trip advisor is that I do feel the system could be abused by the

leisure industries by producing fake reviews in their favour and I do hope trip advisor has

policies in place to stop this happening

20-30 [ ] Male [] Student [ ] Postcode: GL7

Questionnaire Responses for Participant H

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Front Maritim

Main Reason/s

Looks impressive, has lots of facilities e.g. Spa and Gym, good for budget.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Icaria

Main Reason/s

Modern interior, spacious rooms, extras e.g. mini bar, Spa and Gym, location seems superb.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

H10 Universitat

Main Reason/s

Good location, contemporary and recently renovated.

2) No [ ]

3) Changed to third choice [ ]

4) Once I looked into more detail of the hotel from Trip Advisor comments and photos, hotel was

not as pleasant as it appeared to be on the website after all. Peoples true photos and

information did not match the glamorous picture the website had painted.

5) The websites stated the hotel was centrally located, but as you looked into the reviews the

location was not good. Also there were photos of broken fixtures to the bedrooms, and photos

which showed the hotel to be located next to a busy main road.

6) 5

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Every time [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

11) No concerns.

- 64 -

12) N/A

41-50 [ ] Female [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: Shop Proprietor Postcode: SN3

Questionnaire Responses for Participant I

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Derby Hotel

Main Reason/s

Price is good and rooms appear to be modern.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Best Western Premier Hotel Dante

Main Reason/s

I am familiar with the brand and the amenities look good.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Sunotel Central

Main Reason/s

Location and the amenities look good.

2) Yes [ ]

3) N/A

4) Although my first choice has not changed, my third choice has however changed to my

second choice. This is because the reviews for my original second choice suggested food and

beverage prices were expensive, and the traveller photos were not very appealing. My second

choice now seems much better as according to the reviews the location is perfect which is

what I would require for a city break.

5) The positive comments which praised the hotel for its friendly service and good food made me

more confident about keeping my original first choice of hotel the same. Also the photos

complimented the hotel well.

6) 3

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ] Hotel Rankings [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Sometimes [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

11) No concerns.

12) Overall, I think the site is useful and I am of the opinion that the reviews and photos are most

helpful, because they paint a full picture of what the hotel should be like in reality.

61-70 [ ] Female [ ] Retired [ ] Postcode: SN3

Questionnaire Responses for Participant J

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Rivoli Rambla

Main Reason/s

Proximity to Gothic Quarter, Central.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Colon Barcelona

Main Reason/s

Proximity to Cathedral and other features, central.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Pulitzer Barcelona

Main Reason/s

- 65 -

Boutique type hotel looks quieter location.

2) No [ ]

3) Changed to third choice [ ]

4) The influence of reviews- Pulitzer and Colon seem to have more excellent/very good reports. I

didn’t feel totally put off but maybe less keen.

5) Not in particular, though I did seem influenced by location in the old quarter of the city.

6) 4

Comments

Quiet strong, personal testimonial is powerful including choice of words used in reviews.

7) Reviews [ ] Hotel Rankings [ ]

8) No [ ]

9) Never Before

10) Yes [ ]

Comments

Not being a particularly keen traveller/ use of hotels, it felt more informative.

11) Always interested in who is writing the material

12) First time experience is good. I would wish to consult this site further for other cities. It seems

to fulfil a need for inexperienced travellers.

51-60 [ ] Male [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: Lecturer Postcode: GL7

Questionnaire Responses for Participant K

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Espana

Main Reason/s

Location, Swimming Pool.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel America

Main Reason/s

Hotel style, Complimentary Rental Car.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Alexandra Barcelona

Main Reason/s

Location.

2) No [ ]

3) Changed to third choice [ ]

4) Due to people’s negative reviews of the hotel.

5) The comments which said the food was expensive and the swimming pool was small changed

my opinion.

6) 4

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Every time [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

11) A slight concern with false reviews but overall have had no problems with it.

12) No.

31-40 [ ] Male [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: HGV Driver Postcode: SN3

Questionnaire Responses for Participant L

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

- 66 -

Hotel BCN Events

Main Reason/s

Price and has a bright welcoming feel.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Hotel Front Air Congress Aeropuerto

Main Reason/s

Price, it has bright rooms and it has a pool.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

City Park Hotel Sant Just

Main Reason/s

This hotel is towards the top end of my budget but seems inviting.

2) No [ ]

3) Changed to second choice [ ]

4) I have changed my first choice, due to the shocking reviews which suggested the hotel guests

had experienced thefts of goods whilst staying there. My second choice seemed the better

option, because both reviews and photos were more positive, there were a few petty reviews

but I would ignore these due to the positive reviews.

5) The comments which explained about the theft in the original first choice of hotel certainly put

me off because it made me feel unsafe to stay there. Also, the photos for this hotel which

showed dirty fridges and dirty rooms negatively affected my original opinion.

6) 5

7) Reviews [ ]

8) No [ ]

9) N/A

10) Yes [ ]

11) Just that the reviews could put you completely off of a hotel, and for all you know it could be

due to people simply being petty.

12) No

41-50 [ ] Female [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: Cleaner Postcode: SN1

Questionnaire Responses for Participant M

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona Diagonal

Main Reason/s

Location, price and amenities

Second Choice

Hotel Name

Le Méridien Barcelona

Main Reason/s

Location, price and amenities

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Royal Ramblas

Main Reason/s

Location, price and amenities

2) Yes [ ]

3) N/A

4) N/A

5) Photos and reviews always affect my decision

6) 1

Comments

- 67 -

I tend to make decisions very quickly and stick to them. It is unlikely that I would change my original

choice.

7) Traveller Photos [ ] Reviews [ ]

8) No [ ]

9) N/A

10) Yes [ ]

Comments

It is easy to navigate and provides useful information

11) No I don’t

12) NA

41-50 [ ] Male [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: Senior lecturer Postcode: GL50

Questionnaire Responses for Participant N

1) First Choice

Hotel Name

Salles Hotel Pere IV

Main Reason/s

Price and is located near to beach and has a free Spa and free WIFI.

Second Choice

Hotel Name

NH Podium

Main Reason/s

Price, quiet location, free WIFI and looks attractive.

Third Choice

Hotel Name

Confortel Barcelona

Main Reason/s

Price, rooms look cosy, free WIFI and have a roof top pool.

2) No [ ]

3) Changed to second choice [ ]

4) My first choice changed because the photos on Trip Advisor made the hotel rooms look old

fashioned and very dark. There were also a lot of negative reviews for this hotel.

5) The main comments which stuck in my mind were the comments which said my original first

choice of hotel’s food was poor, staff was unfriendly and location was bad. Again the photos

of old fashioned rooms put me off.

6) 4

7) Traveller Photos [ ]

8) Yes [ ]

9) Sometimes [ ]

10) Yes [ ]

Comments

But I also take note of friends and family opinion, so word of mouth is important to me.

11) It can be very off putting when reviews suggest the hotel is bad but the photos do not reflect

those suggestions.

12) I think Trip Advisor is a good idea but it should work on approving the reviews before they go

onto the site so that it is fair.

20-30 [ ] Female [ ] Employed Full Time [ ] Job: Nursery Assistant Postcode: SN3

- 68 -

Appendix 3: Interview Responses

Interview Transcript with Participant A

05/03/2013

Can you talk to me about the process you went through when you completed my questionnaire

and scenario, so what sites you went on and how you chose the dates you did? The sites I went

on were Expedia and Go Compare, the usual comparison sites and travel sites. The dates, I did it

around usual holiday times and I think I went for the Easter Holidays.

Would you say you usually have a criteria when you book hotels, you might say I would like a

swimming pool? Yes depending on where I am going or what holiday it is. I do usually if it’s a summer

holiday it must be near the beach, I always have a pool and depending on the star or budget proximity

to sites and attractions and things.

Would you say hotel image is an important requirement for you? Yes I suppose.

Was the brand of any of these hotels you chose important or were you not so fussed about

brand? I don’t really look at brand per se, I usually go off star rating and yes off that really, location

more than brand.

Would you say price is an important factor when you usually book a hotel? Yes I always stick to

a budget.

Would you say you exceeded the budget at all in this case where you didn’t obviously have to

physically book it? Yes I went a little bit more out of my usual price range, so it was less of a concern

for this case.

Do you think Trip Advisor can maybe make you reconsider what you are willing to pay, because

obviously if you found this other hotel on Trip Advisor that you really liked but it was slightly

more expensive would you say that you might be swayed? Yes I have done that in the past been

influenced, I have realised from my price range I am not going to get what I like so therefore, I had to

sacrifice a bit more to get what I wanted, by using Trip Advisor to see what I can get and how much

they were.

Would you see that even though in your case with your hotel choice not changing, if it did

change would you have felt disappointed to have stayed in that hotel if there were negative

reviews/images? Yes I suppose you go from an expectation, it’s like a hotel I went to last year it read

very nicely and then booked it and then looked on Trip Advisor and went and actually wasn’t what I

was expecting so I was a bit cross.

So were the Trip Advisor reviews positive and your experience didn’t match that or were they

negative and it matched the negative experience you had? It was a bit of miss and match with that

one some were negative but it looked as though it was prior to refurbishment, it didn’t tell you that

refurbishment had only been done on half of the hotel. So half of the rooms were lovely and the other

half not so good and I ended up in the not so good side of the hotel.

So I suppose you would say actually having these reviews updated is important? Yes because

obviously older ones don’t reflect current ones.

Can you explain why you chose the features you did as powerful features on Trip Advisor?

They are just my taste and what I go for.

And how much time roughly did the whole process take you? Would you say in reality you

make quick hotel decisions or is it more of a lengthy process? About an hour I think. I take

forever, sometimes a whole day to weigh up my options and then I go back again just to make sure.

- 69 -

Would you feel confident to go ahead and book the hotel now or would there be any other

stages you feel you have to go through before? I would feel pretty confident because all of the

hotels have really nice reviews and my first choice was really nice and I couldn’t find a bad review on

that. So I would be pretty confident, I would just want to do a few more price comparisons beforehand.

Obviously you didn’t experience a change in your order of preference, but could you explain

how the Trip Advisor site could still be useful? It has really affirmed my thought process and

helped me realise a little bit more about what I would be prepared to put up with. It’s also good for just

getting an idea of the local area and what it is near to, good restaurants nearby because some people

put comments like that don’t they like there is a good pub 300m down the road. Like the website may

say the hotel is 40m from the beach but somebody might say realistically I should tell you no its more

like a 10 minute walk, so it’s useful for that and is more realistic.

If you automatically felt you liked a hotel from its website, would you still probably double

check it with Trip Advisor, or would you just take what they say on the website? No I would

definitely check it out because there are too many marketing ploys these days.

Can you expand on any of the concerns you had with Trip Advisor? Just that some people are

just miserable I suppose and some people blow everything slightly out of proportion. I think you need to

take it with a pinch of salt, especially the ones where everyone else reads ok and there’s one where

one person just slates it. I think that’s the thing you get the extremes some people absolutely love what

you might think is rubbish whereas others actually hate what you think is quite ok. So I think it is trying

to work out the balance between realistically whether you think it will be ok or not. So I think that’s the

only downfall really.

What would possibly make you use an alternative to Trip Advisor, so using any other holiday

review or booking sites over Trip Advisor? I don’t really know of any other ones especially not like

the reviews Trip Advisor do with actual people posting reviews, so no it is Trip Advisor for me.

