DOI: 10.30519/ahtr.

536303
Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR) 2020
An International Journal of Akdeniz University Tourism Faculty Vol. 8 (1)
ISSN: 2147-9100 (Print), 2148-7316 (Online) 1-29
Webpage: http://www.ahtrjournal.org/

THE EFFECTS ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR OF HOTEL

RELATED COMMENTS ON THE TRIPADVISOR WEBSITE: AN
ISTANBUL CASE1

Emrah Sıtkı YILMAZ 2

Gaziantep University, Turkey
ORCID: 0000-0003-2741-4222

ABSTRACT
In parallel with the major developments witnessed in Article History
Received 6 March 2019
information technologies, social media, supported by its broad
Revised 16 July 2019
area of usage, is gaining significance in every field, with the
Accepted 22 July 2019
tourism sector being no exception in this regard. The transfer of
changing marketing strategies via digital channels into social
media has transformed the way customers interact with the
tourism sector, having now the ability to access the comments of Keywords
other consumers via social media, and adjusting their preferences TripAdvisor
accordingly. In this study, the impact of the content analysis on social networking sites
the star rating given to hotels is examined with a “Panel Data Istanbul
panel data methodology
Analysis” of all the hotels in Istanbul that have received a
consumer comments
maximum of 25 reviews on the TripAdvisor website, with a total
tourism sector
of 12,000 comments assessed. It was found that the location of the
hotel, the access to transport facilities, the food and beverage
concept, the quality of staff/service, and the cleanliness of the
facilities all affected the star ratings given to hotels; while the
architectural structure and the recommendations of other guests
had a lesser effect. It was further noted that entertainment-
animation programs had little effect on guest preferences.

1
This manuscript is based on dissertation research of the author at the Department of Business
Administration, Gaziantep University.
2
Address correspondence to Emrah Sıtkı Yilmaz (PhD), Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, TURKEY.
E-mail: [email protected]

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Yılmaz

INTRODUCTION

In parallel with the technological developments around the world in

recent years, the means by which we “access information” have changed
dramatically, leading to changes in the way people make their purchasing
choices. These changes in the accessibility of information have affected
institutions and consumers’ alike, and social networking has added a
distinct dynamism to communication, raising the importance and
increasing the scope of “blogs” and the mutual exchange of information.
Such outlets of information can provide ideal opportunities for the
marketing, branding, development and positioning of products, for
increasing corporate reputation, for the making of market researches and
for the evaluation of customer feedback. At the same time, such blogs can
aid consumers in identifying their needs, allowing an analysis of their
alternatives and guiding the other consumers together with the evaluation
stages after the exchange of traditional information (Mazzarol et al., 2007;
Nardi et al., 2007; Gretzel & Yoo, 2008; Sweeney et al., 2008; Howe, 2009;
Deng et al., 2014).

For customers of the tourism and hospitality sector, acquiring

information and making purchasing decisions based on this information
can be realized in the easiest and fastest way through the comments and
information provided by social networking sites (Liu & Park, 2015). The
rapid advances in information technologies have led to significant changes
in the global tourism and hospitality sector, and today, consumers can
turn to such resources as TripAdvisor – one of the leading blog sites
influencing tourism preferences –to quickly access data about hotels. This
puts them at the very center of these organizations, and these sources
provide significant opportunities not only to consumers, but also hotels,
having become a key component of the tourism sector (Buhalis & Law,
2008; Litvin et al., 2008; Lee & Youn, 2009; Stringam & Gerdes Jr, 2010;
Neuhofer et al., 2012; Leung et al., 2013; Ladhari & Michaud, 2015).

As trip planners lack a general criterion for the measurement of a

tourism experience on which to base their purchase decisions, they need
the opinions and comments of users with previous experience of their
planned destinations, and therefore often consider pre-travel inspections,
since it is impossible to experience every aspect of the destination prior to
making a purchasing decision. Accordingly, content created by users
plays an important role in the creation of a brand and image, as well as in
target awareness and choice (Mazzarol et al., 2007; Gretzel & Yoo, 2008;
Sweeney et al., 2008). The increasing number of contributors to social

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 Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 8 (1)

networking sites and blogs has emerged as a means of better

understanding consumer behavior, allowing enterprises also to increase
their sustainability and strengthen their brand (Hashim & Murphy, 2007;
Levy et al., 2013). Digital platforms such as social networking sites and
blogs serve as an active platform for the exchange of information between
the guest and the hotel and business manager; permit the evaluation of
customer comments, reviews and suggestions; provide an opportunity to
build trust and recognition; and give businesses the opportunity to correct
negative customer experiences, while also facilitating the development of
brand perception, providing access to a large customer information
network and allowing the consideration of consumer feedback prior to the
development of new products or services (Baird & Parasnis, 2011; Sigala,
2012; Rosario et al., 2013).

Within the modern marketing concept, the expected effects on

online consumer behaviors occur spontaneously as a result of efforts to
gather the necessary information to meet demands and needs in the best
possible way, to evaluate this information and to understand all aspects of
consumer behavior, based on the comments and reviews made by guests
after making a purchase. Online consumer behaviors are considered as
conceptual conscious consumers in the concept of contemporary
marketing, and are defined as the power of information, researching
information, sharing of information results and the power of information
technologies by determining the needs of consumers, meeting their needs
and specifying positive or negative comments after the purchase. From
this perspective, social networking sites and blogs can directly influence
how consumers make their purchasing decisions, making use of online
environments and the shared opinions and comments of others, thus
giving power to consumer behavior patterns by directly affecting
consumer behaviors (Constantinides & Stagno, 2011; Yilmaz, 2017).

