Content Analysis of Online Complaints Towards Hotels in Baguio City, Philippines

Abstract

The hospitality industry is now experiencing vulnerability due to the ease of posting negative reviews online. Although this feedback is vital in improving a hotel's operation, it will also destroy the hotel's reputation if not appropriately addressed. This study aims to determine the most common complaints received online by DOT-accredited resorts and major hotels in Camp John Hay under hotel department and modified SERVQUAL dimensions; identify the managerial response of hotels to negative online complaints, and create a complaint-response pattern for negative online complaints. The study used qualitative and descriptive design using online complaints posted on TripAdvisor for one year, from January 2019 to December 2019. There were 85 online posts that contained a negative review, of which 164 complaints were extracted. Results showed that the housekeeping department and reliability dimension reflected the highest complaint. Of all the negative online reviews, 62.20% received a managerial response. The complaint-response pattern showed that acknowledging the problem is at the peak across all hotel departments and ServQual dimension, apologizing as the next. It is concluded that the condition of the hotel's physical properties and efficiency of human resources in providing error-free service are the primary sources of the complaints. Also, hotel management has a different approach in responding to negative complaints showing management strength for some hotels and a weakness for some hotels. In general, the result indicates that managerial response to e-complaints can still be improved.