International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

International Journal of Hospitality Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhosman

eWOM effects on hotel booking intentions, attitudes, trust,

and website perceptions
Riadh Ladhari ∗ , Mélissa Michaud
Faculty of Business Administration, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Keywords: The objective of the study is to examine the effect of comments generated on Facebook on the choice
Electronic word of mouth of a hotel. More specifically, it focuses on the study of the influence of comments written by Facebook
Facebook friends on the intentions of booking a hotel, the trust in the hotel, the attitude toward the hotel, and
Online reviews
the perception of its website. The research also examines the moderator role of Internet users’ trust
Attitude and trust toward hotel
in those comments on these relations. To test these effects, an experimental design was created by
Booking intentions
manipulating the valence of the comments (positive vs. negative). A survey among 800 university students
has confirmed all the hypotheses of the study on the influence of comments generated on Facebook in
the users’ decision-making process.
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The importance of WOM is well established, especially in the
field of information retrieval and purchase decisions, particularly
in the tourism and hospitality industry (Liu and Park, 2015). With
the introduction of social media and digital channels, its influence
has expanded exponentially; while conventional word of mouth is
limited to a social, often personal, network which is quite narrow
and confined, word of mouth on the Internet (hereafter eWOM)
has a reach over a worldwide network. With the rapid growth of
Web 2.0 applications and communication platforms, and the explo-
sion of the bidirectional exchange of information on consumer
products and services, simple “conversation channels” (online noti-
fications, reviews, opinions or recommendations) have become a
source of real opportunities and challenges (Serra Cantallops and
Salvi, 2014). For tourism and hospitality managers, web 2.0 appli-
cations and social media platforms are the most appropriate tool
to gain knowledge about their customers, developing and main-
taining effective relationships with them, and reacting to service
failure (Escobar-Rodríguez and Carvajal-Trujillo, 2013; Hsu, 2012).
However, hospitality managers no longer have control over the
disseminated information or created image on these challenging
applications and platforms (Sparks and Browning, 2011).
Internet has given consumers countless advantages in compari-
son with traditional WOM. The most important of these advantages
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 418 656 2131x7940; fax: +1 418 656 2624.
E-mail address: riadh.ladhari@fsa.ulaval.ca (R. Ladhari).
include the speed and ease of access to information, its availability
for long periods of time, and a certain proximity (virtual face-to-
face) without the face-to-face human pressure (Mauri and Minazzi,
2013). Internet platforms allow broad dissemination of informa-
tion via blogs, forums, communities, and specific websites devoted
to the evaluation of products or services (Mauri and Minazzi, 2013;
Sparks and Browning, 2011). In the specific case of the hospital-
ity and tourism industry, these online platforms are important
sources of information as products and services are experiential
and consumption experiences are subjectively evaluated by con-
sumers (Lee and Cranage, 2014; Litvin et al., 2008; Liu and Park,
2015; Papathanassis and Knolle, 2011; Xie et al., 2014).
The hospitality sector is the most strongly influenced by eWOM
(Serra Cantallops and Salvi, 2014). Given the growing easiness of
access to the Internet and the ability to produce online content,
consumers now rely on online reviews generated by other users to
form an opinion about tourist destinations and hotels (Sparks and
Browning, 2011; Ye et al., 2011; Xie et al., 2011). The recognition
of the importance of online reviews leads to their increased popu-
larity among travelers (Liu and Park, 2015). A number of websites
specialized in tourism and hospitality flourish on the web (e.g., Tri-
padvisor, Hotels.com, Expedia, Yelp.com, Citysearch, Orbitz). Many
of them enable users to exchange information, opinions or rec-
ommendations concerning certain destinations, hotels, and other
tourist services (O’Connor, 2008; Ye et al., 2011; Liu and Park, 2015).
These online platforms provide excellent tools for tourists to doc-
ument and relive their travel experience such as expressing their
satisfaction level with the hotel stay experience (Filieri and McLeay,
2014; Ip et al., 2012).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.01.010
0278-4319/© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45
To reduce the level of perceived risk and uncertainty, tourists
tend to rely on both WOM and eWOM (Bronner and de Hoog, 2011;
Zhang et al., 2010; Liu and Park, 2015). Although it is agreed in
the literature that comments generated online on tourism-specific
websites (i.e., posted on evaluation platforms such as Tripadvi-
sor.com) influence the decision of tourism consumers (O’Connor,
2008), one should not neglect the growing impact of other, more
general, community platforms such as social networks, especially
Facebook and Twitter, as they could be the future of eWOM.
Many studies have examined the effects that positive and negative
comments posted on evaluation platforms can have on travelers’
attitude toward the hotels and the trust in them (e.g., Liu and
Park, 2015; Mauri and Minazzi, 2013; O’Connor, 2008; Sparks and
Browning, 2011; Ye et al., 2011). However, none of these stud-
ies have examined the impact which a general social medium like
Facebook has on the attitude toward a hotel and booking intentions.
Thus, it is natural that the present study focus on Face-
book, which is justified by the fact that the platform offers
great opportunities in terms of page creation (specialized groups,
small communities, creation of events), illustration (photo/video
albums), and posting opinions or evaluations (comments, status
sharing). It includes a number of Web 2.0 features which allow
the creation of even more sophisticated collaboration platforms
through which users share information. The interest is also moti-
vated by the undeniable popularity of the platform. Facebook has
become the world’s most popular social network with 1.3 billion
monthly active users worldwide and 830 million daily active users
(Facebook, 2014). Therefore, it is worthwhile to study the impact
of comments posted by Facebook “friends” on hotel booking inten-
tions, given that more and more Facebook users publish their travel
photos and comment on their impressions of their stay using the
platform.
Thus, this study aims to determine whether the positive or
negative comments posted on social media, particularly Facebook,
have an impact on travelers’ decision making. More specifically,
the study allows to: (1) determine whether the (positive and neg-
ative) comments generated on Facebook influence the intention of
booking a hotel, its general appreciation, users’ trust in it, and the