Lastly would you say you use it at certain stages like some people use it just before they book,

some people come back and use it to see what other people think compared to your

experience? I just use it beforehand, I draw up a shortlist of where I want to go and I will use Trip

Advisor to double check that my choice is still nice and I still like it then I whittle it down like that. But

no I don’t usually come back to it after holidays unless something in particular happened, and I wanted

to know whether someone else has picked up on that.

Interview Transcript with Participant B

12/03/2013

Could you talk to me about the process you went through when you did my questionnaire, so

like what sites you went on to choose the hotels and what dates you chose to book the break

for? Well I chose the 1st and I just put in cheap hotels actually but this time I think I put 4* hotels

because that’s what you wanted but I would usually put in cheap hotels so in this case I would always

go for the cheapest 4* because I am a student and I don’t have much money and truthfully that’s what I

would always do. I would always go for the cheapest so that’s what I did, I went onto the cheap

booking website and then I looked through the left at what the cheapest hotel was and then I would

click onto it to see what the hotel looked like and then obviously in real life I would go onto Trip Advisor

then to have a look at it. So I would always use one of these cheap comparison websites.

Would you say that when you go onto these comparison sites that you do have a certain criteria

in mind, like the hotel must have a pool? Yes definitely it must have a pool and close to facilities that

would be important to me. I like being close to town because I like shopping and views I often ask for.

But definitely price would be number 1 and customer service I don’t really worry about just facilities and

price would be number 1.

- 70 -

Would you say the hotel image is important to you? No not at all just as long as it is cheap, I don’t

need luxurious.

Would you say a branded hotel is important to you? Nope not at all I would just go for the cheapest

again and whatever came up as the best option for me from the comparison website. Also what

package you get with it as well because I often like it when it’s got the, especially when travelling on my

own and also with my partner, we would book to have breakfast and dinner but no lunch so half board.

Would you say with this example because you didn’t have to part with any cash you may be

exceeded the budget with some of your choices? Yes I wouldn’t book a 4* in general I would book

a 3*. In reality it would be beyond my limit and I would usually book through Thomson’s or something

like that and they would do the hotel, they would do everything for me so I wouldn’t worry about looking

at each individual hotel due to booking package deals. I don’t actually find out what the hotel is like until

I get there so that’s why I said on my questionnaire I only use Trip Advisor some times.

So when you book a package holiday you are still not tempted to have a look on Trip Advisor?

No I am not; I put my trust in the package and don’t find out until I actually go on holiday. But if I was to

book in England and was booking on my own so say I was booking a hotel in Scotland I would look, so

really it depends on what type of hotel I am booking. Especially the cheaper hotels even here I would

be looking at 2* or 3* so I would be looking yes, I mean sometimes you can get a cheap hotel for just

40 pounds so I would definitely be looking then.

Obviously with Trip Advisor it shows you all these different options so if say your first choice

was just ok but another potential choice is better on Trip Advisor but is say 10 pounds more

would you say the site has the ability to influence you to spend more? Yes if it was 5, 10, 20

pounds more then yes but 50 pounds no so it depends on how much the difference is really. It could

make an influence on me yes to make me kind of meet in the middle. But then again I might not look.

I know you said that photos are a powerful feature on Trip Advisor so why do you feel that way?

Well I am very into cleanliness that is number 1 for my partner and I we don’t care if the place is pretty

much falling apart but as long as the toilet, the sink and the floors are clean so cleanliness really.

That’s what I’d be looking out for if it had a broken chair I am really not going to care.

Can you remember roughly how much time it took you to complete this questionnaire? About 20

minutes, 25 minutes.

So would you say you make quiet quick hotel decisions or would you say you take your time?

Nope quick decisions

Is this maybe why Trip Advisor doesn’t come into your process? Yes especially if I am paying

somebody else to sort it out I expect them to get it right and they do. If I was going to look for B&B’S in

the Lake District then I would just look at the list pick the cheapest one and have a quick look on Trip

Advisor really and then book. So I use it more for UK hotels. I would never actually book on Trip

Advisor either because I just usually go direct to the hotels.

I know your order didn’t change so your first choice stayed the same but even though your first

choice stayed the same was Trip Advisor helpful in another way? Yes it was only luck that the 3

places that I chose didn’t have yucky pictures that was just out of luck pure luck I would say. But it

would definitely change my mind if the reviews were bad but it was luck that those three and I could

see from the website that they were quite nice anyway where I had choose modern places so it was

lucky they were modern and not old fashioned.

So would you say it reassured you that they were ok choices? Yes exactly.

So if you had the money would you feel confident to go ahead and book it straight away now or

would there be anything else you need to do? I would 100% just book. I would just look right away,

as soon as, find a hotel the cheapest one and use Trip Advisor and if that wasn’t good enough because

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I had seen dirty photos and bad reviews, I would then just go to the next more pricey one and then I

would just go right away, I would just ring and book.

Can you expand on any of the concerns you had with Trip Advisor? Yes I don’t like the fact that

people can comment on their own businesses and it will bring up the satisfaction levels, so if you are

the owner or friends then you can say this hotel or restaurant is wonderful yet its lies because it is them

doing it and then people book and think oh they have a 4* it must be good but it could just be all of their

mates pitching in and boosting it. This was very evident at the Vale Hotel because they had lots of

good comments but I noticed that a lot of them were related to Portuguese so obviously friends of the

Portuguese owners. So it is very easy for a business to big themselves up so that is a very big fault

because a lot of it could be fake that’s it really. I think photos are the best way because you can believe

that can’t you. I just think that sometimes I don’t use it because I just forget about it you know

sometimes I think about it and sometimes I wouldn’t but sometimes it will pop up for you so you can

just like if I go to a restaurant it will pop up saying you know but sometimes I will completely forget

about it and not look and then I will just book anyway looking at the website. That would be the only

reason why I wouldn’t look if I were to forget.

Is this possibly why you would use a comparison site or another site over Trip Advisor? I

probably wouldn’t use another site over Trip Advisor because I wouldn’t know of another site I only

know of Trip Advisor. I would only use a comparison site to literally find a price but I would just look at

the website and forget about Trip Advisor and just book.

Do you have any past experiences with Trip Advisor that you could share like when you have

maybe stayed in a hotel and the reviews have lived up to what the hotel is like for example? In

terms of restaurants I do yes but for hotels I don’t due to not using it that much.

So you would say you use it more for restaurants? Yes because hotels I am not that bothered

about I have stayed in a lot of places and I wouldn’t usually comment on it after as I have mostly had

good experiences. So I wouldn’t really use it for commenting but I would use it for scoring so you can

score 1 to 5 but I wouldn’t want to comment on it. Definitely for restaurants you can tell from Trip

Advisor if it has bad reviews you know it will be bad, it is like the Indian restaurant in town they are on

Trip Advisor and have 4.5* and it is lovely.

I know some people have said they use Trip Advisor at different stages so right before they

book to make sure it is what they want, some people use it whilst they are waiting to go away to

see if new photos have been uploaded and others use it when they come back to see how their

view compares? I would only ever do it when I was looking to book a hotel and no other time I am

quite new to Trip Advisor as well so I didn’t really use it in the past but in the future I will be using it and

more now from what I have learnt and especially the photos.

Interview Transcript with Participant C

25/02/2013

Can you talk to me about the process you went through when completing my questionnaire and

scenario, so what sites you went on? Right, yes, I decided because I am used to choosing hotels

using Trivago, that that would be what I would do for the purpose of your research. Frankly they list

nearly 1500 hotels for Barcelona alone, so it’s not like I have really shortened my list or the availability

and I felt that was going to give me a good enough search of hotels that I would need anyway to do this

exercise. The other thing that I did was to assume a weekend, and I assumed that it was my Birthday

weekend and I was going to take my partner away for my Birthday weekend which is at the end of

November. So, that is what I did so take the group of hotels and assume that weekend.

What would be your usual criteria if you have one when booking hotels? Okay, I would tend to

only look for well 4* possibly 3*, I am definitely not in the 5* bracket. I would always look for things that

I think are important which would be the location, possibly if it was a chain I knew like Marriot for

instance depending on what the purpose was, I would look at facilities. If it wasn’t a business trip I

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would think about whether it had a pool because I quiet like having a swim either at the beginning of

the day or the end of the day. Pictures are important, I think visually I look at the photographs and the

description and the location so it’s a real mixture, melee of all those things. I would also look at the

price. Now I know in the questionnaire you didn’t stipulate a price but you said 4*, I have to say I don’t

think I would be alone in at least just having a look at what price it was per night, whether it was per

person or a room rate, whether it was an online price and I might just check that between the site and

the hotels website. I don’t think I would not include price in my decision making process, you know it’s

my money and I’m not spending my boss’s money for instance, it’s my own hard earnt cash therefore I

would be a little bit careful about how much I had to spend and budget. I would have wondered

whether it was over or under my budget, whether it included breakfast those sort of things because

sometimes you get a room rate and that’s fine, sometimes you get a room rate and they put VAT on

the top or room tax for abroad, so you have to be careful about the add ons. So I would look at those

factors as well.

Would you be concerned about the hotel image, would this be high on your list? For pleasure

yes if it was business no, I would just go for the facilities where it had internet access, how comfortable

the room was, check in that kind of thing. For pleasure, then yes where I was staying the image would

be of importance, I don’t want to spend my Birthday weekend in some sort of hole somewhere.

If your original first choice changed, which in your case it hasn’t, let’s say it did change from

Trip Advisor would you have been quiet disappointed to have stayed in that hotel? If my first

choice got slammed by Trip Advisor then I would think again because if it had 4 out of 10 I suppose I

would go somewhere else. I would have been questioning my own decision and choice. I would have

been certainly brought up short in terms of wow what you see is not what you get.

I did hear you say that you look into the chain of hotel so would you say the brand of the hotel

is quiet important? Sometimes but not always for instance I kind of know what you are going to get

with a Holiday Inn and the Marriot because I have used the Marriot brand quite a bit, In fact I even have

a loyalty card of Marriot due to staying in the hotel on a number of occasions. So sometimes because

you know what you are buying into if you are buying into the intercontinental brand then you kind of

know what you are going to be getting, if you buy into Ibis you know what you are getting. It is

everything that is about a brand isn’t it, you are kind of buying trust and reliability and quality whether

it’s upmarket or down market.

As you said before you would look into price more if it was actually coming out of your own

pocket let’s say? Yes for sure, and also I would look at things like are they going to charge me for

using my credit card because that’s the usual dodge like what Easy Jet do. Hotels will charge you for

using a credit card even if you may not pay the bill until you get there.

Would you say you probably exceeded the budget in this case? No not at all, actually it was quiet

reasonable and certainly was not one of the top end ones. I was quiet pleasantly surprised when I saw

the price, in fact it was working out to be about 89 euros a night which I thought was quiet good. Mind

you I did factor in that it was November and was not peek time and I don’t think my chosen dates were

around a conference time either.

Do you think the Trip Advisor site is able to make you reconsider your budget at all where you

can see so many options? Yes because the people who comment on the site talk a lot about value

for money and what you get for your money so money does come into it. I would be interested to look

at the other hotels sites as I would be curious and I don’t want to be sold to as a complete dummy. I

think the older I have got the more canny I have become and more used to using these sites now, so

yes, I think my natural curiosity would be to go and actually see what these other hotels were offering.

As far as I was concerned with this exercise I was happy with my first choice it might not have been the

one that got the most points out of ten but it still made me feel that what I was buying here was ok for

my purpose.

