Assessing Hotel-Related Smartphone Apps Using Online Reviews

The fast adoption of the smartphone and its associated applications (apps) is changing the landscape of the hospitality industry in terms of marketing and distribution. Within this context, understanding the current capabilities of smartphone apps and user experience of these apps can help the hospitality industry develop more user-friendly apps and effective distribution strategies via mobile channels. This study investigates the functional features of two types of smartphone apps in facilitating hotel reservations-one by online travel agencies and the other by hotel brands. Based on the content analysis of online user reviews, this study comparatively assesses consumers' experiences and their evaluation involving these two types of hotel apps. This study provides a timely analysis of the state-of-the-art mobile technology for hotel distribution, and its findings offer useful insights into mobile distribution and smartphone app design for the hospitality industry.