perception of quality of its website; (2) assess whether these effects
are moderated by the degree of trust which users have in comments
generated by their Facebook friends.
2. Conceptual background
2.1. The role of social media in decision making
Social media are playing an increasing role in the tourism and
hospitality sector (Escobar-Rodríguez and Carvajal-Trujillo, 2013;
Filieri and McLeay, 2014; Inversini and Masiero, 2014; Luo and
Zhong, 2015; Munar and Jacobsen, 2014). They facilitate dynamic
and effective interactions between hotels and their customers
(Escobar-Rodríguez and Carvajal-Trujillo, 2013; Luo and Zhong,
2015). In recent years, a growing number of opinion platforms
which offer consumer online reviews or product ratings have been
created. For instance, TripAdvisor allows customers to provide
detailed comments and an overall rating (using a 5-star rating
system), reflecting the evaluation of their hotel-stay experience.
Given the increasing availability and popularity of these opinion
platforms on the web, online reviews have become a prominent
phenomenon that plays an increasingly important role in con-
sumers’ purchasing decisions (Filieri and McLeay, 2014; Mauri and
Minazzi, 2013; Sparks and Browning, 2011; Zhang et al., 2010).
The term “social media” refers to all the Internet platforms
which provide users with tools for a multitude of social interac-
tion. These interactions allow for collaborative content creation
37
and sharing and easier exchange of information on various top-
ics of interest, experiences, products and services. Different forms
of user-generated content exist, such as blogs, virtual communi-
ties, wikis, social networks and media sharing sites like YouTube
(Sparks et al., 2013; Xiang and Gretzel, 2010). In the particular case
of users-consumers, the content which they generate reflects their
impressions, usually influenced by relevant experiences, archived
or shared online, to allow easy access to other interested con-
sumers (Zhang et al., 2010). In short, social networks provide a
platform for information searches which is highly user-friendly and
has become indispensable. By making it easier for consumers to
disseminate comments and access the opinions of others, various
opinion websites and platforms have influenced the information
searching process and purchasing decisions of consumers, in par-
ticular tourists (Dickinger, 2011; Luo and Zhong, 2015; Mauri and
Minazzi, 2013; Sparks et al., 2013; Sparks and Browning, 2011;
Zhang et al., 2010).
These tools have gained considerable popularity among trav-
elers, as they allow them to view and share textual descriptions
(comments, opinions) and photos related to personal travel and
holiday experiences (Papathanassis and Knolle, 2011). Such infor-
mation, shared on social platforms like Facebook, MySpace and
Tripadvisor.com and other tourism and hospitality evaluation
sites, influences the preferences and choices of other travelers
(Papathanassis and Knolle, 2011; Wilson et al., 2012; Xiang and
Gretzel, 2010; Ye et al., 2011). Comments generated by peers are
most often seen as more impartial, reliable, and unbiased than
information provided by sources controlled by companies (Wilson
et al., 2012). Therefore, content generated on social media is con-
sidered to be an influential source of information because of the
perceived independence of the message source (Litvin et al., 2008).
Indeed, user-generated content could be considered as relatively
easy to access and seen as an informational enrichment compared
to what is available from a company’s web site and traditional
information sources (Papathanassis and Knolle, 2011).
2.2. From WOM to eWOM
WOM allows consumers to share information and evaluations
which guide and direct other buyers in their choice of products
or services (Litvin et al., 2008). While positive WOM increases
the probability of purchase, negative WOM creates the opposite
effect. WOM influences travelers’ purchasing behavior due to the
experiential nature of tourism, and hospitality products and ser-
vices (Litvin et al., 2008; Luo and Zhong, 2015; Park and Nicolau,
2015). In order to alleviate risks, such as emotional risks associ-
ated with the intangible and perishable aspects of tourism products
(e.g., the quality of hotel service experience cannot be estimated
before purchase and consumption), consumers base their decisions
on comments provided by their peers’ documented experiences
(Luo and Zhong, 2015). While an unhappy customer used to be
able to share his negative experience with a dozen consumers
in his direct entourage, now, he/she can influence thousands of
peers within social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter,
and Myspace (O’Connor, 2008).eWOM is seen as a reliable and
impartial source of information. It is argued that eWOM shapes
consumer expectations, influences preferences and attitudes, and
affects purchasing decisions and post-use evaluation (Litvin et al.,
2008; Luo and Zhong, 2015). The impact of eWOM on hotel choice
can be more powerful than WOM (Ogut and Tas, 2012). eWOM
can be spread via opinion platforms, discussion forums, boycott
websites or sites allowing communications between consumers
(Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004). eWOM implies the involvement of
actors whose behavior is motivated by various reasons, in par-
ticular the desire for social interactions and maintaining social
connections, enjoyment of online activities, emotional support,
38 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45
altruism, identification, feeling of solidarity, mutual help or self-
esteem (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004; Munar and Jacobsen, 2014).
eWOM differs from traditional WOM mainly by its convenience,
scope, source, and speed of interactions (Luo and Zhong, 2015; Serra
Cantallops and Salvi, 2014). Unlike WOM, which usually concerns
the opinions expressed by acquaintances (e.g., friends, colleagues,
and family), online comments are generated by unknown sources
(Xie et al., 2011). However, on Facebook, networks of friends usually
form, which gives their comments some credibility compared to the
content (e.g., opinions, reviews, tips) generated on other platforms.
Facebook expands consumers’ social circles and increases the fre-
quency and duration of interpersonal contact (Luo and Zhong,
2015). Luo and Zhong’s (2015) study emphasizes the role of social
relationships and social interactions upon eWOM on social net-
work sites. Social relationship ties’ strength (weak social ties, strong
social ties, and social ties of middling strength) likely influences
the effect of eWOM; eWOM influences attitudes and the decision
making of communicators with strong social ties (Luo and Zhong,
2015).
2.3. The influence of comments on booking intentions
Online reviews are proxy of eWOM and are different from rat-
ings that could be assimilated to an overall service evaluation
(Duverger, 2013). Comments generated by online users have a sig-
nificant influence on sales (Duverger, 2013; O’Connor, 2008; Ye
et al., 2011). For example, feedback generated by users on a restau-
rant’s quality of food, ambiance, and service is positively associated
with its online popularity (Zhang et al., 2010). The mere presence of
