Chinese hotel guest perception of international chain hotels under the same hotel brand in different travel destinations: The cases of intercontinental and Sheraton

Abstract

A qualitative approach was employed to examine how Chinese hotel guests perceive international chain hotels in different travel destinations (i.e. China and abroad) under the same brand. A total of 13,204 reviews were retrieved from online hotel review Web sites, namely DaoDao.com and Ctrip.com. Content analysis of the reviews showed discrepancies in the perceptions. Chinese favoritism toward the West affected the perception of hotel service quality. Empirical results revealed the belief that hotel services in Western cities and Hong Kong are better compared with those of hotels in China. However, the perception in terms of location, rooms and facilities, cleanliness, and value was mainly affected by the experience during the actual hotel stay. No noticeable influence of Chinese favoritism was found.