How should managers respond? Exploring the effects of different responses to negative online reviews

Online product reviews are now a popular resource for consumers, and it is common for people to read comments about others' experiences to reduce uncertainty before they make a purchase. However, little attention has been given to the impacts of negative reviews in the tourism industry, or especially to managers' public responses to such reviews. The objective of this paper is to explore the effects of answers to negative reviews on purchase intentions. Three different types of answers by management were identified; these can be categorised as denying, accepting and changing responses. Results of an exploratory qualitative analysis show that a changing response can increase not only purchase intention but also the generalised positive perception of a hotel, even if it has the same number of positive and negative reviews as other hotels. The results of this research might help to identify the elements of the 'right answer' to negative online reviews.