For Turkey, where the tourism sector is the leading source of

income, the number of tourists visiting the country is very important
(Turkish Statistical Institute, 2018). As one of the largest and most touristic
cities in Europe, and the only city in the world that is located on two
different continents (Europe and Asia), Istanbul has significant tourism
potential in terms of historical tours, shopping, world cuisine and
nightlife, and is one of the leading cities in Turkey's tourism sector.
Following a rising trend since the beginning of the 2000s, and hosting
39,488,401 foreign visitors in 2018, Istanbul was still Turkey's most visited
city in 2018, with 13,729,747 guests (Turkish Statistical Institute, 2018). The
city has been able to increase its value as a tourism destination thanks to

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the presence of hotels appealing to all tastes. Due to the advantages they
bring and the dynamic role they play in Turkey's tourism sector, digital
travel platforms like TripAdvisor, and the details they provide of the
products, services and accommodation provided by the many different
types of hotels, are very seriously by the sector in Istanbul. The city also
pays close attention to the comments, reviews and suggestions made on
such platforms, and addresses almost all of the positive or negative
comments made on these sites by adjusting the provided services
accordingly. Advanced blog sites such as TripAdvisor have filled an
important gap in the market for consumers when making their choice of
destination, with significant reliance and emphasis placed on consumer
comments (Park & Kim, 2008; Gretzel & Yoo, 2008).

This study assesses how the opinions and comments made about
hotels on TripAdvisor, as one of the leading tourism-related blog sites,
affect consumer behaviors, and the criteria determined by the content
analysis based on these interpretations. The study also looks into how
potential guests have an impact on hotel preferences. For the study, the 25
hotels that have attracted the most comments by consumers on the
TripAdvisor site, are identified, with a total of 12,000 comments about
these hotels analyzed. The results of this analysis have been used to
determine the criteria for specific subheadings. The study further makes a
panel data analysis to examine the impact of these criteria on the hotel
preferences of consumers for a four-year period. Determining these
impacts, it is believed, will make a significant contribution both to the
hotel sector and the body of tourism literature.

The contributions of this study to the existing body of literature are

threefold. First, this is the first study to investigate the determinants of
tourist hotel preferences by making use of an econometric approach.
Second, the hotels are evaluated in whole sample, which leads to more
consistent findings than previous studies due to the adopted panel data
methodology. Third, this study examines tourist preferences based on
seven different criteria (architectural structure of the hotels, general
cleaning services, food and beverage concept, personnel and service
quality, entertainment and animation services, location and transportation
facilities, and the ranking of the hotel, as scored by other users), providing
clear data on consumer preferences that can be used by hotels to steer
policy and strategies to attract more guests.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

With the spread of the Internet and developments in communication

technologies, new platforms affecting living spaces are emerging. These
platforms are growing with the inclusion of people in social groups and
virtual communities on the Internet, resulting in a shift in the knowledge
economy toward the production of information by consumers. Social
networking sites that prioritize these platforms, and that eliminate the
boundaries between the producer and consumer, are able to increase their
institutional capital day-by-day through the use of cheap technological
tools (Howe, 2009; Yamamoto & Şekeroğlu, 2014).

Most blogs serve as places where people put down their thoughts
in the way they want, and as a branch of social networking, offer a means
of mutual communication where individuals can make comments and
receive online responses at any time. The ability to respond to these online
comments by consumers and institutions with the desire to do so makes
blogs an important element in marketing in terms of the transfer of capital
strength to the consumer (Williams & Jacobs, 2004; Seyrek & Yilmaz,
2016).

The history of blogs dates back to 1997, and their creation has been
attributed to Internet author John Barger. The term “blog” is derives from
the “Weblogs”, being defined as “Logs created in a web or Internet
environment”. Blogs have been defined as “free lecture” environments in
view of their structure in which the writer and reader are free to express
their opinions. They have been referred to also as “virtual media diaries”,
with posts displayed in reverse chronological order to ensure that the
most recent contents can be seen and read easily. Blogs have further been
described as learning-oriented structures in which text, links, images, and
audio and video recordings can be uploaded, as well as being an
environment where news can be gathered, various Internet links can be
provided, and users can write whatever they want, resulting in a
constantly updated platform (Prensky, 2001; Bausch et al., 2002; Williams
& Jacobs, 2004; Boyd & Ellison, 2007; Murugesan, 2007; Ostrander, 2007;
Eley & Tilley, 2009; Seyrek & Yilmaz, 2016).

Blogs that have the capacity to involve people in collaborative

activities and information sharing have become an important source of
information in every field, and the tourism sector is no exception
(Williams & Jacobs, 2004; Werthner & Ricci, 2004). The increase in the
online exchange of travel information has allowed tourists to consider
many options when searching for a suitable hotel. In this context, since

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blogs take on the task of collecting information, archiving such as

information retrieval and comparison, and shaping the tourism industry,
tourism activities are affected more by other sectors (Bausch et al., 2002;
Pan et al., 2007).

Playing an important role in shaping the tourism sector and making

use of advanced technologies, travel blog sites provide consumers with
important data that can steer their purchasing habits, and particularly the
comments of previous users highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of
hotels, based on their first-hand experiences. Every year, the increasing
number of people with tourism mobility and the wealth of available
information on the tourism sector have made the use of the most reliable
and well-known of the blog sites almost obligatory. TripAdvisor and
similar blog sites operating in the tourism sector serve as an important
source for the evaluation of consumer preferences in tourism, given their
growing coverage. Through the comments and evaluations posted by
consumers, TripAdvisor has a great deal of influence over potential
guests, and as a result, its standing among the blog sites that are active in
the field of tourism. The shared tourism experiences in the form of
comments on advanced blog sites such as TripAdvisor allows us to better
understand the dynamics in the sector, and offers significant potential to
businesses and managers, while also guiding potential guests in their
purchasing decisions (Jeong & Jeon, 2008; Zheng et al., 2009; Sparks &
Browning, 2010; Stringam et al., 2010; Limberger et al., 2014; Molinillo et
al., 2016).

