Keywords
social media
online reviews
hotel reputation
consumer behavior
How to Cite
Abstract
The article explores the role of social media and online reviews in shaping a hotel’s reputation and how these factors influence consumer decision-making in the hospitality industry. The study aims to identify how digital communication channels, particularly social media and customer reviews, affect brand perception, trust, and behavioral responses of potential guests. The research employed general scientific methods of cognition, including analysis, synthesis, generalization, classification, systematization, observation, comparison, and modeling. The study concludes that effective review management involves not only monitoring and responding to negative comments but also actively encouraging positive feedback, analyzing common complaints, and using insights to improve services. It is found that the level of detail and perceived credibility of reviews significantly enhances their influence on the audience. The importance of visualized forms of digital reputation – such as ratings on Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Google Reviews – is highlighted, as they serve as a form of "social proof" of service quality. It is noted that even a single unanswered negative review can significantly reduce potential customer trust. The article analyzes relevant digital strategies used by hotels, including content marketing, SMM promotion, influencer marketing, email campaigns, chatbot implementation, customer behavior analytics, and feedback automation. The study concludes that a comprehensive use of these tools, combined with flexibility and openness to communication, enables hotels not only to maintain a positive reputation but also to build a loyal online community, increase booking rates, and gain long-term competitive advantage. The practical value of the study lies in the development of recommendations for effective digital reputation management as a tool for enhancing service quality, increasing customer trust, and strengthening market positioning.
References
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