Exploring Relevant Factors Influencing Guests’ Satisfaction: Case Study - 4* and 5* Hotels in Mamaia Resort

Guests’ satisfaction plays a significant role in the hospitality industry. It has a direct impact on the success of hotel service providers in this sector. Consequently, to the popularity increase of online platforms and social media in the tourism and hospitality sectors, the online guests’ reviews growth tremendous, and once with it their impact on the tourists’ attitudes and buying behaviour as well as on the service suppliers. Thus, the current study investigates the relevant factors influencing guests’ satisfaction accommodated in the four- and five-star hotels in the main seaside resort from Romania, Mamaia, using the online guest-generated overall satisfaction score. It is one of the first studies in Romania to investigate the elements influencing visitors’ perceptions of Black Sea coastal tourism. In this regard, over 4160 booking reviews were coded and analysed. The primary goal of the study was of determining the extent to which tourist typology, hotel classification, and nationality impact the overall satisfaction of visitors at full-service hotels in Mamaia resort. According to the data analysis, all criteria have a substantial impact on the total satisfaction score. Thus, in the case of 4 and 5 stars hotels, the overall satisfaction score varies in accordance with tourist typology and nationality. As a result, these findings should help the hoteliers from the seaside area, especially around the Black Sea, to understand better the upcoming demand particularities and formulate appropriate strategies to target different market segments. Furthermore, the second study’s goal was to evaluate the impact of each element analysed on the total score, allowing researchers to better grasp the significance of each aspect on the overall satisfaction score. The paper’s findings contribute to the literature on hospitality online reviews by clarifying how the investigated factors impact the overall satisfaction score and presenting key suggestions for practitioners to improve performance.