More than words: the role of personality in shaping the timeliness of online reviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential influence of the big five personality traits − extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, openness and conscientiousness − on the time taken by travelers to submit online reviews after their hotel stay. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzed 83,235 TripAdvisor reviews from 415 hotels in six major US tourism cities using random forest algorithms and Poisson regression. The research investigated the influence of the big five personality traits on the time taken by travelers to submit online reviews post-hotel stay, merging personality psychology with consumer behavior research through a combination of machine learning and statistical analysis. Findings The findings reveal significant correlations between certain personality traits and the time taken to post online hotel reviews. Extraversion, neuroticism and agreeableness were found to be negatively correlated with response time, suggesting that individuals scoring higher in these traits tend to submit their reviews more quickly. Conversely, openness exhibited a positive correlation, indicating that those with higher levels of openness tend to delay their feedback. Conscientiousness showed no significant correlation with response time. Originality/value This study represents a novel approach to understanding the relationship between personality traits and online review behavior in the hospitality industry. By leveraging advanced machine learning techniques, such as random forest algorithms, alongside traditional statistical methods like Poisson regression, this research offers a unique perspective on the influence of personality on consumer behavior. The innovative application of these technologies to a large data set of TripAdvisor reviews provides fresh insights that can inform the development of personalized customer engagement strategies. The findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the intersection of personality psychology, consumer behavior and hospitality management in the digital age.