Can you explain why you chose photos, reviews and rankings as powerful features of the Trip

Advisor site? Photos, well you can’t not be slightly swayed by a photo can you and particularly when

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you compare the people who post things on Trip Advisor their own photos of the room, or their view

outside the window which you wouldn’t necessarily get on the glossy website pictures. So the website

is sort of nice images of a gorgeous looking couple whispering sweet nothings over a glass of

champagne, that’s all well and good but it could be anywhere. But what you are actually quiet

interested in is what the bathroom looks like and they wouldn’t necessarily put that into their site so

that’s quite interesting. I am always interested in the comments to see what people are writing, some of

them are quite ridiculous. There are some comments which make you wonder whether people are

going around with a check list like that doesn’t work put that on Trip Advisor, the door is stiff well for

goodness sake get over it really. I think some of the comments are laughable like somebody wrote on

the site the safe didn’t work, well ring down to reception and ask them to fix it. Ridiculous comments! I

am much more interested in somebody saying that the service at reception or that the staff were all

delightful and couldn’t be more helpful that kind of stuff. So those kinds of comments I do read with

interest although I do tend to gloss over some of the more ridiculous ones.

Would you say you usually make quick decisions about hotels? I do because mainly I am slightly

impatient, my partner would say very impatient and I think well that’s alright, that will do and finish.

Compare that with Dee for instance who will spend absolute hours choosing and going onto Trip

Advisor and going through it all in minute detail, but I have to say she works in the industry, has worked

in hotels and as an event organiser, so it’s kind of in her blood she can’t not. For me there are more

important things to do and I am much less bothered about certain things, I would probably go well that

will be fine, it ticks all the boxes, is about the right price, its available, they have a very nice room

overlooking the whatever, let’s go with it job done.

Would you go ahead and book this particular hotel now or would you have any other stages you

would go through beforehand? Yes the only stage I would go through is to run it past my partner

unless it was a surprise of course and that would probably be it. Having gone through the process

liking what I saw, it having good reviews on Trip Advisor, looks about the right kind of price, location

was great I think I would just go with the courage of my conviction really. My problem in reality would

be if Dee turned around and said I think you have got the wrong hotel I think there’s something here

that’s better, then my reaction would probably be you book it then.

If you automatically felt you liked a hotel fro its website would you still check it with Trip

Advisor or not necessarily? I think for reassurance I would now always go onto Trip Advisor but

that’s again partly living with Dee and that’s what she does and we do go away a fair bit.

Can you expand on any of the concerns you had with Trip Advisor? I think the only thing I would

add to what I have already said would be that you get anybody writing things on Trip Advisor so there

is a certain amount of, kind of doubting the reasons why they have written what they have written. A lot

of people will only write when they have something critical to say, a lot of people who go to hotels have

a perfectly nice time and then they can’t be bothered to write anything on Trip Advisor and I have done

that myself. I think sometimes there are just bad experiences and stuff just happens and I think you just

have to overlook that and go with the fact that generally most of the remarks are very good. You are

always going to get somebody who is particularly picky or particularly sensitive or the breakfasts wasn’t

cooked enough, or warm enough, or the coffee wasn’t quite right. There are a lot of very picky people

out there and you have to take that into account. The other thing is of course rival or competing

companies can post things onto other hotel websites, so again you have to be a little bit careful about

who is writing this stuff and the reasons why. Once it is out there it is out there, and Trip Advisor are

particularly bad at taking stuff off, there has to be a very good reason why stuff comes off. I was talking

to somebody who works as a travel agent in Cirencester, and I actually asked him what he thinks of

Trip Advisor and he said he never looks at it ever. He is somebody who deals in specialist holidays

particularly walking holidays in the Far East, and he said because of his extensive personal knowledge

he knows where the good hotels are, best restaurants are so he never looks at Trip Advisor because

he thinks it’s a waste of time for him as somebody who works in the industry which is interesting.

Lastly what stages would you consider using Trip Advisor so would you use it before, once you

have booked it? I would more or less do what I have just done for this exercise which is to have a look

and see what is available, make sure it is my evoked set and then go from there through checking Trip

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Advisor. I think if you go down the tunnel or just checking Trip Advisor you would be there forever so I

would start make a shortlist, put my top favourites just a couple and then see. If they are completely off

beam then I would start again and then I would probably have a look to see the favoured categories. It

would make a difference, and if I was booking this for real I would look at Trip Advisor that would be

definite. Maybe I shouldn’t, maybe you should go with your own personal favourite, but I have to say I

would always go down the Trip Advisor route.

Interview Transcript with Participant D

19/03/2013

So could you talk to me about the process you went through when you did my questionnaire,

so how you chose the hotels and if you put in specific dates? After using websites for the past few

years I narrowed it down to six or seven websites I normally use, I put in a certain date and 3 days

wither side.

Would you say you usually have a criteria when you book hotels? I am not too keen on walking so

it has to be near to the beach.

Is hotel image an important requirement for you? No not at all.

So I can see your original first choice changed after using Trip Advisor so do you think if you

had to stay in that hotel you would have been disappointed? Yes I think I would have been

disappointed after further research the number 2 option was a better choice.

Was the brand of the hotel important for any of your choices and for any hotel choices you

make in general anyway? The brand doesn’t make any difference to me.

And is price an important factor when you book hotels? I put in a certain price and it could be 50

pound either side.

So you are willing to shift your budget slightly? Yes depending on the location.

And would you say Trip Advisor is good at making you reconsider your budget where you are

able to see different options with one being better than another but maybe 20 pounds more?

Trip Advisor is good yes because you can see other people’s photos and you can judge for yourself

then.

When you did my exercise would you say you stuck to a budget or did you exceed the budget

at all? I would have paid the price in reality.

I know that you said photos and reviews are powerful features of Trip Advisor, why do you feel

those features in specific are powerful? Because all websites have their own photographs and own

write ups but the person who has actually spent time there with their own photographs and own review

are much more helpful.

Do you remember how much time you spent roughly selecting the hotels? It probably took a

good 20 minutes to half an hour for each one.

So would you say you spend a lot of time making holiday and hotel decisions or are you quick

at making choices? It is a commitment so why not take your time and have a good look around there

is no rush.

Say you had the money to book this hotel now would you go ahead and just book it or would

there be anything else you would do in the mean time? No I have done my research and it has

been narrowed down and I would go ahead and book.

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If you went to one of these websites you always use to book your hotels and thought yes I like

the looks of that one, would you just book it or would you still check with Trip Advisor? I would

book through that website but I would make sure to always check Trip Advisor before booking.

Do you have any concerns about Trip Advisor? There’s no way of knowing that hotels themselves

could be putting reviews on and be pretending to be customers.

Would you use any alternative site to Trip Advisor? Probably not, not knowing that there is even

another one that does this.

Do you have any past experiences with Trip Advisor that you could share, like when you have

used it and it and the reviews have said something and it lives up to the review in reality for

example? After going away this Christmas probably 90% of the reviews were correct.

Last question would there be certain stages you would use Trip Advisor at like some use it just

before they book, some use it up to the build-up of the holiday or after their holiday? I would

check the reviews daily up until the day we actually take off, and the day we come back I will check the

reviews again to see what other people have put in the meantime against my own review.

So really you do rely quite heavily upon Trip Advisor? Yes.

Interview Transcript with Participant E

19/03/2013

Could you tell me about the process you went through, so how you found the hotels? Through

Google and different sites, searching for the best hotel.

Did you have a certain date in mind or did you just choose a random date? No we usually go

around July or August.

Would you say you have a criteria for the type of hotel you go for like some people want it to be

near the beach for example? Yes I think that helps you pick the hotel with it being near to the beach

and having a pool. So yes I like to be close to things.

So would you say hotel image is an important requirement for you? Yes definitely.

I know your first choice didn’t change but your second choice changed to your third so even

though Trip Advisor didn’t make you change your first choice, would you still say it is

influential? Yes because it pointed me into the right direction.

Was the brand of the hotel important for you? Yes.

So you quite like having a branded hotel? I would like that but only if I could afford it so it depends

on whether it is within my price range really. You have got to be economical and cut back a bit.

So price is an important factor for you? Yes it is very important.

Would you say you stuck to your budget in this exercise? Yes through the help of Trip Advisor

yes.

Would you say that Trip Advisor helped you see what you could get for your money then? Yes it

put a bigger picture on things.

With Trip Advisor do you think it is able to make you reconsider budget where you can see all

of these different hotels yet they may be slightly over budget? Yes definitely because that’s got a

lot to do with your holidays really budget.

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And can you explain why you chose photos and reviews as powerful features on Trip Advisor?

They are more explanatory really you look at them and you get an idea of the hotel so you could see

what you were getting.

Roughly how much time did you spend on choosing the hotels? About an hour and a half or two

hours.

So would you say you spend a long time making a hotel or holiday choice? Yes.

Would you go ahead and book the hotel now or would there be any other stages you would go

through? No I think I would book it now, I would be confident enough with all the Trip Advisor details I

have got.

So where you have got that extra information you would feel confident to go ahead with it? More

confident, yes.

If you went to your first choice of hotels website and thought I really like it would you book it

straight from that or would you still check it out with Trip Advisor? I would still check it out with

Trip Advisor because I mean that could mean anything it may look beautiful on the website but when

you get there it is not the case.

I know you didn’t have any concerns as such but I did see you put when there are mixed

reviews on Trip Advisor it can be a little confusing so what would you say happened when you

get into the situation of mixed reviews? Yes it can be and well you just don’t know whether to go

one way or the other because they are both trying to sway you.

So if the reviews are like that is there anything else you would look at on Trip Advisor to help

you out instead like maybe the photos? Yes I suppose so and you get most of your ideas from the

photos because you can look and think yes that is nice.

What would make you use any alternative site to Trip Advisor if there are any alternatives? I

suppose if somebody else was offering cheaper prices then I would look somewhere else.

Lastly at what stages would you consider using the site so some use it before they book? I

would say whilst you are studying it.

So you would search for your hotel, check it out with Trip Advisor and then book it? Yes.

Would you go back to the site at all or not really after the booking? No I wouldn’t go back to it I

think it’s mostly useful for when you are booking.

Interview Transcript with Participant F

05/03/2013

Can you talk to me about the process you went through when you completed my questionnaire

and scenario, so what sites you used to find the hotels and how you decided on dates? I went

on Holiday Supermarket and Trivago and the dates I chose related to my holidays off work really.

Would you say you usually have a set criteria when you book hotels like the hotel having a

pool? Yes I would search for a pool and what activities the hotel has stuff like that really.

Would you say the appearance and the image of the hotel is an important requirement? Yes,

definitely.

And with the hotels you chose was the brand important for any of them or did you not really

chose any branded hotels? Not really as such, it’s not the brand it’s the quality of the hotel which is

important.

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Is price an important factor for you when booking a hotel? Yes I compare the quality of the hotel to

the price so my price range varies.

Would you say in this scenario you exceeded the budget at all or would you say you did stick to

a realistic price that you would pay? Yes definitely it was within the budget range and was good

quality.

And would you say Trip Advisor is able to make you reconsider budget where you are able to

see different hotels with good reviews, do you think this would sway your budget? Yes if there

were more reviews and photos I wouldn’t mind paying extra but if it had bad reviews I wouldn’t at all

really. It just depends on what the hotels like and what the area is like.

Can you explain why you chose reviews and photos as powerful features on the Trip Advisor

site? Well by looking at the images you can get a wider scope of what it looks like, what the scenery is

like as such, if it looks good and with reviews you can see what other people think and are able to see

if it is a nice place or if there are bad reviews about the hotel.

