Online response management: hotelier perspectives from a global South African tourism hub

Abstract

An online response management (ORM) system is a customer service system that is supported by information technology. A significant  gap exists regarding literature on the management of online reviews at accommodation establishments in Cape Town. The aim of the study was to understand how hotels manage their online reputation when responding to online platforms visitor reviews, focusing on guests’ online reviews (OLR) and how hotels respond and use ORM systems to manage these reviews. This exploratory research employed a qualitative methodology, whereby seven 4-star rated accommodation establishments, within the Cape Metropole were sampled. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews, and online interviews and electronic mail were also accepted due to Covid-19 restrictions. The study presents the following assumptions drawn from existing research: (1) hotels are equipped to respond to online reviews during a pandemic, and (2) hotel management perceives negative and positive reviews to be impactful. The results reveal that hotels are aware of how negative and positive ORLs impact the brand of the establishment, and how ORM systems are used to monitor and maintain their reputation online. A contribution of the study was the adoption of positive response actions to an existing review response framework.