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A Re-rank Algorithm for Online Hotel Search

In: Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2023

Author

Listed:
  • Emanuele Cavenaghi

    (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano)

  • Lorenzo Camaione

    (Bravonext SA t/a lastminute.com)

  • Paolo Minasi

    (Bravonext SA t/a lastminute.com)

  • Gabriele Sottocornola

    (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano)

  • Fabio Stella

    (University of Milano-Bicocca)

  • Markus Zanker

    (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
    University of Klagenfurt)

Abstract

Recommender Systems were created to support users in situations of information overload. However, users are consciously or unconsciously influenced by several factors in their decision-making. We analysed a historical dataset from a meta-search booking platform with the aim of exploring how these factors influence user choices in the context of online hotel search and booking. Specifically, we focused our study on the influence of (i) ranking position, (ii) number of reviews, (iii) average ratings and (iv) price when analysing users’ click behaviour. Our results confirmed conventional wisdom that position and price were the “two elephants in the room” heavily influencing user decision-making. Thus, they need to be taken into account when, for instance, trying to learn user preferences from clickstream data. Using the results coming from this analysis, we performed an online A/B test on this meta-search booking platform comparing the current policy with a price-based re-rank policy. Our online experiments suggested that, although in offline experiments items with lower prices tend to have a higher Click-Through Rate, in an online context a price-based re-rank was only capable to improve the Click-Through Rate metric for the first positions of the recommended lists.

Suggested Citation

  • Emanuele Cavenaghi & Lorenzo Camaione & Paolo Minasi & Gabriele Sottocornola & Fabio Stella & Markus Zanker, 2023. "A Re-rank Algorithm for Online Hotel Search," Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, in: Berta Ferrer-Rosell & David Massimo & Katerina Berezina (ed.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2023, pages 53-64, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-25752-0_5
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25752-0_5
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