Wine attractions at hotels: study of online reviews

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to delineate the role of wine at hotels from the customer’s perspective by analyzing New York City hotel reviews posted on TripAdvisor. Design/methodology/approach This study used content analysis to study 26,831 wine-relevant reviews that had been posted on TripAdvisor’s New York City hotels by April 12, 2018. Two trained coders quantified and tallied the presence of themes based on the pre-established coding scheme. Findings Wine was mentioned in the online reviews in expressing positive, negative or neutral hotel experiences. Of the 877,616 New York City hotel reviews, about 3 per cent contained the keyword “wine.” The three most frequently mentioned wine-related positive experiences were free happy hours, a surprise bottle of complimentary wine and the fun of pairing food and wine. The top three wine-related negative experiences were pricey/expensive/overpriced wine, poor wine list and poor quality of wine. The study found that hotel guests liked wine and that it had become a significant aspect of their lodging experience. Originality/value This study adds value to the literature of hotel wines by divulging hotel customers’ wine-related experiences through their online comments and by providing a snapshot of hotel guests’ wine-drinking behavior. The findings can provide an insight for hotels to further the use of wine as a means to enhance guest experience and to generate additional revenue.