Manifestation of contextual thinking and horn effect in Eastern guests’ hotel evaluation behaviors: Evidence from TripAdvisor data using multilevel modeling

A customer's Eastern or Western origin is easily identifiable information for hotel practitioners. If hotel evaluation behaviors can be distinguished based on this east–west distinction, it offers highly practical insights, enabling proactive review management. This study investigated how Easterners’ distinctive evaluative cognitive style—characterized by contextual thinking and susceptibility to the horn effect—shapes their hotel evaluation behaviors, distinguishing them from Westerners. The results showed that for Easterners, higher star–rated hotels (the first contextual factor) lead to a less significant increase in satisfaction scores compared to Westerners. Additionally, Easterners gave lower satisfaction scores when traveling with companions (the second contextual factor), a pattern less evident among Westerners. Lastly, the study confirmed that when guests evaluate detailed aspects of a hotel (including service, location, sleep quality, and cleanliness), the horn effect—where dissatisfaction in one aspect negatively influences evaluations of other unrelated aspects—is more pronounced among Easterners.