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Top1. Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to Vietnam's tourism industry in 2020, causing losses of approximately 23 billion USD and an 80% drop in international visitors compared to the previous year. As the country moves towards a post-pandemic green economy, it is imperative that businesses in the hotel and tourism service sectors not only ramp up their digital transformation efforts, but also take the lead in enhancing customer experience (CX) through in-experience design. Customer experience is a complex and multi-dimensional concept, with definitions ranging from psychological to marketing and economic perspectives (Akhtar et al., 2017; Rahimian et al., 2021). Effective customer experience management is crucial for businesses, as it involves understanding customer emotions and designing strategies to improve the quality of their experience (Luturlean & Anggadwita, 2016). By utilizing customer feedback, businesses can identify areas for improvement and enhance product quality or personal customer care. In the current literature, researchers have confirmed that the difference in prices, products, and services is no longer a sustainable competitive strategy of businesses, but “customer experience” is a new strategy for making a “difference” (Akhtar, Zubair, Kumar, & Ahmad, 2017; Mohamed, 2021). Measuring customer experience has become a critical component of a business’s digital transformation, as outlined in the six main pillars of the Ministry of Information and Communications in Vietnam. Companies must prioritize customer experience management to stay competitive (Luturlean & Anggadwita, 2016; Mohamed, 2021; Paulose & Shakeel, 2022; Rahimian et al., 2021; Sampetua Hariandja & Vincent, 2022).
The hotel industry is flourishing, with growth and development observed (Blomberg-Nygard, & Anderson, 2016). To cater to the diverse needs of consumers, hotels are introducing a wide range of services and business models (Luturlean & Anggadwita, 2016; Rahimian et al., 2021). In today's hospitality industry, customer experience is a critical factor influencing customer loyalty, reputation, and revenue (Paulose & Shakeel, 2022; Rahimian et al., 2021; Camilleri & Filieri, 2023). As a result, scholars and hotel managers have increasingly focused on researching customer experience in the hotel industry. Customer experience research in the hotel industry evaluates the impact of customer experience on emotions, psychology, perspectives, and customer relationship building, just like in other industries (Sampetua Hariandja & Vincent, 2022).
Online booking sites have revolutionized the tourism and hospitality industries, with data analytics from customer-generated reviews playing a crucial role (Chalupa & Petricek, 2022; Chen et al., 2019). Recent research has shown that big data analysis of these reviews offers valuable insights that enable businesses to adapt to environmental changes and develop effective long-term strategies. By utilizing data analytics, companies can extract meaningful value from vast data, empowering them to make informed, data-driven decisions (Chen et al., 2019; Chen et al., 2020; Godnov & Redek, 2018). However, analyzing customer reviews in text form can be challenging, requiring the identification of keywords and patterns that reflect customer experience (Li et al., 2019). To this end, conducting text analysis of hotel experiences provides valuable insights into the genuine emotions experienced by customers. By leveraging this information, businesses can improve their offerings and increase customer satisfaction (Zhao et al., 2019).