OTAs hotel guest reviews research in Tokyo and Amsterdam

OTAs hotel guest reviews research in Tokyo and Amsterdam 

In any economic sector, customers are always a vital part of fostering a relationship with the brand. While using the product, customers are also the determining factor contributing to the brand prestige and reputation through their reviews. Agoda, Booking.com and Traveloka have been prominent platforms that allow guests to book hotel accommodations. Today, we will look into the hotel guests’ positive experiences in two major cities – Tokyo and Amsterdam.

Data collection 

The purpose of this research is to investigate how the guests feel in urban hotels in big cities through online travel agencies (also known as OTAs).. According to Skift, Agoda has served more than 18 million customers since it was founded. Condorferries revealed 148.3 million travel bookings are made by people online every year on Booking.com, while Expedia has 24 million active Expedia Rewards members across 32 countries. 

Some online travel agencies. Image source: Traveling for miles.

The selected locations are Tokyo and Amsterdam, because we saw that there had been a substantial number of guests visiting these locations. The criteria for hotel selection on three platforms are: 3 to 4-star hotels, with an overall score of around 9 and above. In the following section, we are going to look into the findings and see the emerging patterns. 

Results

In this section, we will analyze the popular favorable remarks according to guest impressions so hotels could further improve their services.
Guest reviews on Hotel location

Hotels with higher access to transport/facilities are more favourable. Source: TheCrazyTourist.

From the data, both Amsterdam and Tokyo guests preferred to stay in hotels that could access various locations and facilities such as restaurants, tram stations, or shopping malls. Overall, out of 600 reviews from 3 websites, we found that 53.2% of hotel guests would love to stay in hotels with location access to restaurants and recreational areas. Hotel guests would love to book rooms near stations, since it would be easier to commute to travel destinations with trams or buses. 

For Amsterdam vacationers on Agoda, 58% tend to fancy excellent location access in the accumulated data compared to 32% of travelers to Japan. Interestingly, the reviews on Booking.com mentioned location more frequently compared to two other sites, namely 73% for Japanese travellers, and 59% for Amsterdam.
We can see that location access is indispensable for hotel guests, especially hotels situated in or near the city center, since it would be more convenient to drop by the recreational areas. The majority of travelers to Amsterdam tend to book hotel rooms near Dam Square or near canals to see the view. On the other hand, tourists in Japan generally decide to stay near Toyosu Station or LalaPort shopping malls. 

Guest reviews on Accommodation and services 

Hotel services. Image source: Graceful Owl Bed and Breakfast.

It is a common belief that guests are often intrigued by the accommodations. Generally, we have found that 57.3% of hotel guests pay a lot of attention to hotel accommodations and related services, but most of them are travellers from Amsterdam. Around 70% of reviews on Booking.com from Amsterdam mentioned hotel facilities as a part of their pleasant stay, while on Agoda and Expedia, the number of reviews on facilities and services account for 47% and 62% respectively.

One aspect that should be noted for rooms is that guests are usually satisfied with a nice view from the room. Some hotel rooms are blessed with a better view than others, and such detail would remarkably enhance the guest experience. For example, while tourists complimented hotel rooms viewing serene canals in Amsterdam, hotel guests in Japan tend to get immersed into looking at the city landscape from above (26 guest reviews in Tokyo mentioned cityscape, while the number in Amsterdam is way less significant). Imagine going on a vacation and booking a room with a majestic vista from the window? How satisfying would that be? 

Hotel rooms with nice views could enhance the guests’ experience. Source: Elitetraveller. 

Besides, depending on the hotel, guests might evaluate the room decorations, facilities in the room (shower, bathtub, or bedsheet), or within the hotel (pool, gym, or the landscape). Specifically, Japanese travelers accounted for around 70% of the reviews. The architecture of the building usually leaves a deep impression on guests. Some hotels might follow unique architectural styles, and innovative decorations could generate a high ranking in the reviews. Therefore, the guests will base their judgments on the quality of these accommodations.  

Hotel designs are a factor in customers’ satisfaction. Source: EHLInsights

Guest reviews on Staff support

One important factor that keeps the hotel operating smoothly is the staff. When reflecting on the experiences, guests in Amsterdam mentioned the hotel staff as being helpful, kind, with nice English skills (taking up 52% of all reviewers). However, only 31% of hotel customers in Tokyo staff support and refer to them as polite, careful, and proactively carry the luggage for guests. Some of the specific reviews also talked about how the staff suggested to the guests some tourist attractions. It is necessary that hotel staff are equipped with knowledge within the surrounding area. So all in all, hotels need to consider all these positive remarks to manage their operations further to satisfy the customers’ needs. 

The importance of staff in responding to customers’ needs. Source: Institute Hub.