TripAdvisor was established in the United States in 2000, and has

grown to become one of the largest and most popular online travel
resources in the world (Law, 2006). The site serves as a message board for
content created by users focusing on accommodation and travel, and has
grown into a platform listing approximately 7.7 million registered tourism
enterprises that have been subjected to over 661 million evaluations. Some
456 million people on average visit the site every month, millions of which
are carrying out research before confirming their travel plans. Visitors to
TripAdvisor can access and analyze consumer reviews of thousands of
hotels, attractions and historical sites, cities and restaurants, supported by
travel photos, prior to making an online reservation (Law, 2006; Milano et
al., 2011; Vásquez, 2011). The TripAdvisor strategy involves the collection,
analysis, exchange and use of information among tourism stakeholders,
with its main purpose being to create competitiveness and technological
infrastructure of supply and demand based on tourism industry, to

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increase its functionality, to create common benefits and to provide value

in innovative ways (Sigala, 2012).

More than 80% of today's travelers make use of such blog sites as
TripAdvisor that provide reviews and evaluations of businesses operating
in the tourism sector, offering customers potential alternatives, and
selection of selections, along with after-service experiences. Statistics show
that 77.9% of customers who turn to online travel blog sites in search of
information based on their individual preferences are influenced by the
reviews of other consumers, and they take these reviews into account
when making purchasing decisions (Briggs et al., 2007; Mazzarol et al.,
2007; Gretzel & Yoo, 2008; Sweeney et al., 2008; Dickinger, 2011; Molinillo
et al., 2016).

This situation has created a sense that positive or negative

comments can both have significant implications for the tourism sector in
literature, that consumers change their minds and that online consumer
behavior has been shaped from the very outset, as has been widely
evaluated by many authors in connection with digital channels (Law,
2006; Briggs et al., 2007; Chung & Buhalis, 2008; Jeong & Jeon, 2008;
Miguéns et al., 2008; O’Connor, 2008; 2010; Yoo & Gretzel, 2009; Barcala et
al., 2009; Law et al., 2009; Sparks & Browning, 2010; Stringam et al., 2010;
Lu & Stepchenkova, 2012; Simms, 2012). Given the rapid evolution of
technologies, the increasing global competition, the ever-changing
consumer demands and trends, and the long-term sustainability and
competitiveness fostered by advanced blog sites such as TripAdvisor are
progressively dependent on a business’s ability to continuously update
and enrich its services and functionality. Accordingly, TripAdvisor should
make progress such as producing new values, researching advanced
potential sources and creating value-added production. In addition, it
should internationalize its social media capabilities, its technological use
of mobile facilities and the services it provides, while also expanding and
enriching production capabilities with the help of travel content.
TripAdvisor’ leading position among blog sites operating in the tourism
sector has been bolstered by its ability to allow its users and potential
customers to be influential in terms of the opinions and comments made
(Gretzel & Yoo, 2008; Dahlander & Gann, 2010).

The change brought to online consumer behaviors through content-

rich social networking sites has led to changes in some of the criteria
related to hotel preferences in TripAdvisor. Even the simplest form of
criteria, being positive or negative opinions and comments about hotels,

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can have an impact on consumer behavior (Anderson, 2012; Yang & Chao,
2015; Chen & Law, 2016; Chen & Ng, 2017; Lombardi & Vernero, 2017;
Tsao et al., 2018). An analysis of studies investigating this effect reveals
that positive or negative opinions and comments influence consumer
behaviors. Some potential customers, before making hotel preferences,
review the observations made on TripAdvisor, and show that they are
oriented towards hotel preferences with positive feedback and higher
rating scores, indicating that online consumer behaviors are shaped in this
direction (Park & Allen, 2013; Liu & Park, 2015; Luo et al., 2015; Molinillo
et al., 2016; Chan et al., 2017; Phillips et al., 2017; Mariani & Borghi, 2018;
Ruiz-Mafe et al., 2018). It is seen that, unlike the other study results
detected, some potential customers find negative opinions and reviews of
hotels to be more realistic, and this shapes their online consumer
behaviors in this direction (Godes & Mayzlin, 2004; Casaló et al., 2015;
Park & Nicolau, 2015).

Many studies have been carried out to determine which criteria

derived from the comments and reviews made on TripAdvisor, which is
accepted as the leading blog site in the tourism sector, are important
factors in determining purchasing behaviors in terms of their effect on
consumer preferences. The opinions and comments about hotels that are
effective in consumer preferences play a decisive role in purchasing
behaviors (Jeong & Jeon, 2008; Barcala et al., 2009), among which staff-
service, location-transport access and price-performance (Barriocanal et
al., 2010); architectural structure, food and beverage and price-
performance (O'Connor, 2010); architectural structure, staff-service, food
and beverage, and price-performance (Stringam et al., 2010); architectural
structure, cleanliness, staff-service, food-beverage and location-transport
access (Bronner & Hoog, 2011); staff-service (Tejada & Moreno, 2013);
architectural structure (Lado-Sestayo et al., 2014; Zhou et al., 2014);
location-transport access (Limberger et al., 2014); architectural structure,
cleanliness, staff-service, location-transportation and price-performance
(Xie et al., 2014); cleanliness and location-transport access (Xie et al., 2016);
staff-service and architectural structure (Molinillo et al., 2016) are the most
influential.

It is apparent that the entertainment-animation criterion is ignored

in the studies conducted in literature in which city hotels are examined
and evaluated (Jeong & Jeon, 2008; Barcala et al., 2009; Barriocanal et al.,
2010; O'Connor, 2010; Stringam et al., 2010; Bronner & Hoog, 2011; Tejada
& Moreno, 2013; Lado-Sestayo et al., 2014; Limberger et al., 2014; Xie et al.,
2014; Zhou et al., 2014; Xie et al., 2016; Molinillo et al., 2016), and that the

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entertainment-animation criteria applies mostly to holiday hotels (Yilmaz

& Aytekin, 2018). In literature, the effect of the entertainment-animation
criteria on the hotel preferences of potential customers is investigated in
order to eliminate the lack of such data on city hotels.

