Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Travel Research
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
0047287509332331v1
48/2/162    most recent
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bartkus, K. R.
Right arrow Articles by Blackham, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

The Quality of Guest Comment Cards

An Empirical Study of U.S. Lodging Chains

Kenneth R. Bartkus

Utah State University

Roy D. Howell

Texas Tech University

Stacey Barlow Hills

Utah State University

Jeanette Blackham

Sinclair Oil Corporation

This study examines the quality of guest comment cards used by major U.S. lodging chains. To accomplish this objective, guidelines for comment card design were developed through a review of the relevant literature. The guidelines focus on eight issues: (1) return methods, (2) introductory statements, (3) contact information, (4) number of questions, (5) space for open comments, (6) number of response categories for closed-ended questions, (7) balanced versus unbalanced response categories for closed-ended questions, and (8) question wording. Using a sample of 63 lodging chains, the most common deviations from guidelines include a lack of secure return methods, the use of positively biased response categories, and insufficient writing space for open comments. To improve the quality of comment card feedback, these and other limitations should be corrected. Managerial implications and directions for future research are included.

Key Words: comment cards • lodging • guidelines • guest feedback • quality

This version was published on November 1, 2009

Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 48, No. 2, 162-176 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0047287509332331
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?