Hospitality Discourse on Social Media: Evaluating Online Complaints and Service Recovery for Luxury Hotels
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1502.05Keywords:
hospitality discourse, e-complaints and e-responses, reviews on online travel forum, appraisal analysis, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM)Abstract
The number of hotel visitors who post their personal experiences on online hotel review forums after their trips has increased significantly in the digital age. However, there is limited linguistic research that examines 1) how international travelers communicate online to share their negative hotel experiences and 2) how luxury hotel management resolves complaints and regains customer trust. This study examines electronic word-of mouth (eWOM) in the reviews and focuses on posted by international travelers who stayed at Hong Kong's 5-star luxury hotels and e-replies posted by hotel management groups. The data are based on authentic reviews collected from an online travel review forum. The present study employs appraisal analysis (Martin & White, 2005) and specifically the engagement system to investigate heteroglossic voice in 38 sets of complex e-complaints and responses totaling 17,344 words. The findings contribute to the advancement of professional discourse in hospitality service encounters.
References
Andreassen, T. W. (2001). From disgust to delight: do customers hold a grudge? Journal of service research, 4(1), 39-49.
Au, N. & Ekiz, H.E. (2009). Comparing the use of internet in Hong Kong and Northern Cyprus hotel industries: lessons to be learned from Hong Kong. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 26(3), 225-243.
Au, N., Law, R., & Buhalis, D. (2010). The impact of culture on eComplaints: Evidence from Chinese consumers in hospitality organisations. In Information and communication technologies in tourism 2010 (pp. 285-296). Springer, Vienna.
Ayeh, J. K., Au, N., & Law, R. (2013). “Do we believe in Trip Advisor?” Examining credibility perceptions and online travelers’ attitude toward using user-generated content. Journal of Travel Research, 52(4), 437-452.
Azemi, Y., Ozuem, W., & Howell, K. E. (2020). The effects of online negative word‐of‐mouth on dissatisfied customers: A frustration–aggression perspective. Psychology & Marketing, 37(4), 564-577.
Barlow, J., & Møller, C. (2008). A complaint is a gift: recovering customer loyalty when things go wrong. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Bilgihan, A., Okumus, F., & Cobanoglu, C. (2013). Generation Y travelers’ commitment to online social network websites. Tourism Management, 35, 13-22.
Bolton, S., & Boyd, C. (2003). Trolly dolly or skilled emotional manager: Moving on from Hochschild’s managed heart. Work, Employment and Society, 17(2), 289-308.
Bui, H. T. (2022). Exploring and explaining older consumers’ behaviour in the boom of social media. International journal of consumer studies, 46(2), 601-620.
Chan, N. L., & Guillet, B. D. (2011). Investigation of social media marketing: how does the hotel industry in Hong Kong perform in marketing on social media websites? Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 28(4), 345-368.
Chapman, J. A., & Lovell, G. (2006). The competency model of hospitality service: Why it doesn’t deliver. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 18(1), 78–88.
Chen, Y. F., Law, R., & Yan, K. K. (2022). Negative eWOM management: how do hotels turn challenges into opportunities?. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 23(3), 692-715.
Eggins, S. (2004). Introduction to systemic functional linguistics. A&C Black.
Eggins, S., & Martin, J. R. (1997). Genres and registers of discourse. Sage Publications, Inc.
Forey, G. (2020). A whole school approach to SFL metalanguage and the explicit teaching of language for curriculum learning. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 44, 1-17 [100822]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100822
Gannon, M., Taheri, B., Disegna, M., & Prayag, G. (2023). Coping, rumination, and electronic word-of-mouth: Segmenting consumer responses to service failure via fuzzy clustering. Journal of Business Research, 166, 1-15 [114089]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114089
González-Rodríguez, M. R., Díaz-Fernández, M. C., & Gómez, C. P. (2020). Facial-expression recognition: An emergent approach to the measurement of tourist satisfaction through emotions. Telematics and Informatics, 51, 1-14 [101404]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101404
Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. London: Edward Arnold.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1980). Text and context: Aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective. SophiaLinguistica (Working Papers in Linguistics), 6, 4-91.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. (2013). Halliday’s introduction to functional grammar. Routledge.
Halliday, M. A. K., McIntosh, A., & Strevens, P. D. (2007, 1964). The linguistic sciences and language teaching. London: Longman. Reprinted as Halliday, M. A. K., McIntosh, A., & Strevens, P. D. “The users and uses of language”. In J. J. Webster (Ed.) (2007), Language and society, Collected works of M. A. K. Halliday, Vol. 10 (pp. 5-37). London and New York: Continuum.
Hanna, N. & Wozniak, R. (2001). Consumer behavior: An applied approach. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G., & Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: what motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the internet? Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38-52.
Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Homburg, C., & Fürst, A. (2005). How organizational complaint handling drives customer loyalty: an analysis of the mechanistic and the organic approach. Journal of Marketing, 69(3), 95-114.
Hong, J. E. (2020). Qualitative Analysis of Users’ Negative Reviews on TripAdvisor: International Tourists’ Reviews on Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, Korea. International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research, 7(1), 1-14. https://dc.uwm.edu/ijger/vol7/iss1/5
Hood, S., & Forey, G. (2008). The interpersonal dynamics of call-centre interactions: Co-constructing the rise and fall of emotion. Discourse and Communication, 2(4), 389-409.