In the light of all these findings, the present study makes an

assessment of the comments posted about the hotels on TripAdvisor, and
determines the impact of the criteria identified in the comments and the
star rating given to the hotels.

EMPIRICAL MODELS, METHODS AND DATA

At this juncture, an empirical model is determined, and the reasons for

choosing the hotels in Istanbul, which straddles Asia and Europe and can
be considered as Turkey's most important city in terms of its history,
metropolitan structure and tourism mobility, are examined. Considering
the literature review, the obtained theoretical information and the applied
content analysis, the model explains in detail the impact of seven
independent variables – which are accepted as important by guests
considering the online comments by TripAdvisor users – on the star
ratings given to hotels. In addition, the data sets related to the variables
included in the model, the forms of these data sets and the panel data
method that will be utilized in the empirical analysis are clarified.

The first criterion is hotel architecture, and relates to the hotel

architecture and the general situation of the hotel, the size of the rooms,
the usefulness of the rooms, the usability and uniqueness of the properties
and the hotel fixtures and rooms, the swimming areas (sea, pool, aqua
park, beach, etc.), the common areas (restaurants, bars, spa, sauna, Turkish
Bath, amphitheater, gym, mini club, etc.), and the accessibility of all points
within the hotel. The second criterion relates to cleanliness, and includes
such sub-headings as general hotel cleanliness, room cleanliness (bath,
toilet, bed linen, etc.), the cleanliness of the environment and the
swimming areas (sea, pool, aqua park-beach, etc.), the cleanliness of the
common areas (restaurants, bars, spa, sauna, Turkish Bath, amphitheater,
mini club etc.), and the cleanliness of the equipment throughout the hotel.
The third criterion relates to food and beverage, and includes variety,
flavor, freshness, brand quality, quality of service, the accessibility of the
food and beverage areas, children's restaurants and menus, and the
variety and quality of the hotel bars and the minibars. The fourth criterion
relates to staff-service, and comprises such sub-topics as staff interest and

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professionalism, service speed and quality, problem solving, friendliness

and kindness, check-in/check-out, room service and lobby services,
welcome and farewell, and bell boy services. The fifth criterion relates to
entertainment-animation, and covers the entertainment provided (parties,
concerts, DJ performances, live music, etc.), animation (sea, pool, aqua
park, beach, etc.), mini clubs (kids’ activities and child care), spa, sauna,
Turkish Bath, amphitheater, sporting activities (paragliding, balloon, jet
ski, games, competitions, etc.), and local tours and excursions. The sixth
criterion relates to location and transport access, and covers the proximity
of the hotel to other locations (airport, bus station, hospital, shopping
centers, amusement centers, etc.); the frequency of transport services
around the region; the proximity of the hotel to the region's unique and
historical sites; the public transport system in the city; and the proximity
of the accommodation units to the swimming areas, common areas and
restaurants in the hotel. The recommendation criterion, which is the final
criterion within the specified criteria, includes such subheadings as
positive or negative recommendations, as well as the satisfaction with
price/performance.

Empirical Model

To investigate the impact on the hotel star rating of the criteria prioritized
by customers in their analysis of the available hotel options, the following
empirical model panel is developed in this study;

(1)

in which the InSP refers to the average star rating of the hotel; lnARC to
the architectural structure of the hotel; lnGC to the hotel's general cleaning
services; lnFB to food and beverage quality within the hotel concept; lnPS
to the staff and service quality of the hotel; lnEA to the entertainment &
animation services provided by the hotel; lnLOC to the hotel’s location;
and lnREC to the recommendations made by other consumers.
Furthermore, i, t and εit refer respectively to the horizontal section (hotel),
period of time and disturbance terms.

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Data

The hotels located in Istanbul listed on TripAdvisor were examined, and

the 25 hotels that received the most reviews and comments on the website
are included in the study sample. While generating data sets, the
comments and star points given to each hotel were included, along with
their monthly average in the model, and “2015m–12018m12” observation
interval was evaluated. The number of related comments and hotels
specified in the data set are explained in detail in Annex A.

Some 12,000 comments made about the 25 hotels selected for the
study were examined and subjected to a content analysis, resulting in
seven different criteria with different subheadings being determined in
connection with the literature reviews. These criteria include the main
headings of hotel architecture, cleanliness, food-beverage, staff-service,
entertainment-animation, location and advice.

Statistical Analysis

LLC and IPS unit tests were carried out for the subject of the study, and
the stability of the data included in the study was tested. In the following
stage, preliminary tests were made of the proposed panel regression
analysis model, after which coefficient estimation analyses were carried
out to determine the weighting of the determined criteria.

LLC Unit Root Testing

The LLC unit root test revealed that individual unit root tests have only
limited power against the alternative hypothesis, and that dramatically
permanent deviations from the balance will occur (Levin et al., 2002).
Accordingly, the zero hypothesis of this research can be concluded to
comprise the unit root for each separate time series, while alternative
hypothesis is static for each time series. In the light of these findings, the
basic equation of the test was developed as follows;

, . (2)

in which refers to the deterministic variable and to the coefficient

vector. Since the value in the equation is unidentified, a three-phase
procedure is applied for the test-related calculations. In the first stage, an

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Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) regression is made separately for each

series included in the panel, after which, estimations are made of the long-
term and short-term standard error rates for each series, while a
measurement of the pooled t statistic is made for the final step.

