A Model of Market Positioning Based on Value Creation and Service Quality in the Lodging Industry: An Empirical Application of Online Customer Reviews

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology to analyse and position tourism firms based on the value creation concept. An empirical study was carried out using customer evaluations of lodging companies available on the website of Booking.com . Based on this information, three new variables were created to analyse the competitive positioning of firms in a specific tourism destination: ‘quality’, ‘value’ and ‘added value’; and a measurement method was proposed. The result is a manageable methodology that can be used by practitioners and researchers to analyse the lodging market and companies' positioning. The findings show that value is a subjective concept that depends on customers' expectations. Finally, the methodology was implemented in a specific case to show its capacity to analyse market positioning.