Abstract

This study examines the relationship between customer satisfaction and management response in the hotel industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. By applying regression analysis and topic modeling to consumer reviews on online platforms, we assess how consumer perceptions and management behaviors have shifted since the onset of the pandemic. The findings reveal a significant decline in customer satisfaction linked to COVID-19. Significantly, while the pandemic has reduced overall customer satisfaction levels, high response rates and high review-response content similarity mitigate the impact of the crises. These results highlight the critical need for hotel managers to continuously monitor online reviews and adapt their engagement strategies to maintain and enhance customer satisfaction during ongoing and future crises. This research not only corroborates existing theories on customer satisfaction but also exposes novel dynamics introduced by the pandemic, offering new insights for effective customer relationship management in turbulent times.