In first phase, the above stated hypothesis is applied for each

horizontal section. The lag length ( ) is allowed to be different among the
horizontal sections. The maximum lag length ( ) is chosen for the
period T, and the t statistic of is preferred if a smaller delay length is
selected. According to the null hypothesis, it is observed that t statistics
have a standard regular distribution.

is calculated, and regressions are applied to the

appropriate deterministic variable and , and the inclusions
and are obtained. These inclusions are normalized through the
following calculations: and . In the second phase,
calculations are made of the long- and short-term standard error rates.
Referring to the null hypothesis accepting the unit root’s existence, the
model’s long-term variance is measured through the following calculation
(Levin et al., 2002):

(3)

in which K refers to the transition lag, and L is the regular lag. K should be
measured in such a way that the consistency of the variance is not
disturbed. The formula is used to calculate the Bartlett
kernel, and the following formula is used to calculate the mean standard
error;

(4)

Panel test statistics are calculated in the third phase using the
following regression with the number of NT observations;
(5)

in which, t refers to mean number of observations per horizontal section,

and ρ refers to the mean lag length of each ADF (Çetin & Ecevit, 2010).

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IPS Unit Root Testing

Based on the results of this test, calculated with the average of particular
unit root test statistics and allowing for heterogeneity of the horizontal
sections, the following regression equation can be developed (Baltagi,
2011; Im et al., 2003);

(6)

The equation has a constant and trendy structure, and so the trend
should be deleted from the equation to obtain a constant equation. The
rejection of null hypothesis according to the IPS test implies that one or
more than one of the series is static.

Im et al. (2003) measured the t statistics of each horizontal section as

, and then calculated the mean Z of ti using the following
formula;
(7)

The t value can be calculated using the following formula (Çetin &
Ecevit, 2010);

(8)

RESULTS

At this stage of the study, the results of the empirical analysis aimed at
determining the data levels of the 25 hotels in Istanbul and the factors
affecting the hotel preferences of the customers are investigated. To this
end, the stability of the series is first examined via a panel unit root test,
and the required preliminary tests for the selection of either the panel
constant or the panel random effects models are made. Finally, the
coefficients of the effects of each independent variable on hotel
preferences are calculated.

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Unit Root Test Results

The unit root tests developed by Levin et al. (2002) and Im et al. (2003) are
applied to the Istanbul data, and the stability of the series is calculated
within the model. The unit root test results are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Unit Root Test Results for Istanbul

Variable LLC IPS
-4.813* -10.989*
lnSP
(0.000) (0.000)
-4.475* -10.074*
lnARC
(0.000) (0.000)
-3.124* -8.550*
lnGC
(0.000) (0.000)
-3.800* -8.199*
lnFB
(0.000) (0.000)
-3.871* -11.469*
lnPS
(0.000) (0.000)
-3.476* -7.638*
lnEA
(0.000) (0.000)
-6.193* -10.941*
lnLOC
(0.000) (0.000)
-4.659* -9.440*
lnREC
(0.000) (0.000)
*p<0.001.

In the application of unit root tests, the Newey-West estimator is

preferred to address the autocorrelation problem, while the optimum
delay lengths are determined based on the Schwarz Information Criteria
(SIC). An examination of the results presented in Table 1 reveals that the
null hypothesis, which claims that the series contains a root unit for all
variables, is rejected by both tests, and that the variables are static at all
level values. As this finding contradicts the situation necessary for the
identification of a co-integration relationship between variables, the
coefficient estimation leads to the use of the panel regression method,
based on the level values of the series. From this it can be concluded that
the comments made on TripAdvisor are not influenced by each other, and
that the data can be static.

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Preliminary Test Results

When deciding whether to apply fixed or random effects in the panel data
analysis, it is necessary to test the pooled regression of the model prior to
the estimation of the coefficient, and to carry out preliminary tests. Before
proceeding with the application of preliminary tests, it is necessary to
determine whether to use fixed effects or pooled regression. An F-test was
applied for this purpose, and from the results it was concluded that the
null hypothesis determining the pooled regression should be used is
rejected, and that the fixed effects model should be preferred. The results
of the F-test are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. F-test Results

Statistic d.f. Prob.
Cross-section F 2.132 (24,868) 0.001
Cross-section Chi-square 51.569 24 0.000

After determining that the fixed effects model should be preferred

over a pooled regression model, LM tests were applied to choose between
the random effects and pooled regression models. The results of the
different LM tests, which indicate that the zero hypotheses and pooled
models should be preferred over the random effects model, are presented
in Table 3. It can be seen from the result that the null hypothesis is rejected
for all tests, meaning that the random effects model should be selected
over the pooled model.

Table 3. LM Test Results

Cross-
Tests Time Both
section
Breusch-Pagan 4.355 0.075 4.431
(0.036) (0.783) (0.035)
Honda 2.087 -0.274 1.281
(0.018) -- (0.100)
King-Wu 2.087 -0.274 1.432
(0.018) -- (0.076)
Standardized Honda 3.796 -0.181 -3.846
(0.000) -- --
Standardized King-Wu 3.796 -0.181 -3.588
(0.000) -- --
Gourierioux et al. -- -- 4.355
(< 0.05)

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Yılmaz

Finally, the results of the Hausman test, which is used to choose

between the fixed effects and random effects models, indicate that the null
hypothesis that implies the necessity to use the random effects model, is
rejected, and that the constant effects model is the most accurate model for
the analysis. The results of the Hausman Test are presented in Table 4.

Table 4. Hausman Test Results

Chi-Sq. Statistic Chi-Sq. d.f. Prob.

Cross-section random 10.699 7 0.152

Coefficient Estimation Results

The results of the coefficient estimation of the panel constant effects for the
interpretation of the determined factors and the determination of severity
levels are presented in detail in Table 5.