Jin, S. A. A., & Phua, J. (2014). Following celebrities’ tweets about brands: The impact of twitter-based electronic word-of-mouth on consumers’ source credibility perception, buying intention, and social identification with celebrities. Journal of advertising, 43(2), 181-195.
Kotler, P., Bowen, J. and Makens, J. (2010), Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism, 5th ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Kuppelwieser, V. G., Klaus, P., Manthiou, A., & Hollebeek, L. D. (2022). The role of customer experience in the perceived value–word-of-mouth relationship. Journal of Services Marketing, 36(3), 364-378.
Martin, J. R., & Rose, D. (2007). Working with discourse: Meaning beyond the clause. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Martin J., R., & White, P. R. (2005). The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Maxham III, J. G., & Netemeyer, R. G. (2002). A longitudinal study of complaining customers' evaluations of multiple service failures and recovery efforts. Journal of Marketing, 66(4), 57-71.
Morris, J. A., & Feldman, D. C. (1996). The dimensions, antecedents, and consequences of emotional labour. Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 986-1010.
Oliveira, T., Araujo, B., & Tam, C. (2020). Why do people share their travel experiences on social media? Tourism Management, 78, 1-35 [104041]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104041
Pan, B., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2006). Online information search: vacation planning process. Annals of Tourism Research, 33(3), 809-832.
Park, S. Y., & Allen, J. P. (2013). Responding to online reviews: Problem solving and engagement in hotels. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(1), 64-73.
Pop, R. A., Săplăcan, Z., Dabija, D. C., & Alt, M. A. (2022). The impact of social media influencers on travel decisions: The role of trust in consumer decision journey. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(5), 823-843.
Reinartz, W., Thomas, J. S., & Kumar, V. (2005). Balancing acquisition and retention resources to maximize customer profitability. Journal of Marketing, 69(1), 63-79.
Schoefer, K., & Ennew, C. (2005). The impact of perceived justice on consumers’ emotional responses to service complaint experiences. Journal of Services Marketing, 19(5), 261-270.
Sen, S., & Lerman, D. (2007). Why are you telling me this? An examination into negative consumer reviews on the web. Journal of interactive marketing, 21(4), 76-94.
Severt, D., Tesone, D., & Murrmann, S. (2006). Prior experience satisfaction and subsequent fairness perceptions within the service experience. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing, 13(3-4), 121-137.
Shams, G., Rather, R., Abdur Rehman, M., & Lodhi, R. N. (2021). Hospitality-based service recovery, outcome favourability, satisfaction with service recovery and consequent customer loyalty: an empirical analysis. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 15(2), 266-284.
Shea, L., Enghagen, L., & Khullar, A. (2005). Internet diffusion of an e-complaint: A content analysis of unsolicited responses. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 17(2-3), 145-165.
Sparks, B. A., & Browning, V. (2011). The impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust. Tourism management, 32(6), 1310-1323.
Stauss, B., & Seidel, W. (2004). Complaint management: the heart of CRM. Thomson/South-Western.
Stringam, B. B., & Gerdes Jr, J. (2010). An analysis of word-of-mouse ratings and guest comments of online hotel distribution sites. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 19(7), 773-796.
Varela-Neira, C., Vázquez-Casielles, R., & Iglesias-Argüelles, V. (2008). The influence of emotions on customer's cognitive evaluations and satisfaction in a service failure and recovery context. The Service Industries Journal, 28(4), 497-512.
Vásquez, C. (2011). Complaints online: The case of TripAdvisor. Journal of pragmatics, 43(6), 1707-1717.
Verma, S., & Yadav, N. (2021). Past, present, and future of electronic word of mouth (EWOM). Journal of Interactive Marketing, 53, 111-128.
Vo, N. T., Hung, V. V., Tuckova, Z., Pham, N. T., & Nguyen, L. H. (2022). Guest online review: an extraordinary focus on hotel users’ satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 23(4), 913-944.
Wicker, P. (2020). The impact of participation frequency and travel distances for different sport participation purposes on subjective well-being: the ‘unhappy commuter’ and the happy sport tourist? European Sport Management Quarterly, 20(3), 385-402.
Xiang, K., Huang, W. J., Gao, F., & Lai, Q. (2022). COVID-19 prevention in hotels: Ritualized host-guest interactions. Annals of Tourism Research, 93, 1-17 [103376]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2022.103376
Ye, Q., Law, R., & Gu, B. (2009). The impact of online user reviews on hotel room sales. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28(1), 180-182.
Yuan, Y. H., Tsao, S. H., Chyou, J. T., & Tsai, S. B. (2020). An empirical study on effects of electronic word-of-mouth and Internet risk avoidance on purchase intention: from the perspective of big data. Soft Computing, 24, 5713-5728.
Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. D. (2006). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Zheng, T., Youn, H., & Kincaid, C. S. (2009). An analysis of customers' E-complaints for luxury resort properties. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 18(7), 718-729.
