Analysing the intention to purchase on hotel websites: a study of travellers to Hong Kong

It has become necessary for hoteliers to take advantage of the huge opportunities generated by Internet technology by establishing their own websites for online promotions and purchases. Still, hospitality researchers have rarely investigated the underlying reasons why travellers reserve rooms through a hotel website. In this research, 638 completed questionnaires were collected and data were analysed by means of a principal component factor analysis. Three dimensions of motivation were derived, namely: information quality, sensitivity content, and time. This study is both strategically and practically important to hoteliers. As hotel websites will become a major tool for making reservations, the results of this study can help hotel practitioners focus on what makes a successful hotel website. This study will also help them make more accurate pricing decisions, thereby achieving better revenue management.