online reviews can increase the sales of products, regardless of their
nature (positive vs. negative feedback) (Mitchell and Khazanchi,
2010).
Sparks and Browning (2011) and Liu (2006) observe that online
reviews vary not only in their content (e.g., general or detailed), but
especially in their polarity (positive vs. negative comments). Sparks
and Browning (2011) also state that while positive evaluations are
likely to feature pleasant, vivid or romanticized descriptions of the
experience, negative feedback is more likely to include complaints
or unpleasant or disparaging descriptions.
Park and Lee (2009) state that negative opinions have more
effect on sales than positive ones, while Liu (2006) finds that the
valence of comments does not explain the variation in sales. Studies
confirm the effect of evaluations on booking, noting that favorable
reviews concerning a hotel increase the likelihood of booking and
room sales (Duverger, 2013; Mauri and Minazzi, 2013; Vermeulen
and Seegers, 2009; Ye et al., 2011). Duverger (2013) finds that user-
generated content has a positive impact on hotel market shares and
reports a curvilinear relationship between traveler ratings and mar-
ket share. Indeed, his study based on longitudinal data shows that
interaction between review length and review valence results in an
overall negative impact on market shares. Vermeulen and Seegers
(2009) report that exposure to an online hotel review improves
hotel awareness and hotel consideration (i.e., increases the proba-
bility for consumers to consider booking a room in that hotel). Kim
et al. (2015) found that a careful management of negative online
comments or complaints enhances hotel performance. Mauri and
Minazzi (2013) report that hotel purchasing intentions increase in
the case of prevalence of positive reviews and decrease in the case
of negative comments. Ye et al. (2011) find that positive online
reviews significantly contribute to an effective increase in hotel
reservations: a 10% improvement in the rating by evaluators can
generate a 4.4% increase in sales. Ogut and Tas (2012) report that
online sales of rooms are higher for the hotels with higher cus-
tomer evaluations/ratings: a 1% improvement in online customer
ratings increases sales by more than 2.60%. Indeed, an increase in
the customer ratings generates higher prices of the hotel rooms.
The star rating of a hotel has no effect on the sales of the rooms.
Zhang et al. (2011) show that an incremental increase in customer
rating of hotel rooms (one star on a 5-point scale) is related to a
21% increase in prices in New York.
Since online reviews have become an essential source of infor-
mation which future travelers use in planning their trip, and since
it appears that consumers are influenced by them (Cheng and Loi,
2014; Mauri and Minazzi, 2013; Sparks et al., 2013; Vermeulen
and Seegers, 2009; Xiang and Gretzel, 2010; Xie et al., 2014), the
following hypothesis is proposed:
H1. The comments generated on the Facebook network influ-
ence hotel-booking intentions. The more positive comments about
a hotel are, the more positive the booking intentions will be.
2.4. The influence of comments on the attitude toward the hotel
The results of previous studies on the influence of eWOM on
attitudes toward products and services are somewhat mixed. Lee
et al. (2009) state that feedback influences the attitude toward
a brand. Compared to the absence of comments, the presence of
extremely positive feedback leads to a more favorable attitude
toward the brand, while negative comments, extreme or even mod-
erate, negatively influence the attitude toward the brand. Chiou
and Cheng (2003) find that negative reviews negatively influence
the evaluations of and attitudes toward a product only when it has
a weak brand image. Lee and Cranage (2014) find that restaurant
consumers exhibit a high level of unfavorable attitude change in
response to negative online word of mouth when there is a higher
information consensus than non-consensus.
Concerning the hotel sector, Lee et al. (2008) find that a high
proportion of negative opinions tends to significantly increase
the negative attitude of consumers toward a hotel. Sparks and
Browning (2011) state that positive feedback results in more favor-
able ratings being granted to a hotel. In the same vein, Vermeulen
and Seegers (2009) point out that a positive review induces a posi-
tive change of attitude while a negative review leads to a negative
change in attitude toward the hotel. The study shows that exposure
to online hotel reviews influences hotel attitudes more for lesser-
known hotels than for well-known hotels, making the persuasive
effect of online reviews stronger in less-known hotels.
The above findings lead to the formulation of the following
hypothesis:
H2. Comments generated on the Facebook network influence the
attitude toward a hotel. The more positive the comments about a
hotel are, the more positive the attitude toward it will be.
2.5. The influence of comments on trust in a hotel
Trust is one of the most influential factors in actual online sales.
From a general point of view, trust refers to a willingness to rely
on an exchange partner (i.e., reliable person who keeps promises).
The literature emphasizes the fact that integrity, competence, and
reliability are key dimensions of the hotel trust concept (Wang
et al., 2014). Reliability means a hotel’s promises can be relied
upon, integrity refers to the goodwill of the hotel, whereas com-
petence refers to the hotel’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (Wang
et al., 2014). Trust toward a hotel is influenced by many factors such
as customer satisfaction and the hotel’s perceived image (Loureiro
and González, 2008). Indeed, trust influences loyalty (Loureiro and
González, 2008). In the perceived risky and uncertain hospitality
service context, trust is a key variable in successful long-lasting
relations (Wang et al., 2014). Trust helps to decrease the anxi-
ety, uncertainty and vulnerability related to the transaction, which
results in greater satisfaction, and, in turn, affects the eWOM,
 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45
especially in the case of quite complex and experiential services
(Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004).
Wang et al. (2014) report that Chinese web users doubt hote-
liers’ intention of fulfilling promises delivered on their website.
Lack of trust toward a hotel could be a major obstacle toward room
booking. The positive comment from Facebook friends will increase
consumer trustworthiness toward the hotel. It becomes an infor-
mal third-party certification, thus decreasing perception of risk in
the absence of direct first-hand experience.
Sparks and Browning (2011) demonstrate that potential con-
sumers use online reviews to reduce the risk and uncertainty
related to the purchase situation, and that those opinions and rec-
ommendations can help determine their trust level. Therefore, it
appears that the willingness to book a hotel room is related to the
trust that consumers have in the hotel and that this trust is substan-
tially influenced by peer feedback, hence the following hypothesis:
H3. Comments generated on the Facebook network influence the
