Significance of Star Ratings in Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Running head: TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Tourism and Hospitality Research and Analysis
Name of the Student;
Name of the University:
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TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Background......................................................................................................................................3
Pros and Cons of TripAdvisor Star Ratings....................................................................................3
Evaluation........................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

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TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Topic: Do you think star ratings affect consumer booking decisions or have they lost their
significance and why?
Introduction
Hotel Star rating is a quicker process of evaluating the quality and the specifications of
any hotel that the tourists would like to avail. It is true that the consumer decision depends on
their satisfaction level towards the products or services (Zhao et al., 2015). The positive
experience regarding the product or service use influences their decisions in a significant way.
However, it has been observed that despite their experience-based judgments, the customers tend
to make quicker decisions by judging the star ratings. In the tourism and hotel industry, this star
rating plays a crucial role in shaping the customers’ perceptions towards the hotel (Park &
Nicolau, 2015). For example, if a customer would like to avail the luxurious hotel experience,
they often opt for the five star rating hotels. Similarly, if they are looking for any overnight stay
or low rating hotels, they would shift their search towards the two-star rating hotels. However, in
today’s world, the significance of such star ratings is questioned due to the advancements in
internet. People receive the various search engines to identify the best options and make the
decisions thereafter.
The study would thus analyze the case study of Trip Advisor for understanding the
significance of star ratings in current tourism industry. The critical evaluation of the subject
would provide the clear understanding regarding the case scenario. Considering the identified
significance of star ratings, the study will develop the ideas about the current scenario in hotel
selection.