Identifying memorable hotel experiences: analysis of TripAdvisor reviews

In the ever-growing hospitality industry, providing an exceptional guest experience is a crucial factor for a hotel’s success. Understanding what makes an experience memorable for guests can significantly impact the hotel’s reputation and competitiveness. With the advent of online review platforms such as TripAdvisor, guests now have a platform to express their opinions and share their experiences with a wide audience.

According to the concept of Pine and Gilmore (1999; 2011), experience is born in the process of consumption, and in the example of services, is a source of customer satisfaction. A central finding in Pine and Gilmore’s work is that experiences create a greater degree of satisfaction than services because they are memorable and rich in impressions (Sipe & Testa 2018).

Sipe and Testa (2018) noted that all the activities of an organisation (company) must contribute to provide an experience-based offer that memorably engages customers. Providing tourists with positive and unforgettable experiences has become crucial in order to compete in the tourism market (Hosseini, Cortes Macias & Almeida Garcia 2021; Elshaer & Marzouk 2022; Melon, Fandos-Herrera & Sarasa 2021). The choice of location and type of accommodation is made at an early stage of travel planning, but this is not only a basic element of the tourist product (Sthapit 2017) but also an essential component of the tourism experience (Goss-Turner 1996; Niezgoda 1998; Elshaer et al. 2022). At the same time, modern hotels are designed in such a way that, during a tourist’s stay, the hotel itself becomes an attraction (Niezgoda 2013), and the tourist’s experience focuses on their stay in the hotel, not the city (Niezgoda 1998). This is in line with the findings of Jennings and Polovitz Nickerson (2006) and Chen, Cheng & Kim (2020) who determined that the tourism product contributes to the experience.

Thanks to positive experiences in the process of using and consuming goods and services, tourists retain positive travel memories. Unusual and extraordinary memories are recalled more clearly than ordinary experiences. Memorable tourism experiences are becoming an important component not only of the competitive advantage of a destination but also of sustainability (Ritchie & Crouch 2003; Hosseini, Cortes Macias & Almeida Garcia 2021). As Keršič Razinger (2021) noted, many new brands have emerged in the hospitality industry over the last 20 years, each trying to create a unique experience for a specific group of consumers.

Sthapit (2017) extracted three components that contribute to a memorable hotel experience: (1) the friendly attitude of hotel staff, (2) a delicious breakfast with plenty of choices and good restaurant service at the hotel, and (3) a comfortable bed. According to a further study by Sthapit (2018), guests’ memorable hotel experiences are influenced by a combination of intangible competencies – the warm and friendly attitude of the staff (how guests are greeted, how their questions are answered and how their problems are resolved) – and material elements, such as a comfortable room, the location of the facility, and breakfast. Including intangible elements follows the concept of co-creation (Prahalad & Ramaswamy 2004; Mossberg 2007; Ellis et al. 2017) and the influential concept of Service-Dominant logic (S-D logic) (Vargo & Lusch 2004). S-D logic is a concept of value that shifts the focus of marketing away from the previous concern with tangible goods. In terms of hotel websites, Manosuthi, Lee & Han (2021) noted that a hotel that successfully delivers unforgettable experiences records higher revenues than its competitors.

There is already relatively extensive literature on memorable tourist experiences (MTE), but very few papers cover memorable hotel experiences (MHE). Hosseini, Cortes Macias & Almeida Garcia (2021) and Keršič Razinger (2021) noted that most of the MTE studies concerned only positive MTE, while negative MTE were not studied. Not surprisingly, negative experiences can also generate distinctly memorable experiences. However, apart from the works of Sthapit, Björk & Barreto (2021), Sthapit, Björk & Coudounaris (2021) and Kim, Wang & Song (2021), no papers have identified negative dimensions when conceptualising memorable tourism experiences, especially negative memorable hotel experiences. This was pointed out by Hosany, Sthapit & Björk (2022), although Kim (2022) constructed a six-dimensional scale to identify image dimensions associated with negative memorable tourism experiences.

There has also been no use of mixed methods, as noted by Hosany, Sthapit & Björk (2022). They mention the need to conduct research using methodology grounded in theory but do not note the possibilities of netnography (Sthapit 2017; Kozinets & Gretzel 2022), natural language processing (text mining), or content analysis.

Therefore, to fill the above research gaps, the following research goals were formulated:

Identify guests’ memorable experiences based on reviews posted on TripAdvisor;

The subject of the research is hotels located in the capital of Poland – Warsaw. Using the TripAdvisor service, the authors want to answer the following questions: What experiences are reflected in TripAdvisor reviews, and which of them are ‘memorable’ for guests? Do memorable hotel experiences differ depending on the location of the hotel?

