Evaluation of hotel websites: Progress and future developments (invited paper for ‘luminaries’ special issue of International Journal of Hospitality Management)

Website evaluation has gained considerable attention from academic researchers since the emergence of hotel websites in the late 1990 s. Previous studies have developed and adopted various methodologies and approaches for website evaluation. However, studies tracking changes in hotel website evaluation along with their rapid development have been scant. This study traces the chronological changes in website evaluation models and provides future research directions. The main findings indicate that information quality has been the main focus although different terms or expressions have been used to represent the concept. In addition, many diverse website evaluation models have been advocated in the past decade. Findings of this study can provide practical implications for hotel managers to ensure online hotel information quality and achieve high-level information communication.