trust in a hotel. The more positive the comments about a hotel are,
the higher the trust in it will be.
2.6. The influence of comments on the perceived quality of the
website
A company website is an essential tool for communicating infor-
mation about products and services. A hotel web-site is an effective
way to influence tourist-choice decisions, improve positioning and
communication, and increase sales (Díaz and Koutra, 2013). The
positive attitude toward a website is generally associated with sev-
eral factors which determine the quality of the site: professional
website design and appeal, navigability and ease of use, and qual-
ity of information on the site (Ladhari, 2010). Kim and Fesenmaier
(2008) suggest that informativeness, usability, inspiration, credi-
bility, reciprocity, and involvement are important dimensions that
influence website persuasiveness. Díaz and Koutra (2013) report
significant differences in the degree to which these website persua-
siveness dimensions are present in economy, midscale, and luxury
hotel chains.
It has been also shown that the nature of the comments may
influence the development of impressions concerning the site (Lee
et al., 2009). Chiou and Cheng (2003) observe that negative com-
ments about the brand influence the attitude toward the brand and
its website to a higher degree. The results of the study demonstrate
that the effects which consumer comments have on the attitude
toward the website differ depending on the valence of these. Lee
et al. (2009) nuance this thesis and argue that if the comment
appears on the brand website and is, in addition, very positive, it
helps to improve the site evaluation, compared to a total absence
of comments. While extremely positive feedback appears to create
a more favorable attitude toward the brand website, the absence
of comments or the presence of moderately or extremely nega-
tive comments does not negatively impact the attitude toward the
brand website.
In light of the foregoing, we posit what follows:
H4. Comments generated on the Facebook network influence
the perceived quality of the hotel website. The more positive the
comments on a hotel and its website are, the more positive the
perceived quality of the website will be.
2.7. The moderator effect of review trustworthiness
In order to reduce the risk related to the booking of hotel room,
consumers tend to search for information through the recommen-
dations made either by friends and family members or experts in
the field (e.g., opinion leaders) (Dickinger, 2011). The trust in online
comments affects their usefulness and the degree to which they
39
are accepted by travelers, and influences the decision-making pro-
cess. Generally, two types of online comments can be distinguished:
reviews generated by consumers that are based on personal expe-
riences, and comments written by experts (e.g., opinion leaders,
experts in a given field) (Chen and Xie, 2008) or transmitted by
product and service vendors (Dickinger, 2011; Zhang et al., 2010).
Since the perception of the message source and its credibility
influence the impact of the content generated by Internet users, it
has been found that recommendations by other consumers have
a greater influence on the choice of products than comments by
experts associated with the company (Zhang et al., 2010). In fact,
consumers have more trust in comments generated by their peers
than those written by experts or vendors of products and ser-
vices (Dickinger, 2011; Racherla and Friske, 2012). O’Connor (2008)
reports that travelers prefer recommendations formulated by peers
who have similar interests. Again, concerning the tourism sector,
Sparks et al. (2013) observe that tourists have a higher trust in com-
ments generated by consumers compared to those generated by
managers. Dickinger (2011) reports that the content generated by
other users is seen as extremely informative, but of lesser qual-
ity than information provided by city tourist boards. Moreover,
tourist boards have higher compared levels of ability, integrity, and
benevolence.
In the absence of indices allowing the identification of the
source, reviews generated on the Internet might be perceived as
less credible compared to traditional WOM, which provides some
physical proximity and “tracing” of information (Ye et al., 2011).
Authors argue that the degree of trust tends to be influenced by
the social association or social ties with the source (Luo and Zhong,
2015). The quality of the review and the credibility of the source are
the most important factors affecting the confidence of the provided
information. These factors become even more important when
the consumer receives negative information (Racherla and Friske,
2012). Purnawirawan et al. (2012), in turn, further qualify these
observations by stating that the perceived credibility of an infor-
mation element often depends on the source of the information
and that third-party websites are perceived as more trustworthy.
They also argue that disclosure and providing personal information
increase the credibility of the source. In the same vein, Schindler
and Bickart (2005) state that the presence of details and personal
identification information, the description of an actual experience,
and the overlapping stories of several members of the commu-
nity provide indications allowing to validate the credibility of the
message.
Consumers’ trust in the comments can also be influenced by
the website on which comments are formulated. In fact, com-
ments posted on the websites of companies and organizations
are perceived as less credible than those published on indepen-
dent sites like Tripadvisor or Zoover (Dickinger, 2011). Therefore,
it appears that trust has a mediator role between the quality of
comments and the perception of the website.
A message from an acquaintance is less likely to be rejected,
especially in a context in which consumers are becoming more
vigilant and demanding. They search for authentic testimonials by
other consumers. Therefore, consumers appear to have more trust
in the content generated on Facebook. Comments on the Facebook
network generally come from friends (an identified and credible
source) and are accounts of personal experiences (past experiences
with the hotel). Therefore, the source appears to be considered as
credible and its comments helpful in the traveler’s decision-making
process, even if it is less informative than the content provided by
professional and commercial sources. The stronger the trust in the
author of the commentary is, the greater power of persuasion and
ability to change the recipients’ attitudes he/she acquires.
Studies in the tourism industry confirm the importance of trust
in the source and content (Sparks et al., 2013; Xie et al., 2011; Liu
40 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45
and Park, 2015). Xie et al. (2011) find that if authors of hotel online
reviews include personal information allowing their identification,
it has a positive effect on the perceived credibility of those reviews
(i.e., the belief that they are trustworthy and reflect the actual
state of affairs), which in turn influences hotel-booking intentions.
Sparks et al. (2013) report that the perception of the message source
influences travelers’ attitude toward the content generated by the
