Mapping Tourists’ Evaluations of a Hotel: An Analysis of Branded Versus Non-Branded Hotels

Using Leximancer text-mining software and multiple regression, tourists’ online reviews of branded and non-branded hotels and resorts in Hawaii were analyzed to identify key concepts and attributes relative to brands based on positive and negative online sentiment. The text-mining findings revealed that perceptions of branded hotels are more closely related to tourists’ experiences, while perceptions of non-branded hotels are associated with specific hotel attributes. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis further showed that when tourists describe their hotel stay in the review, their overall rating is positively affected, but references to hotel staff in the review have a negative impact. By exploring various concepts, connections, and pathways to behavioral intentions emerging from unconstructed qualitative data, this study provides an alternative way to analyze tourists’ perceptions and attitudes toward branded and non-branded accommodations.