TripAdvisor is one of the largest customer-to-customer travel platforms (Sthapit 2017) and was chosen by the authors because it offers a large range of communities and options for specifying search criteria. As researchers note, spontaneously generated content in sources of information, such as online reviews and travel blogs, allows for the creation of a deeper and richer database of information about the tourist experience, including experiences related to staying in a hotel and its importance (Sthapit 2017; Bosangit, Hibbert & McCabe 2015; Wu, Wall & Pearce 2014; Melon, Fandos-Herrera & Sarasa 2021, Piechocka 2021). The authors of this paper agree with Jacobsen and Munar (2012) that the opportunities currently offered by social media and new technologies allow tourists to share not only knowledge and information but also their emotions and experiential moments.

This article will make a significant contribution to the existing literature in the field of hospitality and tourism – in the area of identifying memorable hotel experiences. Identifying positive and negative memorable hotel experiences will provide a holistic understanding of the construct. Detailed analysis and descriptions of positive and negative memorable tourism experiences will allow hotel managers to enhance the quality of their services, adjust their offer to the needs of customers, provide guests with more positive experiences, and thus achieve a competitive advantage.

The study used quantitative methods: text mining, topic modelling and sentiment analysis. The spatial scope of the research is the city of Warsaw, while the time range of the research covered reviews posted on the portal in the period from April 2004 (the first entry that referred to a hotel in Warsaw) to September 2020. Warsaw is the largest city in Poland, where most conferences and business meetings are held, but tourists also come here due to the desire to visit monuments and museums and attend cultural events.

For the study, all reviews (n = 34,992) for all Warsaw hotels included on TripAdvisor (N = 99) were collected using the web scraping method with Web Scraper software, and those with at least ten reviews in English were considered in our sample. Most of the sample consisted of 3-star hotels (37), followed by 4- and 5-star hotels (21 and 17, respectively) (Table 1). Although, 5-star (14,957 – 42.74%), 4-star (9,059 – 25.89%) and 3-star (7,203 – 20.59%) hotels gathered the most opinions, 5-star and 4-star hotels have the highest average number of opinions (879.82 and 431.38, respectively). Some 41.4% (41) of the surveyed hotels are located in the city centre, 20.4% (20) in the airport area and 38.4 (38) in other districts of Warsaw (Fig. 1).

Figure 1.

All scraped review texts were pre-processed first, including punctuation erasure, N-chars filtered (for N > 2), upper case converted to lower case, stop words filtered, numbers filtered and lemmatised using the StanfordCore NLP library. Topic modelling was done with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) using the KNIME platform and MALLET (Machine Learning for Language Toolkit). LDA is an unsupervised machine-learning technique developed by Blei et al. (2003). A significant disadvantage of LDA is the necessity to establish a priori the number of topics. To determine the number of topics, the Elbow method was used, and the perplexity and coherence scores were calculated (Maier et al. 2018; Khalid & Wade 2020). Sentiment analysis was performed using the dictionary method using the SentiStrength 2.3 application. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to analyse the intergroup differences.

In the first step of the analysis, topic extraction was performed. As a result of the analysis using the Elbow method and the calculation of the perplexity and coherence coefficients, 13 was selected as the optimal number of topics (Table 2).

The topics are named after the first words appearing the most often (the words at the beginning of the list are more likely to appear in the topic than those placed further on). The topics that contain the greatest number of reviews are ‘Good breakfast, clean, friendly staff & nice location’ with 8,009 reviews (22.89% of the total), ‘Great staff & service’ – 4,182 reviews (11.95%) and ‘Good & central location’ – 3,782 reviews (10.81%). The smallest topic is ‘Breakfast, food & restaurant’ with only 737 opinions (2.11%).

More than half of the reviewers (51.86%) gave excellent ratings (5-star), and another third very good (4-star), which means that positive reviews constitute 84.21% of all reviews of Warsaw hotels on TripAdvisor (Table 4). The most excellent and very good ratings were for topic #2: ‘Good breakfast, clean, friendly staff & nice location’ (25.86% and 25.64%, respectively), and topic #10: ‘Great staff & service’ (19.96% – excellent). The most negative reviews were in topic #1: ‘Noise at night’ (32.97% – poor, and 25.03% – terrible) and in topic #9: ‘Check-in time, service & booking’ (38.17% – poor, and 58.50% – terrible). Pearson’s Chi-square test showed significant differences in ratings between topics (Pearson’s Chi² = 14691.7, df = 48, p < 0.001).

