The Impact of Online Reviews on Consumer Behavior in the Hospitality Industry: A Case Study to Top 10 Five-Star Hotels in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study attempts to analyze customer perceptions and identify the key service quality dimensions reflected in online reviews of the top ten five-star hotels in Bangladesh. Using text mining, semantic network analysis, and CONCOR clustering, the study examines the attributes most frequently discussed by hotel guests and explores how these attributes are interconnected in shaping customer evaluations of luxury hotel experiences. As electronic word-of-mouth has become an important source of information influencing consumer decision-making, understanding customer experiences is essential for improving service quality and maintaining competitiveness in the hospitality industry. A total of 12,074 customer reviews were collected from Google Reviews and TripAdvisor and analyzed using text mining techniques. Keyword frequency analysis was conducted to identify the most frequently mentioned terms associated with hotel experiences. Semantic Network Analysis was subsequently employed to examine the relationships among keywords using frequency, degree centrality, and eigenvector centrality measures. In addition, CONCOR (Convergence of Iterated Correlations) analysis was performed to identify clusters of conceptually related keywords. The findings revealed that customer perceptions of luxury hotels in Bangladesh are structured around four major dimensions: Intangible Service, Physical Environment, Location, and Purpose. Keywords such as “hotel,” “good,” “Dhaka,” “food,” and “service” emerged as the most influential terms within the review network. The results indicate that both service-related and environment-related attributes play significant roles in shaping customer satisfaction and overall hotel experiences. These findings provide practical insights for hotel managers seeking to enhance service quality, strengthen customer satisfaction and loyalty, and improve their competitive position in the hospitality market. The study also contributes to the growing body of literature on online review analytics and service quality assessment in emerging tourism destinations.