Direct online booking competence of five-star hotels: Model development on web/mobile sites

Abstract

Hotel businesses focus on diversifying the tools on their hotel web and mobile sites to drive higher returns, conversions, and profit. This orientation has also converged with the pandemic effects. In response to these challenges and opportunities, this study aims to propose a model for assessing the direct online booking competence of hotel businesses via their web and mobile sites. Designed as a multiple case study including 22 hotels, the study proposes an assessment framework (web and mobile site-based direct online booking competence) with an extensive checklist of 107 items in six dimensions (informative and experiential content, user interface, promotional, mobile, and crisis communication). The framework is also effective to classify hotels according to their web and mobile site-based direct online booking competence such as optimal, effective, functional, dynamic, and practical performers with reference to their strengths and weaknesses. The framework serves as a comprehensive assessment tool for hotel businesses to evaluate their position in relation to their competitors and improve their direct online booking competence. Potential customers also consider the necessity of all the index items in hotel web and mobile sites; however, promotional competence followed by mobile and crisis communication is regarded as the most critical dimension.