In the next step, sentiment analysis was performed using the dictionary method. Positive and negative sentiments, as well as total sentiments, were calculated for each review. Analysis of variance showed that the obtained topics differ in a statistically significant way due to the value of the sentiment (Table 3). The topics with the strongest positive sentiments are #10 (3.487), #0 (3.404) and #12 (3.395). The topics with the most negative sentiments are #9 (-2.707), #1 (-2.601) and #4 (-2.038). Adding up the positive and negative sentiments confirmed the above-mentioned topics as the most positive and the most negative.

Analysis of the data collected in Table 3 allowed us to identify topics containing reviews with the strongest emotional dimension, namely those describing memorable experiences. Topics containing very positive memorable hotel experiences are #0: ‘Great view from the floor, pool, lounge, gym & spa’, #2: ‘Good breakfast, clean, friendly staff & nice location’, #8: ‘Great hostel’, #10: ‘Great staff & service’, and #12: ‘Great location’. Topics containing very negative memorable hotel experiences are #1: ‘Noise at night’ and #9: ‘Check-in time, service & booking’. The analysis of the content of the identified topics made it possible to distinguish six factors of memorable hotel experiences, which included: (1) view from the floor, (2) hotel staff and service, (3) breakfast and restaurant, (4) location and atmosphere, (5) pool, lounge, gym and spa, (6) price (value for money), (7) noise at night and (8) booking and check-in (Fig. 2).

Figure 2.

Then, the selected MHE topics, differentiated depending on the location of the hotel, were examined. As many as 6 out of 13 topics showed differentiation due to the location of the hotel (Pearson’s Chi² = 8482.32, df = 36, p < 0.001) (Table 4).

Topic #0: ‘Great view from the floor, pool, lounge, gym & spa’ dominates hotels located outside the city centre. The reviews included in this topic mainly emphasise the beautiful views and the spa and wellness infrastructure of hotels of the highest standard. Topic #3: ‘Hotel close to the airport’ dominates the airport area and has mildly positive (4-star) reviews. Topic #8: ‘Great hostel’ dominates accommodation outside the city centre and the airport area. In this topic, the reviews mainly concern hostels and their positive features, namely price, location, bedrooms and staff. Topics #10: ‘Great staff & service’ and #12: ‘Great location’ dominate the city centre. In the former, 5-star reviews dominate, and very positive sentiment (3.5). Reviews of this topic mainly concern the exceptional quality of service and the facilities provided in 5-star hotels. Topic #12 is characterised by 5-star reviews and positive sentiment (3.4). The reviews of this topic concern the hotel’s great location – the city centre – and the atmosphere associated with that.

The present study makes several original contributions through its research methodology and findings. First, the article contributes by utilising reviews from TripAdvisor to identify guests’ memorable experiences. This approach provides valuable insights into the specific aspects that guests find noteworthy and memorable during their hotel stays.

Second, the article aims to identify the differences in memorable experiences based on several factors, including hotel location, evaluation on TripAdvisor and consumer sentiment. This analysis helps to understand how these factors shape guests’ perceptions of their experiences and contribute to their overall memories.

Third, the study employs quantitative methods such as text mining, topic modelling and sentiment analysis to analyse a large dataset of reviews for all Warsaw hotels listed on TripAdvisor. This utilisation of computational techniques allows for systematic and objective analysis of the data, providing a robust foundation for the study’s findings.

Fourth, through the use of Latent Dirichlet Allocation, the article identifies seven topics that indicate memorable hotel experiences. These categorisations provide a structured framework to comprehend the different aspects that contribute to both positive and negative guest experiences. The article highlights six factors of positive memorable experiences: (1) view from the floor, (2) hotel staff and service, (3) breakfast and restaurant, (4) location and atmosphere, (5) pool, lounge, gym and spa, (6) price (value for money). Three of the above, namely (1) view, (2) recreational and sports facilities of the hotel and (3) location and atmosphere were not identified by Sthapit (2017). This classification enables hotels and the hospitality industry to focus on specific areas that have a significant impact on creating positive and memorable experiences for guests.

While reviewing the literature on MTE, Hosseini, Cortes Macias & Almeida Garcia (2021) found that most papers on MTE present research on the positive components of MTE, while the negative dimensions are not explored. However, negative experiences can also generate (create) distinctly memorable experiences (Kim, Wang & Song 2021). The present article also identifies two groups of negative memorable experiences, namely noise at night and booking and check-in. This understanding of negative aspects assists hotels in addressing issues that may detract from guest experiences and hotel reputations.

Among the negative factors, ‘Noise at night’ is a factor that, apart from direct hotel activities, is influenced by factors independent of the hotel, while ‘check-in’ and ‘booking’ are components directly related to hotel service, and which depend on the behaviour and competence of the staff. They are related to three of the four approaches to characterising commercial hospitality identified by Shani and Pizam (2009): hospitableness (providing hospitable and friendly service to ensure the well-being of the customer); hospitality as an experience (incorporating elements of performance and acting into customer service to create an unforgettable experience); and hospitality as a philosophy (emphasising hospitality and friendly service). According to Tasci and Semrad (2016), hospitality is an important element of tourist accommodation experiences. Hospitality, a socio-psychological phenomenon, is defined as the host’s genuine desire to please and take care of others (Sthapit, Björk & Barreto 2021).