How much time would you say you spent on selecting hotels for this questionnaire? I would say

about half an hour to an hour.

Would you usually make quiet quick decisions when you book a hotel or do you spend a

significant amount of time making a decision? I would say I spend a bit of time just obviously

broadening my scope of seeing what is out there and what is available.

So would you go ahead and book the hotel now after doing this process, or would there be any

other stages you would go through beforehand? I would go ahead although it is always nice to get

a second opinion from someone else as such and it is easier then as well.

I know you didn’t experience a change in your first choice but you did experience a change

between your second and third so would you still say Trip Advisor is quite influential? Yes

definitely, because obviously my second and third changed based on the photos and reviews.

If say you did your search on the travel comparison sites you spoke about would you still be

swayed to check it with Trip Advisor or would you stick to what they said on the comparison

sites? I would definitely get reassurance from Trip Advisor or someone else as such because

obviously with the main brands its always best to get a second opinion from a different person.

Can you expand on any of the concerns you had with Trip Advisor? There’s lots of features so too

many things you can select, it is very compact how can I say it there’s too many photos and reviews. It

is just here there and everywhere as such. So the layout can be confusing.

Are there any alternative sites you would use over Trip Advisor? Yes because you always use

different sites to shop around like Holiday Supermarket and Trivago to see what there reviews are like

as well, and to see whether they have any different pictures.

Do you have any past experiences with Trip Advisor that you feel are worthwhile sharing? Yes

with my recent holiday to Gambia the reviews read nicely so I went ahead with it because Trip Advisor

said it was good and it was good after all.

Last question, what stages would you consider using the site, some people use it beforehand,

some people check just before they go to see any updates and some check after to see how

their opinions match others? I would say at all stage, I would look at it before with Trip Advisor at the

photos and reviews and obviously as I am going I would look if there were any more better things and I

would look to see if anything said the place had got bad. After I could always put a comment on to say I

thoroughly enjoyed it or was disappointed with it. I definitely make the most out of the site.

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Interview Transcript with Participant G

12/03/2013

So, Joe would you be able to talk to me about the process you went through when you did my

questionnaire, so how you chose the hotels and what dates you chose? I think the thing is I

chose the hotel based on the sort of areas I know and like, I think the more you think about choosing a

hotel is the area because the reason I chose those hotels I had never stayed in them before but I knew

the areas that I liked. It starts with personal experience whereas I can understand I think that one of the

things lacking when using Trip Advisor or something like that is they need to focus much more on the

area as it may be a fantastic hotel but if it is in the middle of nowhere you are not going to go there.

Would you say there are certain sites you go onto like Expedia or? I don’t know what I use well

yes I usually use booking.com so booking websites because I base my hotel booking and hostel

booking on price. I think for some people price may not be relevant, but for me it is price importance

and then reviews. I have booked a hostel in the past and it was stupidly cheap, it was somewhere in

Paris and was about 16 pounds a night, but then Iooked at the reviews and it just sounded like some

kind of brothel or squalor so I had to cancel it and get my money back because it was actually like I just

wasn’t really impressed at all.

So using Trip Advisor that time actually even made you cancel your booking it was that

influential let’s say? Yes and I made the mistake of actually booking before I had seen the reviews, I

should have looked at the reviews and then made my decision but because it was so cheap I was just

not thinking about it and obviously because the booking website was not showing anything bad about

the accommodation and all the pictures were perfect but when I looked on the Trip Advisor pictures

and there were pictures of like dead animals hanging around it was just disgusting.

So would you say after that experience it has made you change your behaviour in the fact that

you will always check the reviews before booking? Definitely and I think before I said I went on

price but now I don’t because simply I know if you are spending like with a hostel I am not sure with a

hotel but there could be a 5 pounds difference but that 5 pounds makes a difference in say staying

somewhere you might catch something to staying somewhere which is perfect and ok. Whereas before

price was more my thing now It is more quality that is why I started using Trip Advisor a lot more.

Would you say you usually have a criteria I know you said price is a concern but some people

require a swimming pool for example? Sometime it depends on what sort of holiday I am going on

like I am basically the kind of person that unless I am going with family I don’t tend to stay anywhere

nice I usually stay in cheap budget places I just want somewhere I can sleep and if there is anything

there that just makes a bonus really. To be honest I tend to stay in places where I won’t spend a lot of

time there but a good social atmosphere is important, so you are not there for the service it’s just

somewhere to stay which is comfortable.

So really you wouldn’t particularly be bothered by hotel image or does it matter to a certain

extent for you? I think it depends what it is if I was taking a girlfriend or a wife away then yes it matters

because it is a completely different type of holiday. But then again it also depends on what I am going

for like when I went on a business trip with my placement I simply went for one of the main brands and

I didn’t check with Trip Advisor because you know what you are really getting and you know exactly

what it is.

So you would say when you actually use branded hotels you don’t see the point in using Trip

Advisor because you know what you will get? Yes you pretty much know Hilton will be quite luxury

and you know Holiday Inn will be sort of mid-range so you know what you are getting really you don’t

have to worry.

Would you say you use brands for business use more than personal use? I think it’s more that

when I was working somewhere with business it was very much in those sort of areas like conference

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centres so they were surrounded by those hotels so it was more about convenience and there were no

independent hotels nearby it was the big chains.

Because you said price is important to you would you say with this exercise you did stick to a

budget or did you exceed the budget? Probably, I did go for one of the cheapest hotels in the area

and it was about 20 pound a night but I would never have gone for the most expensive that is just not

who I am, I just went for a reasonable price.

Do you think with Trip Advisor it is able to make you reconsider your budget because I know

you said if there was a difference in 5 pounds you would be willing to pay that? Yes I think Trip

Advisor is missing a huge market because I probably end up looking at something then go onto Trip

Advisor and actual spend that little bit more because in my mind I didn’t realise how much it would cost

for that sort of quality in that area. Like when I went to a city whilst travelling I had a budget of 20

pounds a night so I was thinking it would be expensive but I didn’t realise just how expensive it was

going to be the cheapest you could get was 25 so say that was bottom level so obviously when I go

onto Trip Advisor I am able to sort of work that out. I think it’s a good thing and also gives you a realist

view of where you will be staying like when you go onto the comparison websites they direct you to the

hotel and the reviews on there aren’t really that great and the pictures are always materialised.

Could you explain why you chose the features you did as powerful features on Trip Advisor? I

find the pictures are the best and the percentage rating because I don’t really like star ratings simply

because it is so like some 3* I have stayed in have been rubbish whereas other 3* I have stayed in

which have been incredible so with a percentage it balances quiet well and I know exactly what sort of

things people have liked like cleanliness, entertainment things like that so it is not just one score for all.

Do you remember roughly how long it took you to select the hotels? I think 15 minutes maybe.

So would you say you are a quick decision maker or do you like to take your time researching?

I am a quick decision maker, I could book something within 10 minutes, I am not really picky. I am not

looking to stay somewhere perfect as long as it’s a good price and its fine. I am quite open minded and

some of the places I have stayed have been quiet places and I would never stay in a branded hotel on

holiday because I simply think that is not where the fun is I prefer family owned and on the outskirts. I

would check with who I am travelling with before I booked the hotel. That’s why I like Trip Advisor

because you know what to expect like you know it will be quite clean whereas on the booking sites you

cannot have an expectation you just don’t know what you are getting. I have never been surprised by

Trip Advisor so I have never got to a hotel and it has been bad after using Trip Advisor it has always

been exactly how it says. I think you do have to be careful though as it’s one of the best marketing

tools for hotels so you need to be careful that they are not doing it themselves.

Would that be one of your concerns that hoteliers are posting negative reviews on other

hotels? Yes but with the pictures you know the photos cannot lie so yes that sort of thing.

Are there any alternative sites you would use over Trip Advisor? Some websites like

booking.com because they are a booking site but they also have their own reviews but, I do think Trip

Advisor is probably the best one and I suppose it’s the name you go for they seem to have just so

many reviews.

Lastly what stages would you use Trip Advisor, I know you said you have used it after your

booking and that had made you reconsider so do you mostly use it beforehand now? Yes but

also I sometimes use it after because you always get an email after your stay asking whether you will

fill out a thing and the bad thing is I never do it because I would only do it if it was a bad stay and not a

good stay which is like everything I suppose.

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Interview Transcript with Participant H

19/03/2013

So could you tell me about the process you went through when you did my exercise, so how

you found the hotels and if you can remember what dates you selected? I didn’t state any specific

dates I just did dates quite recently and just for the three nights I was looking for. I typed into on the

beach holiday which is what I normally use when purchasing a holiday and just went from there really. I

practically went through photographs that looked good and were within my price range and then did the

research afterwards and once going on Trip Advisor completely changed my mind.

When you usually book hotels would you say you have a criteria in mind so some people say it

must have a swimming pool, so would you say you have a set list of requirements? Yes but

each holiday varies really so it depends on which holiday you are kind of looking for. If I want a beach

holiday I mean on the beach so it would need to be precisely on the beach, if I was wanting a cultured

holiday then I would want a central location where I could reach most places that I was wanting to go to

and on this occasion it was for sightseeing I would say.

Also would you say the hotel image is an important requirement? Very important but obviously

this is what changed my mind as I said previously I was looking at photographs and as soon as I went

into Trip Advisor it made me realise the photographs are very deceiving.

I understand that your original first choice did change to actually surprisingly your third choice

after all, so I am guessing Trip Advisor was very influential for you, could you explain how it

was influential? First of all the images of the hotel they looked quite glamorous and very clean from

the hotel website and once I did go into Trip Advisor and saw true photographs of recent customers

who had been, and saw things like broken furnishing, terrible bathrooms that’s what made me decide

Trip Advisor is worth looking at for more detail to check out your hotel before booking.

So really you would have been quite disappointed would you say if you had to stay in that

original first choice? Yes very disappointed and in some cases I think things like that can actually

ruin a holiday because there is nothing worse than going to somewhere where you think it is going to

be suitable and it’s just a complete shambles really.

Were you quite shocked to see that it had changed to your last choice really because it was

your last choice originally? It was quite shocking yes, I didn’t expect that when I started the project.

Would you say a brand of a hotel is important to you when you make hotel choice either in this

case or usually? I do think the brand is important but again it depends on the budget, so obviously

sometimes you would want a cheaper holiday and you would know that you really couldn’t afford a

branded hotel. But obviously if you are wanting and are willing to pay the price, I would stick with a

branded hotel because again you know they have built up a reputation of a high standard, and you

know that you are going to get a good holiday and accommodation.

But it is all dependent on budget really? Price I would say yes.

So obviously price is an important factor for you when you book hotels? Yes.

Would you say with this example you exceeded the budget at all because you didn’t have to

physically go an purchase this holiday? No I must say I did cheat slightly and go over budget after

going into detail on each hotel and thinking you pay for what you get, obviously you need to pay more

to get a better hotel.

This actually leads onto my next question which is do you feel Trip Advisor has the ability to

shift your budget where you are able to see all these options? Most definitely I would pay more

now to go to a higher class of hotel rather than get to the place you are thinking that you are going to

which you think is going to be nice, glamorous and clean for a budget when really like I just mentioned

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you do pay for what you get. I think Trip Advisor has taught me this and after looking at people’s

photographs you can’t get any more honest than that really.

Could you explain why you chose reviews ad photos as powerful features I know you just said

photos you can’t get any more honest, but could you expand on why you think? Reviews I think

can be difficult as I believe anyone can go on and leave a review so it could be a competitor or could

be somebody being malicious so I am still a bit wary about the reviews. So my main priority is people’s

photographs because they are the most truthful nobody can disguise a terrible bathroom etc. with

these.

