Within-group multimarket contact, service diversity and consumer rating: Evidence from the hotel industry

Based on the secondhand data of the hotel industry, this paper conducts an empirical test in order to study the relationship between within-group multimarket contact (WGMMC), service diversity and consumer rating. Besides, this paper also analyzes the moderating role of market reciprocity and travel experience. The empirical results show that WGMMC has a significant negative impact on hotels' service diversity, and market reciprocity will strengthen the negative correlation between WGMMC and service diversity. Furthermore, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between service diversity and consumer rating, and travel experience will weaken this relationship. By extending the impact of multimarket contact on corporate competitive behavior to the consumer side, this article enriches the empirical research in the field of dynamic competition. At the same time, this research also helps hotels expand their strategic vision, improve their relationship with consumers, and ultimately promote the healthy and orderly development of industry competition.