Table 5. Panel Fixed Effects Coefficient Estimation Results

Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob.
lnARC 0.158 0.005 29.395 0.000
lnGC 0.167 0.007 22.566 0.000
InFB 0.170 0.005 29.214 0.000
lnPS 0.154 0.003 39.560 0.000
lnEA 0.000 0.001 0.479 0.631
lnLOC 0.163 0.010 15.324 0.000
lnREC 0.171 0.016 10.586 0.000
C 0.024 0.014 1.652 0.098
Cross-section fixed (dummy variables)
Effects Specification S.D. Rho
Cross-section random 0.001 0.036
Idiosyncratic random 0.007 0.963
Weighted Statistics
R-squared 0.930 Mean dependent var 0.960
Adjusted R-squared 0.929 S.D. dependent var 0.028
S.E. of regression 0.007 Sum squared resid 0.050
F-statistic 1707.138 Durbin-Watson stat 2.179
Prob(F-statistic) 0.000
Unweighted Statistics
R-squared 0.965 Mean dependent var 1.471
Sum squared resid 0.051 Durbin-Watson stat 2.122

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 Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 8 (1)

According to the data in Table 5, when the results of the fixed

effects model for Istanbul are examined, it is seen that the effects of the
other observed factors on the star rating averages of hotels are positive
and statistically significant.

It can be understood from the findings that hotel architecture

increases the guest preference and average star rating by 0.15%; the
cleanliness of the hotel by 0.16%; the food and beverage facilities by 0.17%;
the staff-service quality by 0.15%; the hotel's location and transport access
by 0.16%; and finally, the recommendations made about the hotel by
0.17%. The entertainment-animation criterion was found to have no
statistically significant effect on guest preference or the average star rating.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

An evaluation of the findings reveals that all criteria other than

entertainment-animation programs have the power to influence the same
proportion of potential hotel guests in Istanbul. Among these criteria, it is
concluded that those such as recommendations from other customers, the
food-beverage concept, cleanliness, location and transportation,
architectural structure and the quality of staff-services are close to each
other in terms of their influence over potential customers. In addition, it
can be understood that the entertainment-animation criterion for Istanbul
is not important for potential customers and does not affect choice.

Considering the criteria garnered through a content analysis of the

comments posted on the TripAdvisor.com.tr website, the fact that
recommendations are the leading factor affecting hotel choice in Istanbul,
that most of the hotels in the rankings are four-star boutique-style hotels
and resort district in contrast to the five-star hotels in Turkey, and that
most of the hotels are located on the European side of the city and very
close to each other indicates that these hotels have similar concepts and
facilities. This indicates that the criteria determined by potential customers
are effective, and that they may be influenced by recommendations or
non-recommendations, as included in the aforementioned criteria. It is
apparent also that “price-performance” satisfaction, which falls below the
recommendation effect in previous literature, is also taken into
consideration by potential customers in Istanbul, concurring with the
results of previous literature (Jeong & Jeon, 2008; Barcala et al., 2009;
Barriocanal et al., 2010; O'Connor, 2010; Limberger et al., 2014). In general,
a city hotel’s location and transportation facilities are more important for

17
Yılmaz

customers, along with such criteria as proximity to destination, food-

beverage and staff-service facilities; and the impact of recommendation
and satisfaction with price/performance are much more important
considering the capacity to take measures against price differences and the
characteristics of the hotels in terms of preference for those who are more
prominent than their counterparts.

The fact that the food and beverage criterion comes to the fore
among other factors indicates the prevalence of a “bed-breakfast” concept,
and that the breakfast services offered to the guests by the hotel is of high
importance, despite being free of charge, and is evaluated in terms of
quality, taste, variety and presentation. Furthermore, the quality, taste,
variety and presentation of the food and beverages offered at other meals
are considered as another important factor by the customers. In this area,
customers tend to look at the variety of food and beverage options, the
bars in the hotel concept and mini bars in the rooms, the freshness of the
products used, the quality of the products, the taste, presentation quality
and service times, as well as the availability of popular brands. Compared
to other hotels in the holiday regions, the concept of food and beverage is
more important in this region, even though the concept differences are
limited in Istanbul when compared to other regions in Turkey. These
results concur with those of the previous studies by Barriocanal et al.
(2010), O'Connor (2010) and Stringam et al. (2010).

The importance attributed to cleanliness in the present study stands

out among the other criteria, and parallels the results of previous studies
in literature (Stringam et al., 2010; Limberger et al., 2014; Xie et al., 2014). It
can be said that for the hotels in Istanbul, as is the case in Turkey as a
whole, the general cleanliness of the hotel and the rooms; the cleanliness
of the facilities and equipment in both the common and private areas; the
environmental and landscape cleanliness; the cleanliness of the swimming
areas, such as indoor and outdoor pools; and the cleanliness of social areas
such as restaurants, bars, spas, Turkish Bath and sauna are important for
both customers and potential customers, are naturally an issue of primary
importance.

Istanbul holds an important place in the holiday preferences of

tourists due to its historical background, its location straddling Europe
and Asia, its geographical beauty, its wide variety of shopping
opportunities and its unique night entertainment. As a large part of the
hotels in this region are close to each other and located mainly on the
European side of the city, it is possible to think that the hotel location

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 Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 8 (1)

criteria is one of the main criteria in hotel selection, based on the

comments posted on TripAdvisor. This may also be due to the fact that
most tourists want to be based close to the historical, geographical, social
and shopping areas, and so hotels in locations close to such attractions
cause this criterion to come to the fore. In addition, considering the
distress of transportation sources of some regions, distance from
transportation points of hotels, and transportation problems due to the
frequency of transportation, it can be concluded that transportation in
Istanbul is important for hotels in terms of their proximity to airports, bus
terminals, hospitals, shopping centers, entertainment venues and
transportation hubs. It can also be concluded that urban transportation
facilities, such as the metro, tram, bus, minibus, Marmaray, taxi stops and
sea transportation vehicles can be an important criteria affecting tourist
preferences. The importance of a hotel’s location and its proximity to
transportation hubs brings this criterion to the fore in the comments made,
paralleling the findings of studies conducted previously by Jeong & Jeon
(2008), Barcala et al. (2009), Stringam et al. (2010), Limberger et al. (2014),
Xie et al. (2014) and Lado-Sestayo et al. (2014).