source. Liu and Park (2015) distinguish between source reputation
(i.e., perceived degree of honesty) and source expertise. They report
that online reviews posted by a source with a high reputation are
more useful than reviews written by those who have a low repu-
tation. However, a reviewer’s expertise has no significant effect on
a review’s usefulness (Liu and Park, 2015). Their study reveals that
reviews with self-disclosure are considered more useful.
Given the foregoing, we intend to focus on the importance of
trust that consumers have in certain comments and the modera-
tor effect that this trust could have on the role of eWOM, and we
hypothesize what follows:
H5. Trust in the comments moderates the effects which the nature
of the comments has on: (a) booking intentions, (b) attitude toward
the hotel, (c) trust toward the hotel, and (d) quality of the website.
3. Methodology
3.1. Experimental design
To test the hypotheses of the research, an experimental design
was chosen. Experimentation is useful when one or more vari-
ables (independent variables) are manipulated and their effects on
other (dependent) variables are measured. This study focuses on
the effect which the nature of comments (variable manipulated
at two levels: positive feedback vs. negative feedback) has on a
set of dependent variables (attitude toward the hotel, trust in the
hotel, perception of the quality of the hotel website, and booking
intentions).
The experimental design was carried out by preparing four sce-
narios. Respondents (Canadian students) were then placed in a
situation of planning a trip to France where they had to choose
a hotel. According to Statistics Canada, in the last ten years, France
figured in the Top five of the most praised destinations by Canadian
travelers. It is the second European country in terms of the number
of visits and overnight stays (Statistics Canada, 2012).
Respondents solicited the help of their Facebook friends to get
feedback on the hotel. The first group of respondents was exposed
to positive reviews written by friends on the Facebook network and
the second group, to negative feedback.
The scenario invited the respondents to read (positive or nega-
tive) reviews of the hotel concerning in particular the evaluation of
the staff, the room, the location of the hotel, the service in general,
and the quality of the website. Rather moderate comments were
used in the scenarios to give them some credibility.
The results of the study by Vermeulen and Seegers (2009), which
emphasizes the fact that the effects of comments appears to be
more significant in the case of lesser-known hotels, were also taken
into account. Vermeulen and Seegers (2009) emphasize that hotels
with an established reputation, such as the Hilton chain, are more
likely to be known by consumers; thus, their exposure to the com-
ments will have less effect on the attitude toward the hotel and
plans to book an overnight stay. To eliminate the impact of past
experiences, internationally-known hotel chains were excluded. It
was therefore decided to retain two hotels of different classes (a
2-star hotel and a 4-star hotel) and little known to the respon-
dents. Assumptions made above were tested for the two categories
of hotels. Two hotels located in Paris, France, were selected. Both
hotels have websites on which necessary information on the types
Table 1
Negative and positive reviews.
Positive reviews
- The staff was very friendly and was helpful/easily available.
- The hotel is very nice and clean. The rooms are large. The hotel is
located in a good neighborhood. I would go back without a doubt.
- The staff was welcoming and the hotel very clean!
- The design of the hotel website is professional. Also, I could easily find
the information I was looking for.
- The service was excellent. The staff was friendly. The rooms are simple,
tidy and of standard size for the type of accommodation.
- The staff was very competent in this hotel; they changed my booking
without any problems.
- The hotel website was very well organized and easy to navigate. The
hotel managers responded quickly to my request for information to
change the date of my booking.
- Excellent value for money. The hotel is close to everything and the
interior design is very nice.
Negative reviews
- The staff was not very friendly or welcoming. I had a lot difficulty to get
my questions answered.
- We had to wait 45 min for our room because the room service had not
prepared it yet. The rooms were quite small compared to my
expectations and the beds not very comfortable. To my surprise, the
rooms appear to be badly soundproofed.
- The hotel was easily accessible by public transportation.
- The design of the web site of the hotel was not professional, but I could
find the information.
- We did not get the room we booked because the hotel was full (a
conference was held a few meters from the hotel). A double bed instead
of a queen bed. The staff was busy and unsympathetic.
- The hotel website was poorly organized and information hard to find.
The hotel staff did not respond to my request for information on
rebooking. It’s possible that they did not receive or read my request
since the website was not very well organized.
Table 2
Experimental design and sample size.
2 stars 4 stars
Negative review Group 1 (200) Group 3 (200)
Positive review Group 2 (200) Group 4 (200)
of rooms, service, and location is provided. Both hotels received
both positive and negative comments on Trip Advisor. Finally, the
two hotels have the same contemporary style and a strategic loca-
tion due to the proximity to numerous tourist attractions (Table 1).
3.2. Sample
The sample consisted of students, all enrolled in a large Cana-
dian university. Young adults aged less than 35 years are the most
dynamic in the online tourism market (Mauri and Minazzi, 2013).
The younger generation is relatively more engaged in travel plan-
ning, seeking information from different sources such as social
media (Xiang et al., 2015).
The respondents were invited to participate in the study through
the Facebook page of the University. Also, an email was sent to all
students. Those who agreed to participate were encouraged to first
read the scenario (with comments from Facebook friends), and then
visit the hotel website, and finally complete the questionnaire. A
filter question was placed at the beginning of the survey to ensure
that all participants were students. The scenarios where the num-
ber of respondents reached the quota of 200 were automatically
made unavailable to ensure that the same quota was reached for
all scenarios (Table 2).
The respondents’ group consisted mainly of women, slightly
over 71.9%. Most respondents were between 18 and 24 years of age
(68.9%) with only 6.1% of respondents aged 35 and over. The stated
average income in the previous year was between $0 and $10,000
(40.4%), between $10,001 and $20,000 (36.2%), between $20,001
 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45
and $30,000 (9.4%), with only 14.0% of respondents with an annual
income of over $30,000. Cross frequency analyses were performed
to test whether differences existed between the four groups con-
cerning the three demographic characteristics. The results reported
