Do AI summaries tell the whole story? A qualitative study of AI-generated hotel review summaries

The rapid integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) into hotel review platforms is transforming how tourists engage with online reviews, yet little is known about its impacts. 22 semi-structured interviews reveal that AI summaries act as algorithmic mediators that reshape how review information is processed and evaluated. While greater information efficiency through reduced cognitive and search effort was reported, there is increasing skepticism about summary completeness. By developing an integrative framework, this research provides a nuanced and context-dependent understanding of the roles of AI-generated review summaries in the tourist decision-making process.