Strategic distance and hotel popularity: Moderating effects of brand positioning

This study investigates how hotel distinctiveness influences popularity in the hospitality industry. Distinctiveness, defined as the strategic divergence from close competitors, has shown mixed effects on performance in prior research. To address this, we examine the moderating role of brand positioning factors (brand affiliation, price, hotel star rating, and national culture) on the distinctiveness-performance relationship. Using hotel data from South Korea and China collected from TripAdvisor, we apply structural topic modeling (STM) to measure distinctiveness in hotel descriptions. Results show that distinctiveness positively affects popularity, but the effect is weaker for hotels with brand affiliations and higher prices, while star rating has no significant moderating effect. Additionally, the positive effect of distinctiveness is stronger in South Korea than in China. These findings clarify the contextual nature of distinctiveness and offer theoretical and managerial implications for enhancing competitive positioning in hospitality markets.