no significant difference between the four groups concerning age
(Chi-square = 7.193), gender (Chi-square = 5.361), and income (Chi-
square = 6.586).
The interviewed students visited the Facebook network daily,
devoting between 30 min and 1 h (33.4%) and between 1 and 3 h
(33.6%) to it. Among all the respondents, 20.5% spent less than
30 min on Facebook while 12.5% devoted more than 3 h per day
to the site.
3.3. Questionnaire
First, respondents were asked to express their attitude toward
the hotel with the help of the statement “After having read the
reviews and visited the hotel website, I can say that I like this hotel.”
(1 = ‘completely disagree’ and 5 = ‘completely agree’). The quality
of the hotel website was assessed by a comprehensive statement
“Overall I liked the hotel website.” To allow a more in-depth analysis,
the hotel website was also evaluated based on 5 statements related
to the navigability of the site, its ease of use, attractiveness, profess-
ionalism of design, and usefulness of the information contained in
it (Kim and Stoel, 2004; Ladhari and Leclerc, 2013). The five state-
ments were: “The hotel website is simple to use”, “The navigation
on the hotel website is easy”, “The website provides relevant infor-
mation”, “The website design is professional”, and “The website is
visually appealing”.
Trust in the hotel, in turn, was evaluated using a scale of 5 state-
ments from the study by Sparks and Browning (2011). The items
were: “I think this hotel would have high integrity”, “I believe this
hotel would be reliable”, “If I was to discuss this hotel with others,
I would probably say positive things”, “I would have trust in this
hotel”, and “This appears like a good quality hotel”. The reliabil-
ity analysis of the scale reported a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91, which
remains within the same standards as those reported by Sparks
and Browning (2011). For further analysis, a composite index rep-
resenting the mean of the five statements was calculated.
As for the trust in the comments generated by Facebook ‘friends’,
it was measured by two statements reflecting the realism and rel-
evance of comments: “I think the hotel reviews written by my
Facebook friends were realistic” (from the study by Sparks and
Browning, 2011); “The comments of my Facebook friends have
helped me to review this hotel.” Finally, intentions of booking a
hotel were measured by the item “After having read the reviews
and visited the hotel website, I would book a room in it”. All state-
ments were measured on a scale ranging from 1 (completely agree)
to 5 (completely disagree).
4. Results
4.1. The effects of the valence of comments
To test the first four assumptions, variance analyses were per-
formed to compare the mean ratings of the four variables. Results
are reported in Table 3.
Respondents exposed to positive feedback in relation to the 2-
star hotel reported higher-relative-booking intentions than those
exposed to negative comments. This difference was found to be
significant (F = 91.637, p = .000). The same result was confirmed in
the case of the 4-star hotel, as the mean for booking intentions
reported by those exposed to positive feedback (3.84) was sig-
nificantly higher (F = 60.384, p = .000) than the mean reported by
those exposed to negative comments (3.00). These results confirm
hypothesis H1.
41
Respondents exposed to positive comments reported a more
positive attitude toward the 2-star hotel in comparison with those
exposed to negative comments (F = 123.584, p = .000). The same
results were found in the case of the 4-star hotel, with a higher
mean rating of attitudes in the case of respondents exposed to pos-
itive reviews than among those exposed to negative comments. The
mean difference is statistically significant (F = 113.612, p = .000).
These results support hypothesis H2.
H3 concerning the trust in the hotel was also supported. In fact,
trust in the 2-star hotel was significantly higher among respondents
exposed to positive feedback (F = 172.221, p = .000). Similarly, trust
in the 4-star hotel was also found to be higher among respondents
exposed to positive feedback (F = 120.776, p = .000).
In terms of the overall perception of the quality of the website,
respondents exposed to positive comments reported significantly
higher mean ratings in relation to both the 2-star (F = 10.416,
p = .001) and the 4-star hotel (F = 13.451, p = .001) in comparison
with those exposed to negative comments. These results support
hypothesis H4. Table 4 compares the ratings of the respondents
on the five components of the quality of the website. Again, the
differences were found to be significant for 4 dimensions of the
2-star hotel website quality and 3 dimensions of the 4-star hotel
website quality.
4.2. The moderator role of trust in the comments
The trust in the comments was measured by two items from
Sparks and Browning (2011). The mean of the two items was cal-
culated and respondents were divided into two groups based on
having reported low or high trust in the views expressed by their
Facebook friends. The two groups were divided by the mean (note
that in this case, the distribution by the median rating was identical
to that based on the mean rating).
Covariance analyses were conducted to determine if trust in
the source had a moderator effect on the relationship between the
nature of comments (positive vs. negative feedback) and the four
dependent variables. The results are reported in Table 5.
According to the results, in the case of the 2-star hotel, the inter-
action between the trust that respondents have in the source and
the nature of the comments has a significant effect on all four
dependent variables: booking intentions (F = 41.089, p = 0. 000),
attitude toward the hotel (F = 42.519, p = .000), trust in the hotel
(F = 72.351, p = .000), and perception of the website (F = 27.549,
p = .000). Interaction effects were confirmed in the case of the 4-star
hotel. These effects were statistically significant: booking inten-
tions (F = 39.483, p = 0.000), attitude toward the hotel (F = 64.765,
p = .000), trust in the hotel (F = 136.194, p = .000), and perception of
the website (F = 31.396, p = .000). The results thus confirm hypothe-
ses H5a–d.
Fig. 1 reports the mean ratings of the four variables for both
hotels (the 2-star hotel and the 4-star hotel). When the trust level
is low, the effect of feedback is limited and, in most cases, not sig-
nificant. When the trust level is high, the effect of feedback on the
four variables is significant for both types of hotels. Fig. 1a reports
the mean ratings for the ‘booking intentions’ variable in the case
of the 2-star hotel. When the trust level is low, booking intentions
do not change significantly in the two situations (positive vs. neg-
ative feedback). When the trust level is high, booking intentions
increase significantly. The same findings were observed in the case
of the 4-star hotel. All these results support the moderator effect of
user trust in respect of comments generated by Facebook friends.
5. Discussion and theoretical implications
The last years have witnessed an increased interest of tourism
and hospitality researchers toward the pivotal role of online
42 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45

