The Impact of Hygiene Factors on Online Hotel Consumption in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its risk of repeated fluctuations, has shifted the basis for decisions on tourism spending. Thus, it is crucial for the hospitality industry to understand the factors that influence accommodation consumption. Grounded in signaling theory, our empirical analysis is based on analyzing data from eLong on 7209 Chinese hotels using binary logistic regression and the ordinary least squares method (OLS). The main findings are as follows: (1) completeness of information, online hygiene rating and hygiene recommendation tags have a significant impact on hotel consumption; (2) online hygiene rating has a positively significant moderating effect on the relationship between information completeness and hotel sales; and (3) there is variability in the factors that influence the generation and growth of hotel sales. In addition, we discuss the role of online travel agencies (OTAs) and provide relevant advice for practitioners.