Can you remember roughly how much time this process took you? I think it took me about 45

minutes, I did get slightly carried away with people’ photographs, I found it quite intriguing how the

more you were looking the more you wanted to look even deeper. But in all I think it is also worth taking

that time out to have a look at people’s photographs and reviews because it’s just proven on this that I

would have booked the worst one out of all that I had chosen before using Trip Advisor.

So would you say you take your time making hotel decisions rather than making quick

decisions? Most definitely, I would rather take longer and like I said go into more detail to just check

out practically everything really, because you go on holiday to relax, you don’t want to go on holiday

having to complain and not be happy with the service you received.

If you felt you quite liked a hotel from on the beach say for example, would you go ahead with it

and rely on what they have said, or would you still double check it with Trip Advisor? I would still

double check it with Trip Advisor, every holiday I would check with Trip Advisor.

Could you expand on any concerns you had with Trip Advisor? No the only concern is the one I

mentioned earlier, just obviously you cannot believe everybody’s reviews and everybody’s different so

what we find would be appalling some people possibly wouldn’t. So you just couldn’t rely on

everybody’s reviews so like I said this is why photographs are important.

Would there be any alternative site you would use to Trip Advisor? No I haven’t really found

another one that goes into great detail like Trip Advisor. It is the first option so I just automatically use

Trip Advisor.

Do you have any past experiences with Trip Advisor that are worthwhile sharing? Previously I

have used it on a Gambian holiday experience and we wasn’t very happy with the food so when we

came home we checked it with Trip Advisor to see if it was just us complaining but it wasn’t because it

was brought up a lot as a bad side of the hotel being that the food was not up to standards. Therefore

we knew for next time we would not stay with food we just booked for B&B and ate out instead, so it

does help.

I know you said just then you actually used it when you came back so would you say you use it

in stages as such? Yes normally when we are looking around the time of booking a holiday we do a

lot of research with Trip Advisor as we find possible hotels and go from there by making a judgement

on good hotels that we think are suitable and obviously discard the ones which look terrible.

I know you said you look when you get back to see how your opinion compares to other but

would you say you also look just before you go at all? Again we do, sometimes it makes you quite

because if there’s new reviews been put on that are not so good it does make you quite anxious but

again like I mentioned some peoples likings would be different to our own.

Interview Transcript with Participant I

19/03/2013

Can you talk to me about the process you went through, so what sites you went on to choose

the hotels and also I didn’t specify a date so I am wondering what date you choose? I think it

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was July because that is the usual time I would go away and the sites that I used were lollypop,

Thomas Cook and I think that was the 2 sites I used and I can’t remember another one.

Would you say you usually have a criteria when booking hotels like I know some people have

said it must have a swimming pool, so are there certain things you require from a hotel? Yes I

think cleanliness and the food must be good.

Is the hotel image an important requirement for you? Yes.

I can see that the original first choice you had changed once you went onto Trip Advisor, so if

you had had to stay in that original first choice would you have been quite disappointed after

what you had seen on Trip Advisor? Yes I think I would yes.

Was that because it had bad reviews or? The food seemed quite expensive and it didn’t appear to

be as modern as some of the others.

Was the brand of the hotel important for any of your choices, or any of your choices when you

usually go on holiday? No not really, I am not that bothered about brand.

Is price an important factor when you book hotels? Yes.

Do you think you may be exceeded the budget in this scenario where you didn’t have to

actually book it in reality? Probably yes.

Do you think Trip Advisor is able to make you reconsider your budget because I know where

you can see loads of different hotels and one may have really good reviews yet be 20 pounds

more do you think because of what you are able to see it would make you reconsider? Yes it

would.

Can you explain why you chose reviews, photos and rankings as powerful features on Trip

Advisor? Because I think you can get a sense of what the hotel looks like, what sort of food you are

going to be getting, the cleanliness of the rooms and whether your lining and towelling is changed daily

or not and that’s important as well.

What about the reviews and rankings what do you think is good about those? I think the reviews

are sometimes good but sometimes it can mislead you because what somebody has written may not

be the case after all.

Do you remember roughly how long you spent selecting the hotels you have chosen on your

shortlist? Probably about an hour, an hour and a half.

So would you say you make quick decisions or would you say you spend quite a bit of time

deciding when you book hotels? I would spend quite a bit of time deciding when I book hotels

because I like to make sure I have done my research and also to make sure you are getting what you

want.

Would you say if you did have the money to book this weekend break would you go ahead and

book it now or would there be any other stages you would have to go through before? No I think

I would book it now, if I was going on my own I would book it now but then again if I was going with

family or friends then you would have to consult them as well.

If say you went onto Thomas Cook as you suggested if you liked the looks of the hotel would

you still double check it with Trip Advisor, or would you just think well it looks nice on Thomas

Cook so I will just book it? No I would definitely check on Trip Advisor.

Could you expand on any of the concerns you had with Trip Advisor? I don’t think I really had any

concerns but as stated previously people may put comments on their and they may not be the case

after all.

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Would you use any alternative sites to Trip Advisor? Probably but Trip Advisor is the main site that

I know of so that would probably be the first one that I would go for.

Do you have any past experiences that you could share with me about Trip Advisor so have

there been any holidays when you have used it and thought yes it’s good or its bad? I have used

Trip Advisor twice and on both occasions I haven’t been disappointed so I think that what you see on

Trip Advisor is very good advice. What you see is what you get.

Lastly what stages would you consider using Trip Advisor, some people use it right before

booking, some use it on the build-up to the holiday and some people come back and use it? I

would obviously use it before I book and I would use it before I go as well to see if there have been any

more recent reviews put on.

Interview Transcript with Participant J

06/03/2013

Today I am going to have a chat with you about the whole experience you had with my exercise

and with Trip Advisor, so would you mind telling me about what sites you went on to search for

the hotels and what dates you decided to book? I went onto Google and I put in Barcelona 4*

hotels weekend breaks and that’s how I got to a list of them. Then thought about what I might like to do

when I get there and I thought not knowing Barcelona before that I would have a look at a map, so I

pulled up a map of Barcelona and saw something called the Gothic Quarter which sounded interesting

to have a little look at. So I thought to myself right I will find something in the Gothic Quarter and off the

list that Google presented and I looked down and thought yes ok that gives me a starter. Then just

proceeded to think about where else I might go and I sort of thought about the seafront bit but then

thought well actually I have never much liked seafront hotels so I thought I’m not going to go there so I

didn’t pick those. I thought sometimes you can find nice hotels just back from the main sort of tourist

areas, within reasonable walking distance, so that was then the criteria I used for my next stage.

I know I didn’t set a date so I know some people said they set it around their usual holiday

times so did you just chose a random date? Basically I had no date in mind.

So would you say you usually have a kind of criteria for these hotels you chose? If I were really

honest I don’t often chose hotels but I have chosen hotels in the past and I have sort of often chosen a

hotel with a restaurant in them or fairly close by, I think primarily because most of the hotels I have ever

stayed at have been work related and by the time you get back the last thing you want to do is think

right where shall we eat, and launch off into a strange territory and think I don’t know what do you

fancy. So I think having restaurant is helpful and the next thing I tend to think about is does the room,

hotel look reasonably well appointed from photographs. Photographs are quite important to me. Then I

suppose really there’s just that bit of intuitive that sits around I suppose you can say I fancy that one

but I didn’t fancy that one and trying to put any metric on that is terribly difficult, it’s there I think you

have to recognise it and work with it.

I know after you had been onto Trip Advisor your first choice had changed, so would you say

once you had been on Trip Advisor if you had had to stay in that hotel after all you would have

been quiet disappointed? Yes my first choice did change. I think it’s difficult to arrive at that

understanding I think, but I was reassured that 2 of the hotels came up on Trip Advisor so that felt

reassuring in that sort of sense. I am always of the view that one person may have a very good

experience of a hotel and it may not be the same experience that I would want, and equally when some

people go a bit they don’t have a good experience that doesn’t necessarily bother me particularly. It

was quite nice to look and see that there was a certain number of people responding saying we had a

good time, this was a nice hotel to go to, comfortable and quiet those sort of things so yes reassuring.

I know some people stick to a certain brand of hotel, would you say you are one of those? No

not particularly, I have stayed in I’ve lost count actually of how many hotels I have stayed in over the

years of all different sorts, If I am looking for something cheap and cheerful I tend to go to the hotel Ibis

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they tend to be un cluttered, un fussy, reasonably clean and reasonably priced and that sort of suits. I

am not a person who is particularly looking for the luxury touch as long as the place is clean and

functional and above all quiet then I am quite happy.

Would you say you are quiet price sensitive with hotels, so would you really stick to a budget?

If I am on a work basis then almost certainly one has to be price sensitive but there are places, I have

had experiences in hotels that quite frankly I would not wish too many people of my close family to

realise because they would say you stayed in that. I have to say there have been times when I have

been just so desperate for a bed that I would have slept in a car park, and I have stayed in car parks

and am not ashamed to do that, it’s just occasionally if the need arises you adapt and do. As I have got

older I have become less keen to sleep in cars so yes I think the smell of a place is important, you

know I really dislike intensely cigarette smoke and having unfortunately stayed in many hotels in

eastern Europe every hotel smells exactly the same and it is the most unpleasant experience.

I know with Trip Advisor you can see a really wide variety of hotels and it gives you the option

to see what another hotel is like, and if those reviews were maybe really good yet is 20/30

pounds more to stay there, would you say Trip Advisor has the ability to make you reconsider

budget? I wouldn’t say that if I was looking for a holiday break I would be particularly price sensitive so

if the hotel comes across well and this is an alternative to the one I had chosen, if it came across well

then I would be, I don’t think I would move without a reason from my original choice but I would be ok

with switching across if I decided to.

I know you chose hotel reviews and rankings as powerful features and why did you think they

were powerful features? I think they were because as much as anything it was about either

reinforcement or a rejection as it were of one’s own decision making. So I think those rankings can be,

I was using them as a confirmation if you like rather than a, oh well I will always go for a number 1 or 2,

it was quite a reassuring feeling that the 2 hotels came up reasonably well on those rankings so I

thought yes ok I feel good about that.

Would you say you spent quite a while actually completing this questionnaire? Yes it took me

longer than I was anticipating. Mind you I have to say I wasn’t quite sure what I was, how long I was

anticipating it to have taken but it did take longer than I might have envisaged and I might have put my

assistant on it if I had to do it for real. I mean I am at the stage where if somebody said right we are

staying in this hotel I would say fine in that I have stayed in really good stuff and I have stayed in the

most dire places and I can cope, so I am not anxious about that.

Would you say if you were to go and book a hotel you would spend a long time choosing or? No

I would maybe pass it onto somebody else or I would just make a reasonably quick decision and that

would suit me. If you have got so much choice you start to go oh do I fancy that, or no do I fancy that,

so you lose that sort of element of objectivity I think. I’m shortly staying in a hotel down in Exmouth, I

go down with 3 people and I am very happy, they chose the hotel we are going to stay in and that’s fine

by me. We have stayed in reasonable hotels; we go down for 1 night for a meeting and stay down as

it’s a fair distance from here.

If you were going to book this hotel right now, would you just go ahead now you have gone

through this process, or would there be anything else you would have to do before? I would just

do it.

