Effect of motivations and engagement with eWOM on hotel queries

The study of antecedents of eWOM queries has received less attention than the effects of these queries on purchase decisions. Considering the academic interest recently aroused in engagement with eWOM, the aim is to analyse, in the hospitality context, the effects that motivations to use eWOM have on engagement to eWOM and how this engagement influences adoption of eWOM queries. Based on the double dimension of receiving-sending both for motivations and engagement, the causal relationship chain 'motivations-engagement-eWOM adoption' is estimated in a sample of 393 hotel guests through a structural equation model. The effects of both motivations on engagement and, in turn, engagement on adoption are confirmed. The novelty of this work lies in the study of motivations and engagement, both from the dual perspective, as antecedents of the use of eWOM searches. These results have important academic and business management implications.