The article also reveals that memorable hotel experiences differ depending on the location of the hotel within the city. This finding emphasises the significance of considering the specific context and surroundings of a hotel when analysing guest experiences, suggesting that certain locations may offer unique opportunities or challenges in creating memorable experiences. However, positive MHE can be obtained regardless of the location of the hotel: both in the city centre and beyond. MHE in hotels outside the city centre is dominated by beautiful views and spa and wellness services, and also applies to hostels. MHE in the city centre is all about the unique atmosphere and unique quality of service provided in 5-star hotels. Only hotels located in the vicinity of the airport do not create MHE, certainly because they serve mainly as a place of short-term stay before or after a plane trip.

The factors identified in this article correspond to the conclusions of Jennings and Polovitz Nickerson (2006), who noted that tourists articulate three dimensions of meaning: the social aspects of the experience (our results include hotel staff & service, breakfast & restaurant, and booking and check-in), the environmental aspects of the experience (our results include view from the floor, location, noise at night), and the aspect of activities within those environments in the experience (our results include pool, lounge, gym & spa). An interesting separation of factors such as the view from the floor and location is confirmed by the findings of Mossberg (2007), who emphasises that tourists’ experiences result from the desire to differentiate between travel and everyday life. Similar results were obtained by Oguz et al. (2022) who, while researching luxury hotels, distinguished the following factors that made the experience unforgettable: hotel facilities, staff, service quality, locality and perceived uniqueness of the experience, all of which were contributors to the memorability of the luxury hotel experience. Therefore, some of the results in this article coincide with the results of other authors.

Providing memorable experiences for tourists has, in recent times, been increasingly perceived as even more important to practitioners in the tourism industry than material resources (Wang et al. 2020). As demonstrated by Sthapit, Björk & Coundaris (2021) and Tasci & Semrad (2016), hospitality satisfies the need for high-quality service and is a key dimension in creating MHE. Memorable experiences are key to creating competitive tourism products (Chen, Cheng & Kim 2020). As noted by Zhang, Wu & Buhalis (2018), understanding and strengthening the recall of these positive memories by tourists is an appropriate strategy to build a competitive advantage in the modern tourism market. The issue of memorable experiences should also be investigated in extraordinary situations. As demonstrated by Chia & Xiong (2022), creating memorable experiences was also important for quarantine hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they had to go beyond their technical function and delve into experiential values.

Finally, some limitations of the present article can be formulated. The study only examines hotels located in Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. Moreover, only reviews in English were analysed, which is not everyone’s native language. This narrow geographic and linguistic scope may limit the generalizability of the findings to hotels in other locations or regions. The research solely relies on TripAdvisor reviews as the primary source of data. This approach may introduce biases, as the reviews may not represent the entire guest population or may be subject to manipulation or fake reviews, although it must be said that TripAdvisor takes strong action against such practices. The credibility of reviews posted on TripAdvisor is also limited because they only reflect the opinions of guests who wanted (or could) share their experiences. It can be assumed that making this effort is the result of vivid emotions (positive or negative) and an overwhelming desire to share one’s opinions with others. The study analyses reviews posted on TripAdvisor between April 2004 and September 2020. This timeframe may not capture the most recent trends and developments in the hospitality industry, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially limiting the relevance and applicability of the findings.

The authors are aware that the selected research method is also characterised by limitations resulting primarily from the lack of analysis of individual categories and types of facilities (business, leisure, etc.). However, it was recognised that the issues related to consumer behaviour require an exploratory approach to research, which allows for a more detailed explanation of the issue in question: obtaining background information, initiating ideas, detecting needs, and formulating hypotheses. Therefore, the next step of the research should be a detailed analysis of guest experiences broken down by criteria resulting from the location, and the standard of the facility related to the dominant type of hotel guests.

Future research on memorable hotel experiences may concern a longitudinal study to examine how guest experiences evolve. The research could be extended to include hotels in different cities or countries, to compare the factors contributing to memorable experiences across different cultural contexts, and to examine the role of hotel management and marketing, investigating the roles hotel management practices, marketing strategies, and online reputation management play in shaping guests’ memorable experiences.

The next step in carrying out in-depth research could be an analysis of the pre-arrival expectations and post-arrival experiences. However, these studies are difficult due to the need to observe an identical representation of the research sample (Dung & Reijnders 2013).