Hee “Andy” Lee

Helpful reviewers in TripAdvisor, an online travel community.

ABSTRACT Online communities need a critical mass for communication, information, and entertainment and should provide useful information for their members in order to obtain this critical mass. The abundance of online travel reviews increases cognitive costs of travelers, and travelers use extrinsic cues to judge the quality of online reviews to eliminate costs associated with the information process. Of various cues used in online environments, this study examined an online reputation system in TripAdvisor.com and profiled the reviewers who post helpful reviews in the online travel community. The key findings include that helpful reviewers are those who travel more, actively post reviews, belong to any age and gender groups, and give lower hotel ratings. This study adds to research of online travel reviewers by characterizing helpful information creators among online content creators.

Profiling the Users of Travel Websites for Planning and Online Experience Sharing

This article reports the findings of a study that examined Hong Kong online users who use travel websites for travel planning and online travel experience sharing. The empirical findings from a large-scale domestic survey conducted in 2010 reveal that 32.7% of the respondents had used at least one travel website for travel planning in the past 2 years. In addition, 24.5% of these respondents had shared their travel experience online. On the whole, the travel website users were young, highly educated, and had a high level of personal income. In general, the propensity to share travel experiences decreased with age. In contrast, education level up to college/university level positively influenced the respondents’ willingness to share travel experiences, but the propensity decreased with higher levels of education. This study, although limited in scope, will be of interest to academic researchers and industry practitioners who are seeking to better understand the behavior of travelers using the Internet.

Progress and Development of Information Technology in the Hospitality Industry Evidence from Cornell Hospitality Quarterly

In view of the synergistic interaction between technology and hospitality services, this article reports the findings of a study that analyzed articles related to information technology (IT) published in Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ) and its predecessor, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly (CHRAQ), a first-tier journal that places emphasis on the application of research to hospitality businesses. Through an examination of content from CHRAQ’s inaugural issue in the early 1960s to the latest volume (in mid-2011), ninety-five articles were identified as relevant. A content analysis revealed that more than half of the articles focused on the hospitality industry in general and that a substantial number of IT-related articles had been published since the 1980s. This article contributes to a better understanding of the progress of the IT research conducted by hospitality researchers over the past five decades.

An Examination of the Relationship between Online Travel Agents and Hotels A Case Study of Choice Hotels International and Expedia.com

Although traditional travel agents have played an important role as proxies enabling travelers to make connections with hotels, the emergence of the internet has changed the traditional relationship between hotels and travel agents. Instead of a traditional agent–principal relationship, online travel agents (OTAs) seem to act as more than just intermediaries and more as business partners or vendors. Scholars have previously observed troubled, if not hostile, relationships between hotels and OTAs. This article reports a case study analyzing online comments on the 2009 feud between Choice Hotels International and Expedia.com. This analysis identified eight themes in three overall categories: the background to the feud (i.e., characteristics of the hotel industry, current business environment, Expedia’s business practices), the perspectives of hospitality industry professionals on the feud (i.e., wake-up call for hoteliers, Choice Hotels’ decision), and expectations concerning the nature of the relationship between hotels and OTAs (i.e., a symbiotic relationship between hotels and OTAs, experience of dealing with guests who book through OTAs and Expedia, and recommendations for hotels). Chief among the study’s conclusions is that hotels must find ways to make the most effective possible use of available technology and distribution channels, and perhaps even form consortia to share information about third-party distribution channels.

A Comparison of Research Topics in Leading Tourism Journals

Abstract As the tourism industry has grown, so too has tourism research. Similar to previous research on the development of tourism research, this study presents a content analysis of refereed articles published in four leading tourism journals over the past decade. This is to explore how the field has evolved and which topics have been popular. Based on a sample of 2,223 articles, 20 research topics across the journals were identified using both absolute and relative counting methods. The findings show that new research topics have emerged in the past decade. In addition, empirical findings reveal that travelers’ perception and behavior, and theory and research development, were the most frequently-discussed topics.

Adopting web 2.0 technologies on chain and independent hotel websites : a case study of hotels in Hong Kong

With the unprecedented ability to empower travellers in producing and consuming travel information, Web 2.0 is fundamentally changing the way of traveller’s information search behaviour and affecting subsequent decision making. As such, many researchers asserted that more hotel companies have integrated the technology into their websites to enhance customers’ travel information searching experience. However, no prior studies were conducted on this phenomenon in the hotel context. This study purposes to explore Web 2.0 technology adoption among Hong Kong hotels. The factors influencing the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies are also identified and discussed. A content analysis of hotel websites and interviews with the hotel managers identified the difference in adoption rate between chain and independent hotels. The discrepancy is mainly attributed to the top managements’ perceived benefit of Web 2.0.

Research productivity and institutional characteristics of hospitality and tourism programs

ABSTRACT Although some prior studies have examined research productivity, little is known about institutional characteristics and their influence on research productivity. The study reported in this article examined the relationship between research productivity and institutional characteristics of faculty composition, supporting staff, and doctoral research among the worlds leading hospitality and tourism departments and schools. Empirical findings indicated that while faculty size was positively associated with productivity, a higher composition of senior researchers in the rank of professor tends to yield higher productivity. Similarly, a larger group of supporting staff and the availability of a doctoral program were the significant predictors of research productivity. Another interesting finding was that the autonomy of institutions offering hospitality and tourism programs emerged as another characteristic influencing higher research productivity.

An Analysis of Publications in the Journal of China Tourism Research

This article reports the findings of a study that analyzes the articles published in the Journal of China Tourism Research in the period 2005 to 2010. Findings of a content analysis of 125 articles revealed that tourist behaviors/experiences was the most widely studied area, and questionnaire surveys were the most popular method of data collection. Though it may not be a surprise that most authors were affiliated with institutes in Mainland China (hereafter known as China) and Hong Kong, it is interesting to note that the largest group of lead authors comprised postgraduate students. This article will be of use to readers to better understand what research has been conducted in the context of China tourism research.

Diversity in Statistical Research Techniques: An Analysis of Refereed Research Articles in the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing Between 1992 and 2010

ABSTRACT This article reports the findings of a study that analyzes the statistical methods used in articles published in the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing (JTTM) in the period 1992–2010. A content analysis of 462 articles identified 68 different statistical methods, grouped into 17 categories. Factor analysis and ANOVA/MANOVA were the most commonly used methods, following descriptive statistics. There was a substantial increase in the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) in recently published papers. While a diverse range of statistical methods was used in the articles studied, their application was somewhat unbalanced. More use of multivariate statistical methods for further development of the travel and tourism marketing field is thus proposed. This article is of use to readers seeking to understand the development of statistical methods in travel and tourism marketing research, using JTTM as a case study.

The Impact of Culture on Hotel Ratings: Analysis of Star-Rated Hotels in China

The influence of cultural values on consumer behavior is well documented in tourism studies, yet limited research is reported on the link between cultural values and hotel ratings. In Chinese culture, “face” prevails in every aspect of interpersonal relationship and hinders aggressive behaviors in public, whereas the American society values decision making based on honesty and independence more than what is derived from giving face. The difference in this cultural value is likely to be a critical component of idiosyncratic ratings by companies from different cultural backgrounds. This study compares the ratings on a hotel guide published by the Chinese government and one Chinese online and three U.S. online distribution channels. Based on four a priori comparisons of ratings among the five channels, the hotel ratings on the Chinese sources are considerably higher than those on the U.S. channels, which can be attributed to the unique value of “giving face” in Chinese culture.