HANDLING NEGATIVE ONLINE CUSTOMER REVIEWS: THE EFFECTS OF ELABORATION LIKELIHOOD MODEL AND DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE

Online customer reviews have received considerable attention in hospitality research because of their impact on hotel sales. In practice, control the creation of these reviews, especially those from negative perspectives. However, hotel managers can control how they respond to such negative reviews. This study examines the effects of two important factors that could enable marketers to formulate their responses in a manner that will positively influence customers who have read negative reviews. The study used a quasi-experimental design with 259 respondents. Elaboration likelihood model (ELM) routes and outcomes that led to the occurrence of distributive justice were modeled as moderating variables. Compared with conventional complaint handling methods, posting a response that adopted a central route to persuasion was found to be most effective for handling negative reviews.