The Negative Influences of The Accommodation Establishments' Activities During the Covid-19 Pandemics on Customer Experience

Abstract

With the widespread use of social media, customers have begun to share their experiences through the Internet. The sharing of online customer feedback (EWOM) has developed rapidly and begun as an important source of information influencing customers' purchasing intentions and behaviours. It is important for businesses to establish and maintain sustainable customer satisfaction by understanding the negative issues relayed in the online messages and offering appropriate solutions. The aim of this paper is to uncover customers' negative experiences arising due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. To this end, comments (1567) made for 37 four- and five-star hotels in the Çeşme region, between March 2020 and January 2022, were analysed. Based on the analysis it was determined that 346 of these comments (22%) were negative. Of these 346 negative comments contained the keywords relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. By using content analysis, as a qualitative form of research, these negative comments were classified and several themes were formed relating to customer dissatisfaction. The themes related to the accommodation establishment not adhering to the COVID-19 procedures, customers not adhering to the COVID-19 procedures, the use of COVID-19 as an excuse to reduce service quality, the accommodation establishment not paying attention to customers' complaints, and the negative reflection of COVID-19 on service staff's attitudes and behaviours.