If you automatically felt you liked a hotel from its website before going onto Trip Advisor would

you be ok and feel confident enough to book it from that site? Yes I think so, I mean I am as you

probably might guess I am quite alert to the usage of words and I am quite resistant I think to certain

marketing speak so I tend to overlook some of that or if it is a bit too I tend to look elsewhere. I am a bit

of an example of anti-marketing.

Could you explain about any concerns you would have with Trip Advisor? I am always a bit

anxious on these sorts of things, it’s the same on Amazon with book reviews and so on, if it’s just a

name from Bognor or somewhere I just sort of think well I’m not that interested really. So I would like to

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know a little bit about whom that person is and what their standing is I suppose. I am always interested

in who has written things. I suppose with something like a hotel and hotel reviews I am alert to the fact

that they are selective, I am alert to the fact that somebody is not knowingly going to put a negative

piece, review on there, and sometimes when people do negative stuff you just think for god sake get a

life and wake up this is a real world not an artifice. So I don’t necessarily put great store overall by

reviews.

I know some people go onto Trip Advisor before they book a hotel but some will even look

afterwards so once they have been into that hotel to see how their opinion compared to other

guest? Yes I would be interested in doing that and yes I would use it at different stages. As I said to

you I was impressed with this thing and was quite surprised at my reaction to it so if it’s got the ability to

do that then it has clearly been thought through I think. Somebody has got an intention behind it, so I

would use it from now on in and yes I am comfortable with that. It has persuaded me to use it in the

future.

Interview Transcript with Participant K

23/03/2013

Can you talk to me about the process you went through when you completed my questionnaire

and scenario, so what sites you went on and how you chose the dates you did? I went onto the

usual travel comparison sites that I would always use when booking hotels to search for a hotel in

Barcelona, and I must have chosen my usual holiday dates for this example.

Would you say you usually have a criteria when you book hotels, for example you may like

having a swimming pool? Yes I would say so, I usually like the hotel to have a nice restaurant and a

central location I suppose.

Would you say hotel image is an important requirement for you? Yes for sure.

Was the brand of any of these hotels you chose important or were you not so fussed about

brand? No not in this case, but I have used branded hotels in the past, and would be happy to use a

branded hotel again, because you know what to expect with a brand.

Would you say price is an important factor when you usually book a hotel? Yes I normally have a

budget in mind.

Would you say you exceeded the budget at all in this case where you didn’t obviously have to

physically book it? I may have slightly, although if I liked the looks of the hotel enough I would

probably have shifted my budget after all.

Do you think Trip Advisor can therefore have the ability to make you shift budget? Yes I think so

because if you are left feeling positive after researching the hotel yet the price may just be over budget

I know for me I would want to extend my budget.

I know your choice of hotel changed after using Trip Advisor so if you had to stay in your

original choice would you have been disappointed after all? I think I would have been

disappointed to have stayed in my original first choice, because from the reviews the food was

expensive so this would have been an additional cost to add onto the trip, and the photos on Trip

Advisor showed the pool to be a lot smaller than I expected it to be from the websites photos.

Can you explain why you chose the features you did as powerful features on Trip Advisor?

Simply because I find the photos and reviews to be the most helpful really.

And how much time roughly did the whole process take you? It must have taken about an hour I

think.

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Would you say in reality you make quick hotel decisions or is it more of a lengthy process? I

spend my time making hotel decisions, because I like to make sure I have found the best hotel for my

needs.

Would you feel confident to go ahead and book the hotel now or would there be any other

stages you feel you have to go through before? I would go ahead and book now because I have

done my research and feel happy with the choice.

If you automatically felt you liked a hotel from its website, would you still probably double

check it with Trip Advisor, or would you just take what they say on the website? I would check it

with Trip Advisor, I always like to use the site before booking.

Can you expand on any of the concerns you had with Trip Advisor? The only concern I have is

that some of the reviews may be false, so hotels could be getting people to put positive reviews on

when it is a bad hotel.

Lastly I know you said you always use Trip Advisor before booking but would you say you use

it at any other stages? I mostly use it before booking, but I do also use it just before I go on my

holiday to look at any new reviews or photos.

Interview Transcript with Participant L

26/02/2013

Can you talk to me about the process you went through so what sites you went on to find hotels

and selecting dates? I went on Google and it brought up websites for different places in Barcelona.

Would you say you usually have a criteria when you book a hotel? The hotel must be clean and

bright, well situated and easy to get to.

Would you say hotel image is quiet important, I am guessing it is after you said about colours

and cleanliness? Yes.

If your original first choice changed, which I can see it has after using Trip Advisor, would you

have felt disappointed to have had to stay in that hotel? Yes.

Are the brands of the hotels important to you, so say if it was a Marriot hotel would that be

important? Not necessarily.

Is price an important factor for you when booking a hotel? Yes.

Would you say you exceeded the budget at all, or did you stick to it for if you had to book the

hotel in reality? I stuck to the budget.

Can you explain why you chose photos and reviews as being powerful features on Trip

Advisor? Because everyone wants to stay in a pleasant place.

How much time did you roughly spend on choosing these hotels and completing my

questionnaire? About 2 hours.

Would you say you usually make quick decisions or do you spend quite a lot of time making

this sort of decision? I spend a lot of time.

Would you go ahead and book the hotel now or would you have any other stages to go through

like checking with your partner whether they liked it? No I would probably just book it.

If you automatically felt you liked the hotel from the websites Google transferred you to would

you be ok to just book it, or would you probably now that you have seen what Trip Advisor does

check it with this first? Yes I would check it out on Trip Advisor first.

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Can you expand on any concerns you had when doing the questionnaire with Trip Advisor?

Some of the reviews I thought were scary and some of the stuff showed pictures of dirty fridges. The

reviews were scary because of theft being mentioned.

What would make you use an alternative site to Trip Advisor? I would only use a site that did the

same thing as Trip Advisor because I am pleased with that site.

Do you have any past experiences with Trip Advisor that you would like to share? No.

Lastly, what stages would you consider using the site, some people use it obviously before but

even once you have booked the hotel to look at photos, and some will look when they get back

to see other people’s views compared to your own views? I might go on it and put my own views.

Interview Transcript with Participant M

07/03/2013

If you don’t mind could you tell me about the process you went through when you did my Trip

Advisor questionnaire, so how you searched for hotels and what dates you chose? Yes usually

when I am going on holiday I am a very anxious person so I try to make decisions very quickly so what

happens is as soon as I find something which I feel is suitable for what I want I just go and book it.

Whereas some people like to go and do a much wider research which obviously would be sensible but

in my case because I am an anxious person let’s say in 2 weeks’ time I want to go to Barcelona I go to

Goggle and I put hotels in Barcelona ok and then I see what comes up and I usually try to look for

hotels that have a certain number of stars because I know the quality is going to be there so that is the

first thing I look for. Then I look if it has the right location because I have travelled a lot and the last

thing I want is to be taking buses for half an hour to get to the attractions, usually the attractions are

downtown so that is where I want to be. With regards to the websites that I used ok I don’t usually have

a preference I just go to Goggle and put hotels in Barcelona and from there I narrow it down but I don’t

have a preferable site that I will use and the same applies to everything that I buy. I know many people

have particular sites where they book tickets or hotels but maybe because I am a foreigner I am not

aware of which are the best sites, I just go to Goggle and pick up a site that suits me and look at the

hotel and its pictures that is important to me. I know that some people may tell you pictures are

misleading but I assume if I am booking a 4* hotel they are not going to be that different maybe the

size of the gym is not as big as it looks in the picture or the breakfast is not as great but I think usually I

mean you can’t take that as a real representation.

With Goggle I suppose you know it will bring lots of different options up Yes you are right; I am

assuming that if it is a good hotel they will be in Goggle it is unlikely that they will not be there. I am not

really good at these specialised comparison sites, I think my wife would be much better because she

likes to take time for making a decision. I suppose it’s better because if you do take time you may end

up with an even better location for the same price, or maybe the room will have a better view, but in my

case as long as it suits my needs that’s it I stop because anxiety is in my nature and personality. I am

the same with cars if I see one I like I will just buy it. I think the anxiety sometimes affect my decision

making process, but I am quite good also when I am trying to find something through the internet

because usually I find what I want quite fast.

Would you say with any hotel choice you go for you have a criteria, like some people say it

must have a Swimming pool or gym for example? Yes if it is a holiday the criteria would be it has to

be close to a beach and it has to have a pool. So location always and having a pool and when I go on a

holiday I will usually go for half board so breakfast is included because I don’t want to have to walk

around searching for a supermarket in the morning. Usually I like half board because in the past I

would spend my holiday on the beach but nowadays I think it is too much, so I spend half the day in the

hotel and half the day on the beach and usually what I do is have a big breakfast in the hotel, and then

I go to the beach maybe have a snack, come back and have dinner in the hotel. So it is important that

a hotel can offer me half board. So that would be my criteria also due to looking for reasonable quality I

will look at the stars of the hotel because I know 2* and 3* will not give me what I want. If I go for one

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day for a conference in Prague I wouldn’t mind because I will spend the whole day in the conference

then just go to sleep but when I go on holiday the quality of the hotel is going to be part of the

experience and that’s it. I want to be in a nice place, in a nice room you know that comes with air con a

fridge.

So you are quite attracted by the hotel image as well? Yes I will look at the pictures of the hotel

definitely because if the hotel looks tacky or untidy the photos are definitely important. I will not only

look at the pictures that appear on the website but once I have identified a hotel that suits me then I will

go and look at the pictures and reviews that the customers have taken which are sometimes a better

observation of the hotel.

I know on your questionnaire one of the things you ticked was photos being powerful? Yes but

first from the hotel website and then I will have a quick look after to see if I can find more pictures so

yes that is important.

Would you say the brand of the hotel is quite important to you, so would you say there are

certain brands you tend to go for? To be honest it is playing safe for me at the moment, I have

travelled a lot and in the past got bad experiences from hotels that I didn’t know in terms of the service

so if I can afford it ok and that particular hotel is located in the area that I want to be in and there is

another that offers the same I will go for the brand. I mean I know from my wife being a marketing

person it is a marketing technique but we still fall into the trap. Even the other week when we were

looking to buy my wife a car we wanted to go with a brand we knew over one we didn’t. Like when I go

to China I will always go to Marco Polo or the Sheraton and the service is superb so really if there were

a Sheraton and I could afford it I would go there. Also I am quite risk adverse as a consumer so

something’s I am quite risk adverse like if I am taking my whole family but when I go on my own I am

not so bothered. You know I know we have one holiday as a family a year and I want to make sure it is

right so if the brand guarantees me that I believe I will go for it. You always get the idea that we actually

try to protect the brand and the big brands like Sheraton want to protect image and are less concerned

about quick profits which smaller hotels would be concerned with. Clearly it influences me even though

I know the trick I still fall into the trap.

Would you say price is important when you are looking for hotels as well? Yes obviously it is ok;

yes it is an important factor. Not so much when I go on holidays because I work the whole year around

and work very hard and my holidays are my treat I would say. So I am prepared to pay for my holidays

and I spend a lot of money on my holidays maybe even more than I spend on my cars, my car is a nice

average car and my other colleagues would have a better car than me and actually they have. So

when they realise how much I spend on holidays a year they are like what! So for me in particular but

maybe because the holidays are in my country I end up spending just for tickets 3,000 a year only on

tickets and now it’s going to be more almost 3,600. So after spending that amount of money on tickets

alone I will not want to stay in a crap hotel. So in general I am ready to pay more for hotels in

comparison to other people. Last year when I went to Greece I went to a really good hotel and I

wouldn’t compromise on that. I would compromise on other things like maybe my house also like I am

renting and my colleagues have much bigger houses but holidays are a very important part of my life

and for that I am prepared to pay. Still I would not go to the most expensive hotel or the best room I

wouldn’t do that but I will at least go for a 4* or 5* hotel with a good location and service.

