EXPLORING GUEST SATISFACTION IN HOTELS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC USING A TEXT MINING TECHNIQUE

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has a major impact on the
global hotel industry. Hygiene, cleanliness, and safety have
become crucial components in any hotel’s recovery plan during
the pandemic. Based on reviews from Booking.com, this paper
examines the satisfaction of domestic guests in hotels in
Vrnjačka Banja during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally,
by using the „Clean & Safe“ certificate as a criterion for hotel
classification, this paper seeks to discover whether there is any
difference in the satisfaction of domestic guests depending on
whether the facility has been certified in accordance with
international quality standards as adequately prepared for virus
control. Using a text mining approach, the components that led
to guests’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction were discovered and
visualized with a word cloud. A sample of 206 reviews revealed
that domestic guests are generally very satisfied with the hotels
they stayed in during the pandemic. A slight difference in the
components that affected guests’ satisfaction, i.e.,
dissatisfaction, was noticed among the hotels that were certified
(or not certified) as safe facilities for performing tourism
activities. This paper provides a valuable insight for hotel
managers to help them improve guest satisfaction during the
coronavirus pandemic.