Table 3
Mean comparisons – MANOVA results.

Variables M (SD) M (SD) F Sig

Booking intentions 2.76 (1.063) 3.78 (1.068) 91.637 0.000

Attitudes toward the hotel 2.82 (0.946) 3.88 (0.970) 123.584 0.000
2 stars hotel
Trust toward the hotel 3.03 (0.760) 3.97 (0.657) 172.221 0.000
Hotel website quality 3.48 (1.065) 3.83 (1.072) 10.416 0.001

Booking intentions 3.00 (1.003) 3.84 (1.142) 60.384 0.000

Attitudes toward the hotel 3.18 (0.894) 4.13 (0.898) 113.612 0.000
4 stars hotel
Trust toward the hotel 3.44 (0.741) 4.21 (0.654) 120.776 0.000
Hotel website quality 4.12 (0.778) 4.39 (0.692) 13.451 0.001

Table 4
Website means comparisons.

Variables M (SD) M (SD) F Sig

The navigation on the hotel website is easy 3.74 (0.990) 3.91 (0.957) 3.230 0.073
The hotel website is simple to use 3.84 (1.000) 4.06 (0.933) 5.176 0.023
2 stars hotel The website provides relevant information 3.64 (0.951) 4.04 (0.884) 18.966 0.000
The website design is professional 3.57 (1.119) 4.01 (1.051) 16.800 0.000
The website is visually appealing 3.71 (1.185) 4.11 (1.041) 13.184 0.000

The navigation on the hotel website is easy 4.31 (0.675) 4.40 (0.776) 1.266 0.243
The hotel website is simple to use 4.31 (0.660) 4.48 (0.708) 5.805 0.016
4 stars hotel The website provides relevant information 4.04 (0.823) 4.30 (0.722) 11.288 0.001
The website design is professional 4.29 (0.787) 4.57 (0.720) 13.298 0.000
The website is visually appealing 4.38 (0.841) 4.47 (0.776) 1.378 0.241

Table 5
Moderator effect of trustworthiness review.

Dependant variable Source of variations F p

Booking intentions Review 12.200 .001

Trust toward FB review .680 .410
Review × trust toward FB review 41.089 .000
Attitudes toward Review 10.725 .001
the hotel Trust toward FB review .536 .464
Review × trust toward FB review 42.519 .000
2 stars hotel
Trust in the hotel Review 21.158 .000
Trust toward FB review 5.537 .019
Review × trust toward FB review 72.351 .000
Perception of the Review 19.064 .000
website Trust toward FB review 14.916 .000
Review × trust toward FB review 27.549 .000

Booking intentions Review 13.823 .000

Trust toward FB review 1.275 .260
Review × trust toward FB review 39.483 .000
Attitudes toward Review 22.141 .000
the hotel Trust toward FB review .061 .805
Review × trust toward FB review 64.765 .000
4 stars hotel
Trust in the hotel Review 60.527 .000
Trust toward FB review 0.090 .765
Review × trust toward FB review 136.194 .000
Perception of the Review 20.173 .000
website Trust toward FB review 2.906 .089
Review × trust toward FB review 31.396 .000

user-generated comments in influencing consumers’ attitudes and
decisions. Consumers use such platforms to express themselves
by formulating comments which are characterized by valence and
intensity. These comments appear to influence consumer attitudes:
in fact, positive (negative) feedback improves (decreases) user atti-
tude toward a hotel.
This study confirms that the comments by Facebook “friends”
have an influence on hotel-booking intentions. Internet users who
have been exposed to positive comments about a particular hotel
report significantly higher booking intentions than those who
viewed negative comments concerning it. Thus, as argued by other
studies (Duverger, 2013; Mauri and Minazzi, 2013; Sparks and
Browning, 2011; Vermeulen and Seegers, 2009; Xiang and Gretzel,
2010; Ye et al., 2011), favorable opinions increase the likelihood
of booking a hotel room. The results also support the findings
of Sparks and Browning (2011) that positive feedback increases
the level of trust shown toward the hotel. In fact, travelers who
read comments on a hotel have more trust in it if the comments
are positive rather than negative. The present study differs from
previous analyses as it focuses on a specific communication inter-
face, i.e. the Facebook social network, which allows to broaden the
scope of previous studies, especially taking into account the fact
that Facebook is a platform allowing unbiased and general-scope
communication which creates a community of “friends” who,
through sharing comments, form a certain relationship which
strengthens the credibility of the information provided by some
of them. In addition, the network has many features which allow
users to share information on their experiences in a more efficient
manner. In fact, even if this study is limited to text comments by
Facebook friends, future studies may consider sharing videos or
 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45 43

Fig. 1. Moderator effect of trust level.

