Using Word Trees, Word Networks, and Tag Clouds to Provide Meaningful Insights: A Case Study of Electronic Word of Mouth for Hotel Service Delivery

The combined use of data mining techniques and qualitative consumer reports can provide meaningful insights into service performance and relevant decision making. In several case studies, the authors combine qualitative comments from an online hotel feedback website about popular travel destinations, as reported by business, pleasure, and mixed-use travelers. After extracting 1,893 useable customer comments, using a web spider application, the study software produced summaries of qualitative comments in the form of tag clouds, word networks, and word tree images. This technologically enabled analysis of consumer-reported information provides consumer researchers with more objective ratings of qualitative consumer assessments of their experience across various units of analysis, with several applications for corporate and operational management. Furthermore, several implications inform consumer researchers and corporate consumer research departments about effective ways to investigate and serve industry. This study also has several limitations that suggest routes for further research. Anil Bilgihan Florida Atlantic University, USA Denver Severt University of Central Florida, USA Jay Kandampully Ohio State University, USA DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6543-9.ch089