KOREASCHOLAR

Web 2.0 has changed the way users create, share and use online information (O'Connor, 2008). The testimony of anonymous and exempt consumers that emits reviews and ratings through online reviews is a form of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM). Positive online reviews can contribute to a significant increase in hotel reservations (Ye, Law, & Gu, 2009). Online reviews are amidst the most important factors that influence hotel reservations (Dickinger & Mazanec, 2008) However, only a small percentage of travelers contribute actively with new reviews and evaluations (Bronner & Hoog, 2011). Thus, it is very important to know what motivates consumers to make online hotel reviews, to get more online comments and, consequently, more hotel reservations. Cantallops and Salvi (2014) say that there is little research on eWOM and hotels. The objective of this study is to identify the different causal combinations (configurations) of motivations (personal, social benefit, social concern, and consumer empowerment (Bronner & Hoog, 2011)), and socio-demographic characteristics (gender and age) that lead to hotel online reviews. The study uses the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) because it allows to identify the necessary and sufficient configurations to achieve the outcome (Fiss, 2011). This is an innovative approach in this domain, to the best of our knowledge, because the study focuses on the causal recipes of motivations and not on the net effects of independent motivations as past research do. The study obtained a convenience sample of 192 valid responses, from an online survey.The measures show adequate reliability. The results show that the social concern is a necessary condition and the consumer empowerment is an “almost always necessary” condition. The analysis of sufficient conditions show that three different combinations (explain 43.6% of the cases) of conditions exist that lead to eWOM: 1) being a female older than 35 years old combined with high social concern and high consumer empowerment; 2) being a female older than 35 years old combined with high social concern and high personal motivations; and, 3) being a male combined with the presence of high social concern, high personal motivations, and high consumer empowerment which represents the most significant representation of consumers that make online reviews. Managers should consider these recipes in communication and website design strategies. For example, for men, it is important to have jointly a simple communication channel so that they can easily share positive or negative experiences to help others (social concern); a travel website where they get some fun (personal motivation); and, to believe that their opinions are taken into account by the hotels, namely to improve service (consumer empowerment). In this way,hotels and travel services providers promoting these aspects will tend to have more and better online reviews, which will have a positive influence on hotel reservations. Future studies should consider different motivations for online reviews and eWOM.

• Helena Martins Gonçalves(ISEG, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
• Graça Miranda Silva(ISEG, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
• Telma Gomes Martins(ISEG, University of Lisbon, Portugal)