Would you say with this scenario I got you to complete you did stick to a price you would

realistically pay? Yes of course, I did not chose anything astronomically priced and when I start my

research I get an idea of how much I will need to pay and to be sure I will get the right place without

spending a fortune. Usually I sit down with my wife and say ok how much can we afford and pick a

number but I do always break it I know that’s bad and if it were a car we wouldn’t but for us holidays

are really important as it’s a time to spend with your family and be together and we love hot weather,

we love going to the beach and we love travelling. So I am happy to spend money on travelling.

One of my questions was, which I think you will probably agree to is, with Trip Advisor where

you have so many choice in front of you, one may have lovely photos are reviews but is maybe

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say 50 pounds more a night, would you be willing to shift your budget? Yes definitely because

the impression for me is really important.

How much time would you say you spent completing this questionnaire because I know you

said you are quick at making decisions? It was quick yes; I can’t remember Martina exactly how

long because it was a few weeks back but I know I was quick. I guess that for me it is important when I

go to Google these sites come up as some of the first options, otherwise probably I would find

something else before even getting to Trip Advisor. I don’t really tend to use these specialised websites

to look, I might change in the future but I don’t know I mean if I got a very good experience with Trip

Advisor and then I would think oh my god this is saving even more time because everything is

concentrated here so it makes my decision even more efficient, and efficiency as you know is really

important for me in terms of time just because I hate to spend hours in front of the computer just to find

a place to go. Some people enjoy the process my wife is one of those; I do not enjoy the process I

enjoy the completion, the decision. So for me to use Trip Advisor it needs to pop up as one of the first

options really when I Google it.

If say you did really like the hotel you have chosen and did have the money to book would you

go straight ahead now and book or would you go through any other process beforehand, like

would you check with your family? Good question and this creates problems with my wife because I

never consult anybody and she hates that. When we decided we would go to Venice, and she loves

the process as I mentioned I said ok you look at home and I will look when I have time and I will always

just buy it and I went home and told her. So no the answer is as soon as I find it like that Sheraton in

Barcelona boom buy it and then I would go home and say darling we are going to Barcelona and here

are the tickets and because she loves travelling she will be ok. I did that when we went to Peru and

that was a big decision because we didn’t get our work permits until 2 days before we were going and

she thought we were not going and I booked the tickets one week before we were flying. We were

flying on the Tuesday and on the Monday night she said it is a pity we are not going and I said yes I

wanted to go and then I said actually we are going and she said what do you mean I said we are going

tomorrow, she said no you know we have a baby I need to buy a lot of things, she was crying to start

with but was really happy in the end. So if I decide I don’t tend to hesitate, I am not sure whether I am

100% confident because there are always risks but I think that my anxiety of finishing like when I have

got something to do I am nervous so I just have to get thing done so when it is done I am happy. The

downside of my anxiety to finish things is that I could always improve it with more time so that is the

counter argument. I think the anxiety pushes me to take the decision but the thing is once I take the

decision that’s it, even if somebody comes in at a later stage and say oh but you can still change it I

say no the decision has been taken.

I know you didn’t experience a change in your first choice when you went on to Trip Advisor,

but could you say Trip Advisor was still useful or helpful in any other way? Yes it was useful and

I think I told you that I liked the pictures and it was user friendly and as I said to you if that would have

been the first site that I would have visited I would have booked a hotel from there. The thing for them

in my case is to be sure that when I look for hotels they come up as one of the first websites because

usually I end up using them even if I don’t know that it is a comparison site. I am probably making a

decision from this sort of site because I suppose it is unlikely that you would just get one hotel come

up. So I think the trick for Trip Advisor is to come up as one of the first options because I am not going

to waste my time 2 or 3 and boom I want to make a decision.

When you book your hotels do you ever get tempted to look on Trip Advisor after because I

know you said you like looking at the photos? I will have a quick look just before booking I will

have a quick look at the reviews ok and whatever counts I will have a look quickly and if I am happy

that the original pictures are similar to the ones that customers put then that’s it.

So it’s literally at that buying stage that you will take a look because I know some people have

said that they even look afterwards when they have come back to see how their thoughts

compare to other guests? Right interesting, mine would never be after. When I went to Greece I got

such a good experience and service that I thought I want to do something great and thought I will write

a review but it never happens because you come back to work and you know I have to go to the

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supermarket and then I forget it. I never go back in fact I have even forgotten the name of the hotel in

Greece, I don’t even keep records and that’s stupid because I could have gone back in the future.

Do you have any past experience with Trip Advisor that you could explain? I think probably if I

have used Trip Advisor in the past I haven’t noticed because these comparison sites for me are quite

new. That’s the problem I am not used to using them so when I use them I think and I am not even

conscious I am just looking for a hotel so I am not thinking about the website per se. I am just focussing

on finding the hotel so I just click there and look at the hotel, pictures, location so that’s it then I go for

it. Usually I am not putting attention on how I arrive at or the process to that decision. If I use Trip

Advisor I suppose I don’t even remember like I don’t even remember the name of hotels.

Interview Transcript with Participant N

15/02/2013

Can you talk to me about the process you went through when completing my questionnaire and

hypothetical scenario? I went onto Google and typed in cheap hotels in Spain, and then clicked on

the first link which was a comparison website.

Okay, so how did you decide on which dates to take the weekend break? I just clicked onto the

cheapest.

Would you say you usually have a hotel criteria? Yes I normally have to have a swimming pool,

preferably on top of the roof, and I have to have internet.

Would you say hotel image is an important requirement? Yes it has to look nice.

If your original first choice changed which as we can see it did change to your second choice of

hotel after trip advisor, would you have felt disappointed if you had to stay in the original first

choice? Yes, because I would have been expecting something completely different.

So what would have disappointed you about the hotel? The way it was set out it was old

fashioned, but it looked modern from the outside.

Would you say the brand of hotel was important for any of your choices or was that not really

relevant? It is not really relevant.

Is price an important factor for you when boking hotels? I always set a £500 budget.

Would you say you exceeded the budget in this scenario where you wasn’t actually booking it

in reality? No

Did you think the trip advisor site had any influence over getting you to exceed that budget at

all where you are able to see all the options available to you? No, I just go by what I think I would

like.

Can you explain why you chose photos as one of the most powerful features on the site?

Because if someone wrote a review you can’t really picture it, but if you look at the photos you can see

how the room is laid out, how clean it is, and can see everything about the room.

How much time did you spend completing the exercise and choosing the hotels? About twenty

minutes.

Do you take your time or do you make quick decisions when making a hotel choice? I usually

make quick decisions.

Would you say you would go ahead now and book the hotel if you had the opportunity or would

there be any other stages you feel necessary to take before going ahead? I would just go and

book one.

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If you automatically felt you liked a hotel from its website would you still be inclined to check it

over with Trip Advisor or would you trust the website? I would trust the website.

Can you expand on any concerns you had with the site? Yes, with Trip Advisor everyone has their

own opinion, so one person could like one style, let’s say the modern type, but the person writing the

review is happy with an old fashioned style.

So there can be a conflict in opinions and views? Yes.

Would you have any alternative sites you would use to Trip Advisor? I would use the direct

websites.

Do you have any past experiences with Trip Advisor that are worthwhile sharing? Yes, I looked

on there for one holiday and it said the hotel was horrible, we got there and there was nothing wrong

with the hotel. It seemed the reviews were trying to put the hotel down a bit.

Lastly what stages would you consider using the site so, before you have booked your holiday,

during, so once you have booked it you may look on some photos, or when you have come

back to see what people have said about it? I would look when I come back, because I don’t want

to know what to expect, because I would worry if I had already booked the hotel.

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Appendix 4: Dissertation Diary

October 2012 I started to gather ideas to form a topic area for my research. My original idea was to explore how the internet has changed the tourism industry. This idea was based around acknowledging how powerful Trip Advisor appeared to be on my hotel choices, and how it could potentially be influential on companies. I consulted Nigel the dissertation leader about my initial idea, and he warned me that my topic area of the internet may be too broad. Therefore once being assigned and meeting my dissertation supervisor Claire Ryder, I decided with the guidance of Claire that it would be best to focus my topic on Trip Advisor itself and was informed it would be ok to do so. After all, that was what I was originally most fascinated by, so it made sense to base my research around a topic I would be interested and sustained in. I then decided I would link my Trip Advisor topic to the topic of consumer behaviour. Firstly I wanted to link consumer behaviour to Trip Advisor because I really like the consumer behaviour module I am studying, and secondly consumer behaviour seems to provide explanation to how consumers use Trip Advisor. Therefore my question would be based around how influential Trip Advisor is in the decision making process of booking a hotel for consumers. Once I had a topic area, I started to research literature surrounding Trip Advisor and the theories surrounding consumer behaviour. Having read consumer behaviour literature I realised it would be best to narrow my research down and chose attitude theory to home in on, as it is provides an indication of consumer behaviour which coincides with how consumers are left with a judgement (attitude) of a hotel after using Trip Advisor. I was worried about the literature review in particular because there was a lot to research and get your head around for this section.

November 2012 I continued to read around my topic area to ensure I was well informed of the studies previous to mine and to ensure a sufficient literature review would be provided. Once I felt confident that I had read enough I started to plan how I would structure the literature review. My original idea was to structure the literature topic by topic for the Trip Advisor literature with consumer attitude theory being discussed first, of which Claire agreed to because this way I would be starting broad and narrowing down. In the meantime I was still working on analysing some of the journals and it was through putting sticky notes onto each journal with the main themes and ideas that I realised I would structure the review differently after all. I wanted to structure the review differently because through spending the time to thoroughly go through the journals I realised there was two major themes throughout the Trip Advisor literature which were, the actual site being what is influential and the other being the content what is influential. I informed Claire of my discovery from the literature search and analysis and she was pleased that I had drawn some themes. This made me realise if enough effort is put in then the literature review is not to be afraid of after all. Therefore I re-drafted my plan with consumer attitude theory being the first topic to be discussed, the Trip Advisor site being influential with sub topics under this theme to be discussed and then the Trip Advisor content being influential with sub topics under the theme to finally be discussed. I wrote the first few paragraphs of my literature review by the end of November and got Claire to read them to ensure it was well written before going any further. She was pleased with the progress I had made which really boosted my confidence to finish the literature review.

December 2012 Now that I had started writing the literature review, I felt much better because my ideas seemed to be slotting into place well. I also made sure to form some questions for my next meeting with Claire to ensure my ideas were on track. The main idea was to link consumer attitude theory to Trip Advisor literature even if the researcher did not look into attitude and she was pleased with this discovery which reassured my thoughts. I continued to write my literature review throughout the Christmas holidays and I would say the difficulty I came across was making sure to vary the language I used so that it did not come across as repetitive. Also throughout the holiday period I worked on my introduction and background which was nice to do because it included researching the Trip Advisor background and justifying my choice of research topic. I also started to jot down ideas for interview and questionnaire questions as that would be my next stage in the research process. I also needed to start thinking of who would be willing to take part in my research because as discussed with Claire I would need about 15 people to take part.