Hotel architecture retains a high position on the list of the criteria

affecting the choices of customers and potential customers may indicate
that customers believe that the four-star and boutique-style hotels in the
region may pay more attention to detail and to be of greater value than
five-star hotels. The availability of indoor and outdoor swimming pools,
the size and usefulness of the rooms, the newness of the fixtures and
fittings, the hotel common areas, Internet access and hotel parking are all
important factors for customers, and are of equal importance to the other
criteria. In addition, the proximity of the hotel to the city center and the
sound-proofing of the hotel rooms can be considered other important
factors related to the architecture of the hotels in Istanbul. Concurring
with the findings of the studies by Barriocanal et al. (2010), Stringam et al.
(2010), O'Connor (2010), Tejada & Moreno (2013), Limberger et al. (2014),
Zhou et al. (2014) and Molinillo et al. (2016), it can be concluded from the
present study that hotel architecture is also of primary importance in this
region.

The importance of the personnel-service factor is based on the

desire of customers to be provided with a fully professional service by
professional staff, in addition to the attention they expect from hotels
offering four or five-star or boutique-style services in Istanbul. Because the
location and transportation facilities of the hotels being over certain
standards, the manner of presentation of the services, the quality and

19
Yılmaz

speed at which they are provided, the cheerfulness and friendliness of the
staff, the politeness and respect received, and the way problems are
resolved can be considered as being of significant importance in the eyes
of the customer. Also deemed to play an important role in this regard are
the means of check-in/check-out, room series, the lobby and reception, bell
boy availability, send-off, and access to a doctor or other health services.
Finally, it is generally possible in hotels to use foreign language effectively
for foreign-oriented tourist portfolio and to help tourists in their daily
programs, to offer them alternatives, to provide them with the necessary
transport and to suggest different places to eat, which increases the
significance of this criterion dramatically. The significant importance
attributed to the staff and service criteria in the studies of Jeong & Jeon
(2008), Barcala et al. (2009), O'Connor (2010), Stringam et al. (2010),
Bronner & Hoog (2011), Limberger et al. (2014) and Xie et al. (2016) are
similar to the results obtained in the present study.

Considering the criteria determined from the comments posted on

TripAdvisor, the entertainment-animation criterion in Istanbul has little
impact on customers, as the hotels are planned in four or five stars and
boutique styles; the facilities are limited; events such as parties, concerts,
DJ performances and live music are not planned; services such as spa,
sauna and Turkish Baths are not at the desired level or they are not
available at all; tours, excursions and events in the region are not available
and hotel architectures are not suitable for amenities such as gyms. And
considering all these facts, it can be concluded that these criteria are of no
importance in the preference by the customers. As hotel guests spend
most of their time visiting historical and geographical sites in the city,
shopping and experiencing the nightlife, it can be concluded that hotel
managers in Istanbul attribute little importance to the entertainment-
animation criteria, as their guests do not spend much time in the hotel. It
is thought that the absence of this criterion from previous studies may be
due to studies conducted in city hotels and hostel-style accommodation
and limited hotel facilities selected such as Jeong & Jeon (2008), Barcala et
al. (2009), Barriocanal et al. (2010), O'Connor (2010), Stringam et al. (2010),
Bronner & Hoog (2011), Tejada & Moreno (2013), Zhou et al. (2014) Lado-
Sestayo et al. (2014), Limberger et al. (2014), Xie et al. (2014, 2016), and
Molinillo et al. (2016). In this respect, although the inclusion of
entertainment-animation criterion in this study proves to lack significance
for the hotels in Istanbul, it can be considered of great importance in the
“all inclusive” and “ultra all inclusive” hotels that are predominant in

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 Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 8 (1)

Turkey’s holiday regions (Yilmaz & Aytekin, 2018), and this study can
thus be considered to contribute to previous literature.

As can be understood from the results of the present study, it

would be beneficial for hotel managers and business owners in the sector
to recognize the power of social networking sites which are led by blogs. It
is becoming more and more important to review the feedback of previous
hotel and facility guests, to realize that even the smallest detail is shared
on TripAdvisor by previous customers, and to understand that such blogs
direct the buying behaviors of both current and potential customers. The
opinions and comments shared by existing customers are of great
importance to potential customers in the identification and evaluation of
alternatives, and consequently, can serve as a guiding light for businesses
in determining the aspects of their enterprises that are missing or that
need improvement. Businesses can ensure customer satisfaction by giving
priority to these points as a priority, as well as optimizing the weaknesses
detected by such criteria through taking correct steps to gain the potential
customers.

It can be understood from the present study that hotels with criteria
with high coefficients have a good working understanding of, and are
considered successful in terms of tourist preferences. It is suggested that
they should continue their service understanding with the strategies
adopted. In addition, hotels with positive yet low coefficients should work
towards paying attention to the criteria with low coefficients, as this may
aid in their efforts to attract more tourists.

For Istanbul, based on the comments made on the TripAdvisor

website, it is seen that almost all of the criteria identified through the
content analysis have the same effect on potential customers when
identifying their alternatives on making choices. Among these criteria,
recommendations by previous customers, the food-beverage concept, the
cleanliness factor, hotel location and transportation, the architectural
structure of the hotel and quality of staff-service have equal levels of
importance for potential customers, and furthermore, the absence of
entertainment-animation programs, or such programs not being at the
desired level in hotels, can be considered a shortcoming. Accordingly,
hotel managers or facility administrators may consider expanding the
scope of the services provided in this regard, although not at a level to
match the complex structure of Turkey's holiday regions, and to organize
such events as parties, concerts, DJ performances and live music shows,
providing or elevating such services as spas, saunas and Turkish Baths to

21
Yılmaz

the desired levels, or to provide such services if they are lacking;

organizing suitable tours, excursions and trips; and of changing the hotel
architectures in such a way that facilities such as gyms can be
accommodated. In this way, managers and administrators can increase the
level of satisfaction of their guests in the facilities by considering that such
elements are important as a guiding factor in identifying and evaluating
alternatives to potential customers.