photos taken at the hotel, which allows users to better assess the
quality of hotel facilities, and its interior and exterior environment.
Further studies should be conducted to examine the effect of
various types of content (comments, photo albums, videos. . .).
The contribution of the study also consists in evaluating the
effect of feedback on the perception of the hotel website. The results
indicate that the positive comments found on Facebook generate
a positive attitude toward both the hotel and its website. Respon-
dents exposed to positive comments report a more positive overall
impression of the hotel website than those exposed to negative
reviews (Chiou and Cheng, 2003; Lee et al., 2009). The same effect
is observed in the ratings granted for the navigability of the site,
its attractiveness and professional design, and the usefulness of
the information. To our knowledge, the present study is the first
one in the hospitality industry devoted to examining the effect of
feedback on the perception of the hotel website, which constitutes
an important communication interface between hotels and their
customers. The literature also demonstrates the link between the
quality of the website and the corporate image, which makes this
finding even more important.
44 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45
This study also contributes to the research in the field by study-
ing the moderator effect of trust that users have in comments. This
study answers Vermeulen and Seegers’ (2009) call for research
about the moderator role of trust in online information provided
by third parties. The findings show that when Internet users have
more trust in the comments, the polarity of the comments has
greater effects. This translates into the intention of booking, the
positive attitude toward the hotel, and the trust in it, but also in
the quality of its website. Trust in positive comments increases
the effect which they have on the four indicators retained. On
the other hand, the lack of trust mitigates this effect, which in
most cases becomes non-significant. The present study reports
higher trust ratings since the mean rating was of 3.8 on a 5-point
scale (with the median of 4). Given the role played by trust in the
comments, it would be of interest for future studies to compare
the effect that the travelers’ trust in various platforms and forms
of Internet communication has on the effectiveness of eWOM. A
number of comparison levels can be developed using experimen-
tal designs. These could include the distribution platform (social
media, tourism associations or hotel website), the message source
(family, friends, expert blogs. . .), and the message content (texts,
images, videos). In the same vein, future studies are encouraged to
consider other moderator variables to explain the effects of reviews
on consumer attitudes and decision making processes. For instance,
a demographic match between reviewer and receiver may influ-
ence trust toward a review. For instance, the social ties between the
messenger and the receptor’s would have an effect on the perceived
usefulness of the review. Messengers’ disclosure of their identity
(real photo and real name) has a positive effect on the receptor
perceived usefulness of their review (Liu and Park, 2015). Levels
of social ties on social platforms such as Facebook may influence
the review’s perceived usefulness and reviewers’ trust and per-
suasion level. The reviewers’ competence and knowledge about
hotels (e.g., number and quality of their previous comments, their
travel frequency, and their capacity to provide detailed and actual-
correct information) increase a receiver’s trust toward comments
and reviewers.
This study focuses on hotels which are little-known to trav-
elers or not at all. Vermeulen and Seegers (2009) argue that the
effects of feedback on the reputation of the hotel and the atti-
tude toward it are strongest in the case of lesser-known hotels.
Their study emphasizes that positive reviews positively influ-
ence behavior while negative reviews have a low impact. The
present study does not contradict the findings of Vermeulen and
Seegers (2009) as it does not take into account the neutral situa-
tion (absence of positive and negative comments). Future studies
should compare the difference in the effects which positive and
negative comments have on the attitude toward the hotel and
the intention of booking a room in it in the case of little-known
hotels and those which are well-known to travelers (international
hotel chains). In the latter case, the investigators should consider
the effect of the travelers’ previous experience with the hotel
chain.
Services have two components: a core element (e.g., hotel
room cleanness and bed comfort) and supplementary services
such as information, order taking, billing and payment (Lovelock
and Wirtz, 2007). These supplementary services facilitate hotel
service use, increase its appeal, and differentiate it from com-
petition. Indeed, they enhance hotel-service value and reinforce
its positioning. The experimental design developed for this study
does not distinguish between these two service components.
Future research is encouraged to compare, in particular, the
effects of negative comments on consumer decision and behavior,
in the cases of core service dissatisfaction and supplemen-
tary service satisfaction (e.g., disappointment with hotel-service
staff).
6. Managerial implications
Users of social networks, in particular Facebook, attach impor-
tance to the opinions of their peers. Moreover, as social networks
have become increasingly important, many companies maintain
profiles on them, but do necessarily pay attention to the content
that is generated by their users. The present study raises the aware-
ness of marketing managers in various tourism sectors (sellers of
tourist destinations, managers of hotels and restaurants) concern-
ing the importance of eWOM and its (positive and negative) effects
on the financial performance of their businesses. In the area under
discussion, these comments often take the form of stories told and
repeated over time through reviews and testimonials which influ-
ence the reputation, image and renown of the hotel sites. Given the
fact that consumers display an even stronger resistance to conven-
tional marketing strategies, and an active and thoughtful approach
characterized by the striving to seek information by themselves,
the Web has become a two-edged weapon for hotel companies. This
fact forces them to constantly reassess and improve their strategies,
and online presence and monitoring.
Therefore, taking into consideration the results of this study,
companies of the hospitality industry should focus on the content
that is published about them on social networks, in particular
because it influences booking intentions, trust and appreciation by
tourists, and even the perception of the quality of their websites.
Thus, users who are exposed to negative comments about a hotel
tend to have less trust in the hotel and their booking intentions are
lower than those who are exposed to positive reviews. Hotel man-
agers must ensure control and quickly manage adverse situations
and “offensive” comments which can be communicated regarding
them. Regardless of the efforts which the hospitality-sector play-
ers may make to develop their image, it could be influenced by
the content generated by the users of social media like Facebook.
Those players should establish electronic monitoring procedures to
identify and quickly manage, where appropriate, the information
communicated about them. It would be advisable for hotel-sector
companies to employ specialists in the management of social net-
works (and various other types of Internet platforms) who should
ensure the management of the company’s brand image and counter
negative information conveyed by users. Obviously, this should
not prevent these companies from focusing on their core mission,
which consists in satisfying and delighting consumers, managing
the relationship with them, and preventing any dissatisfaction.
It is also important for managers in the hospitality industry to be
able to identify the opinion leaders and the ambassadors of hotel
brands. In fact, opinion leaders have the ability to influence the
beliefs and choices of those in their surroundings concerning dif-
ferent categories of products and services, especially those referred
to as experiential. In the Internet era, blogs and forums can influ-
ence travelers in their choice of hosting and restaurant venues. They
are considered to be “experts” and have a considerable power to
diffuse content on the Internet to an audience who is looking for
credible and impartial comments and testimonials. It is therefore
imperative to identify these leaders/observers, follow the nature of
the content they publish, and respond in an efficient and prompt
manner to comments that could harm the image of the company.
7. Study limitations
At least three limitations must be taken into account in inter-
preting the obtained results. First, as pointed out by Malhotra
(2010), one of the limitations of experimentation is the potential
research artifact. It consists in the fact that respondents try to
guess what the purpose of experimentation is and respond accord-
ingly. In this case, the respondents could read the comments and
assume, for example, that they are aimed to change their attitude
 R. Ladhari, M. Michaud / International Journal of Hospitality Management 46 (2015) 36–45
toward the hotel. Secondly, the experiment may be biased by the
intervention of uncontrolled external variables. In the present
study, an attempt was made to control certain variables, such as
the characteristics of respondents, by restricting the sample to a
student population (Malhotra, 2010), which helped to limit the
effects of age and income. Moreover, ad hoc testing confirmed
the absence of significant differences between the four groups
concerning the measured demographic characteristics, such as
age, gender, and income differences. Finally, this study does not
take into account interactions between users on the Facebook
network, such as exchanges between a potential traveler and his
Facebook friends (e.g., requests for additional information, sharing
private photos taken in and around the hotel).
8. Conclusion
This study offers interesting and relevant results concerning the
influence of social networks on the choice of a hotel. The study
examines the influence of comments generated by friends on the
Facebook network on the intentions of booking a hotel, the appre-
ciation of it, the trust that users have in it, and the perception of the
quality of its website. The results of the experiment demonstrate
the existence of this influence and emphasize the moderator role
of the trust that users have in those comments.
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