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January 2013 I felt completely comfortable by this point with my literature review and thought it was time to go onto the next stage, as I could always come back at the editing stage to amend my literature review. I finished the background chapter of my dissertation next which was useful for making me aware of any updated news on Trip Advisor and I felt as though it would give a good overview of the company to somebody who may not be aware of the site. I also spent time forming and re-drafting the hypothetical scenario of booking a hotel with Trip Advisor, which would be sent to participants this month, whilst also creating the questionnaire which would be completed by participants alongside the scenario. The questions I created were formed around discovering how empowered participants were from the experience and were also based around literature review findings. I felt pleased this month because my own research was finally underway.

February 2013 I sent my hypothetical scenario and questionnaire out to everybody and started to receive responses back, it was interesting to see how some people were rapid at responding whilst others were slow and needed a nudge in sending responses back. This taught me how to be assertive yet tentative when needed and tested my time management skills. From the responses of the questionnaires I was able to form questions for the interview stage which was based on any responses I needed participants to elaborate on, and also to test themes which I noticed had emerged. Once starting the interviews, I thought they were going well as participants were expanding much more on their thoughts. Also, I would say themes which emerged originally were coming to light in the interviews, with some emerging as stronger than others. I was happy for themes to emerge because I knew they would be useful in the findings and discussion chapters.

March 2013 I continued to carry out my interviews which I really enjoyed because it was interesting to get different people perspectives on Trip Advisor, and it was interesting to see how people behave when booking hotels. Mid-way through March my interviews were complete so I typed up all of my recordings, this I believe was essential for drawing themes because listening back to the recordings made ideas jump out. It also made connections and contradictions to the literature review jump out of which I was able to jot ideas down ready for typing up in my findings and discussion. I had started to write my methodology chapter but decided to go back to this to complete it, because I wanted to ensure I had conveyed who I am and what I believe in as a researcher because that had been influential throughout all aspects of my research. I found going back and adding to the methodology chapter was useful because it was easier to explain my thoughts once I had completed the data collection. Once I was satisfied with my methodology chapter I continued to categorise all of my data copying and pasting data into themes whilst also noting how ideas may complement/contradict the literature review. Through spending the time to sort and categorise my data before writing the findings and discussion was invaluable because it cemented my ideas meaning I was confident and well informed when writing up. Writing up was therefore enjoyable however I did have to ensure my writing was succinct enough where there was a large amount of ideas to discuss

April 2013 Now that my findings and discussion were complete it was time to write a final conclusion. This took time, because I had to make sure that just the main points were summarised and thankfully I had an overall evaluation to provide which particularly contributed towards answering my research question. With just a few weeks to go until the hand in date, this month mostly consisted of making amendments, editing work, making sure the presentation was ok and organising appendices because the main body of work was complete by this stage. Therefore a lot of re-organising and editing was taken in order to make me feel happy to hand in a final copy. Ultimately, I was happy with myself as I had managed to edit 2,000 words in total.

.

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Appendix 5: Research Proposal

Title:

Exploring how empowered consumers are by Trip Advisor in the decision making process of

booking a hotel.

Introduction:

I would like to research Trip advisor and its influence on consumers decisions due to

personally seeking and being affected by information from the site before booking hotels

also, because of the phenomenon surrounded by the site and the information it conveys. Trip

advisor is the world’s largest travel site with 60 million unique monthly visitors and 75 million

reviews, who claim to enable travelers to plan and have the perfect trip Trip advisor (2012).

Information searching to aid consumer’s decision making process I believe has become

increasingly important today, due to revolutions in technology meaning we are able to

access near enough anything we like.

According to Smith (2011) Trip advisor removed ‘reviews you can trust slogan’ following

thousands of complaints from hoteliers about allegedly misleading and fraudulent reviews.

Leading on from this the Advertising Standards Agency told Trip advisor not to claim or imply

that all reviews were from real travelers, or were honest, real or trusted Hall (2012)

.However, further academic research has disapproved these false review claims. According

to O’Connor (2008) Trip advisor appears to be doing a good job of policing its system. Does

this conflict in opinions therefore confuse the decision process after all? This controversy

surrounding Trip Advisor has prompted me to want to further develop a deeper insight into

what consumers are gaining from the site and how this is used in the decision process

because, my ontology allows me to believe opinions and decisions will vary from consumer

to consumer and this may be why we can see such controversy surrounding the topic of Trip

Advisor.

The purpose of this study will therefore explore consumer’s attitudes towards using Trip

advisor and making hotel bookings to consider whether the information available on the site

empowers consumers in the decision making process of booking a hotel.

Research Question/s:

Exploring how empowered consumers are by Trip advisor in the decision making process of

booking a hotel.

I aim to use an interpretive paradigm throughout my research because, previous studies

have focused on Trip advisor and touched upon consumer behavior but, I would like to

develop more of a detailed insight into multiple consumer’s views and perceptions on Trip

advisor in the decision making process. This I believe, will allow me to interact with a variety

of literature and people to come to a subjective idea of, the benefits/issues associated with

Trip advisor in the decision process.

To help keep me on track, I have formed sub questions as objectives from my research;

To ascertain how the Trip Advisor reviews and photos affect the consumers choice

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To analyse how the participants behaviour from completing the Trip Advisor scenario

may relate to or conflict to the attitude theory and the Trip Advisor literature I

researched in my literature review

To gain a general impression of how Trip Advisor can add value to consumers

making independent holiday decisions

Research Approach:

I aim to use an inductive approach towards my research because I already hold specific

observations of Trip Advisor through newspaper and journal articles on Trip Advisor, but also

through my own experience of using the Trip Advisor website. Therefore I hope for my

research to expand my knowledge on what is going on inside the consumer through various

literature and individuals opinions/feelings which will allow me to arrive at a general theory as

to how empowered consumers are by Trip Advisor. Therefore, my research will be basic

research which, will contribute to consumer behavior and Trip Advisor knowledge.

Literature Review

With the Internet growing in popularity over the years it has provided the population with

much more information and choice. Trip Advisor therefore seems to be an indicator of how

the internet has influenced information exchange; which has changed from business-to-

consumer to one where peer-to-peer generation and sharing of data are the norm O’Connor

(2008). Therefore, one theory put forward from research into Trip Advisor is that, the

consumer to consumer communication is what makes Trip Advisor attractive and influential.

Cunningham et al (2010) states electronic word of mouth is much more efficient and has a

greater impact.

Another theory put forward by Ivar&Daphne (2009) is, how the review content is what

influences consumers when using Trip Advisor, because their experimental study found;

positive reviews had a positive impact on hotel consideration and negative reviews had no

significant impact. This allows me to understand the different opinions on this topic because;

my ontology would allow me to believe negative reviews have a negative impact. To support

this view, Cunningham et al’s (2010) research suggests that negative reviews have a bigger

impact on hotel bookings than positive reviews. Therefore, does it depend on the type of

consumer as to the reaction?

Further research by Ivar&Daphne (2009) has therefore identified, consumers who are

already well aware of the hotel/brand do not have a significant attitude change when faced

with positive and negative reviews. This theory suggests, it is the consumers that are less

aware of a hotel who are most influenced by Trip Advisor reviews. An alternative theory of

the consumer is that of; Clemons&Gao (2008) they suggest, consumers are either trading

down by being fully informed to find the cheapest available adequate alternative or, they are

trading out by seeking products to maximize their delight/performance. Therefore,

consumers trading down are most concerned with negative reviews due to wanting value for

money and those trading out are concerned with positive reviews because Clemons&Gao

(2008) suggest, the strength of the top quartile of reviews measures the preference of

consumers who love the product. Therefore, is there certain steps consumers follow when

making decisions?

Solomon et al (2010) would argue that there are stages in consumer decision making;

problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, product choice and

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outcomes. This seems a very rational way of looking at decision making because, the most

obvious place to put Trip Advisor would be in the information search but surely it could be

used elsewhere? Also, wouldn’t decision making be quiet individualistic and not so

structured? Therefore, Graves (2010) highlights how consumers like to think they are making

a rational decision when actually; they may not due to the unconscious part of the mind. This

suggests the combination of emotions, choice; opinions impose on decision making and as

Graves (2010) states rational purchase decisions, even of a major product were virtually

impossible in his examination of consumers.

Methodology

To support my interpretive paradigm I am going to carry out a methodological triangulation

whereby more than one method is used to collect and analyse data. I wish to carry out a

methodological triangulation so that my research sample can be small, yet the research

undergone with participants will be thorough to gain as much thought from participants as

possible. The first stage of my research will consist of setting out a scenario, whereby

participants have to hypothetically book a city break to Barcelona for 3 nights, and make a

shortlist of hotels through firstly using hotel websites, travel search engines or travel

comparison sites only, and then being given the access to search the Trip Advisor site to

check the hotel reviews and photos etc. After completing the scenario the participants will

then answer a questionnaire consisting of open and closed questions, which will enable me

to gain some initial opinions and thoughts on the Trip Advisor experience. Lastly, semi-

structured interview will take place with participants so that I am able to ask any further

questions I wish to ask about the Trip Advisor scenario experience, this will allow me to draw

themes between the questionnaire and interview and will delve deeper into consumers

perceptions of Trip Advisor. I would like to research my topic in this way because; I want to

gain a variety of opinions and want to be able to interpret consumer attitude towards booking

hotels and using Trip Advisor. This seems a thorough way to research into consumer

behavior through setting out a scenario and interviewing to gain as much insight as possible.

This, I believe will allow me to draw conclusions to how influential Trip Advisor is because, it

will allow me to reflect on the findings and compare or contrast these against other findings

from the literature. This will therefore, enable me to achieve my objective of gaining a deeper

understanding of, the influence on decision making from a consumers perspective.

Time Scale

I aim to be collecting secondary data and to have written my literature review by Christmas.

Also, to have carried out my case study because, this will enable me in the spring term to

spend a large amount of time analyzing this data and writing up. I therefore would like to

have had my draft written up by the second week in April, which would allow me to spend

two weeks on altering parts if need be.

References

Clemons E, Gao G (2008) Consumer informedness and diverse consumer purchasing behaviors: Traditional mass-market, trading down, and trading out into the long tail Electronic Commerce Research and Applications [Online] 7(1): 3-17Available from: (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567422307000518) [Accessed: 16/10/12]

Cunningham P, Smyth B, Wu G, Greene D (2010) Does TripAdvisor Makes Hotels Better?

Technical Report [Online] Available from: http://www.csi.ucd.ie/files/ucd-csi-2010-06.pdf

[Accessed: 20/10/12]

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Graves P (2010) Consumer.ology The Market Research Myth, the Truth about Consumers

and the Psychology of Shopping Nicholas Brealey Publishing

Hall J (2012) Trip Advisor banned from claiming its reviews are real [Online] Available

from:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9052317/Tripadvisor-banned-from-

claiming-its-reviews-are-real.html [Accessed: 21/10/12]

Ivar E. Daphne S (2009) Tried and tested: The impact of online hotel reviews on consumer consideration Tourism Management [Online] 30(1): 123-127 Available from: (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517708000824) [Accessed: 15/10/12]

O’Connor P (2008) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2008 User-Generated Content and Travel: A Case Study on Tripadvisor.Com p47-58 Springer Vienna

Smith O (2011) Trip Advisor removes ‘reviews you can trust’ slogan from website [Online]

Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8760616/TripAdvisor-removes-

reviews-you-can-trust-slogan-from-website.htmlv [Accessed: 21/10/12]

Solomon R, Bamossy G, Askegaard S, Hogg M (2010) Consumer Behaviour A European

Perspective 4th Ed. Pearson Education

Trip advisor (2012) [Online] Available from: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/pages/about_us.html

[Accessed 19/10/12]