The 25 selected hotels all need to pay attention to the entertainment

and animation criteria, which is clearly lacking. The fact that
entertainment and animation criterion has in the past been overlooked in
most previous researches of city hotels leads to the conclusion that this
criterion is the most important factor. Entertainment and animation might
not be a determining factor among tourists in their selection of a city hotel,
yet organizing such activities in recognition of the cultural and historical
features of the city will provide great benefits to the hotels. For example,
offering a service giving priority to hotel guests for entry to historical and
cultural sites such as Topkapi Sarayi, Dolmabahce Sarayi, Galata Kulesi
etc. will have a very positive effect on tourist preferences. Also, planning
Bosphorus Tours, guided city tours and providing special vehicles for
tourists to take them shopping, dining and for other evening
entertainment as part of the entertainment and animation activities
provided by the hotel will further aid hotels in attracting tourists.

In this study, a four-year (2015–2018) data set for Istanbul was

obtained from TripAdvisor. Considering that the necessity of extending
the data set interval could be interpreted as a limitation, the data range
was expanded, and the previous years’ comments were examined prior to
the analysis phase of the study. When the year range is extended based on
the data set, the number of comments is insufficient and the contents are
incomplete. For these reasons, it was impossible to reach the content of the
seven criteria based on four years of data over the limited and inadequate
comments.

In addition, assuming that the comments in the extended data set

are sufficient in number and full in content, it is foreseen that there may be
increases or decreases in the coefficients that determine the importance of
the variables, as well as changes in the significance level of the
entertainment and animation criteria that lack significance for Istanbul.

It can also be said that the sufficient number of comments and the
full coverage of the criteria selected for analysis in this study supported
the selection of these 25 Istanbul hotels, aside from their garnering of the

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 Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 8 (1)

highest number of reviews on TripAdvisor. This number can be deemed

sufficient, as the luxury level, size, facilities and locational advantages of
the first 25 hotels, which were selected based on the number of reviews,
enabled the development of the seven criteria as a content.

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Yılmaz

Annex A. The Istanbul Hotels and Comments

NUMBER OF
RANK HOTEL NAME REGION
COMMENTS
1 White House Hotel Istanbul Sultanahmet 4158
2 Hotel Amira Istanbul Sultanahmet 3716
3 Hotel Sultania Sirkeci 3267
4 Sirkeci Mansion Sirkeci 3245
5 Neorion Otel Sirkeci 3238
6 Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus Beşiktaş 3045
7 Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus Beşiktaş 2942
Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel &
8 Şişli 2608
Conference Center
9 Levni Hotel & Spa Sultanahmet 2459
10 Hotel Sapphire Sirkeci 2281
11 Hotel Erboy Sirkeci 2279
12 Sura Hagia Sophia Hotel Sultanahmet 2162
13 Çıragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul Beşiktaş 2117
DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul -
14 Sultanahmet 2104
Old Town
15 Grand Hyatt Istanbul Beşiktaş 2066
16 InterContinental Istanbul Taksim 2039
17 Basileus Otel Sultanahmet 2001
18 Ottoman Hotel Imperial Sultanahmet 1878
Best Western Plus The President
19 Beyazıt 1858
Hotel
20 Orient Express Hotel Sirkeci 1833
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at
21 Sultanahmet 1797
Sultanahmet
22 Best Western Empire Palace Sirkeci 1786
DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul -
23 Moda 1767
Moda
24 Titanic Business Kartal Kartal 1740
Four Seasons Istanbul at the
25 Besiktaş 1721
Bosphorus
Note: In terms of the number of user comments on TripAdvisor.com.tr, the highest
ranking was the “White House Hotel” in the Sultanahmet neighborhood, with a total of
4158 reviews, while the “Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus Hotel” in the Beşiktaş
neighborhood was lowest in terms of the number of reviews.

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 Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 8 (1)

Annex B. Distribution of Number of Incoming Tourists to Turkey and Istanbul

by Year (2017–2018)
TURKEY ISTANBUL Change Change
Rate for Rate for
MONTH
2017 2017
2017 2018 2017 2018
(Monthly) (Cumulative)

January 1,055,474 1,461,570 559,372 831,307 48.6 48.6

February 1,159,833 1,527,070 590,175 848,510 43.8 46.1
March 1,587,833 2,139,766 742,479 1,073,002 44.5 45.5
April 2,070,322 2,655,561 835,614 1,144,041 36.9 42.9
May 2,889,873 3,678,440 830,019 984,028 18.6 37.2
June 3,486,940 4,505,594 827,494 1,100,389 33 36.4
July 5,075,961 5,671,801 1,319,549 1,502,397 13.9 31.2
August 4,658,463 5,383,332 1,247,384 1,561,033 11.5 27.7
September 4,076,630 4,792,818 1,045,896 1,361,950 18.1 26.4
October 2,992,947 3,755,467 1,122,266 1,230,079 9.6 24.3
November 1,652,795 1,966,277 831,982 1,015,032 22 24.1
December 1,703,789 1,950,705 888,365 1,077,979 21.3 23.9
TOTAL 32,410,860 39,488,401 10,840,595 13,729,747 27 35
Note: According to Turkey Statistical Institute data, in 2018, the number of tourists
visiting Istanbul increased by 24% on the same period of the previous year.

Annex C. Graphical Distribution of the Number of Tourists (Million) Visiting

Istanbul by Years (2000–2018)

13,7
12,4
11,8
10,4 10,8
9,3 9,2
8,0
7,5
7,0 6,9
6,4
5,3
4,8

3,1 3,4
2,3 2,5 2,6

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

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