Causes and consequences of hotel brand hate: An exploratory research on domestic tourists

This thesis focuses on domestic tourists who have stayed in city hotels in Istanbul and have developed brand hate towards the hotel businesses they stayed in. The aim of the study is to identify the factors causing brand hate among tourists experiencing this sentiment and to determine the consequences of this hate. In this context, the participant group of the research was determined using purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques. The data of the research were collected through interviews using a semi-structured interview form. The questions of the semi-structured interview form were created by reviewing previous studies. The final version of the interview questions was determined in a focus group meeting organized with and consulted by three experts in the field. The interview form included a total of 14 questions, consisting of 10 main questions and four sub-questions. The data collection process covered the period from March 21, 2023, to July 17, 2023. The interviews were conducted both face-to-face and online, and audio recordings were taken with the written consent of the participants. The audio recordings collected as a result of the interviews were transcribed into text on Microsoft Word. NVivo 14 software was used for the analysis of the qualitative data collected. Main themes and sub-themes were created as a result of the coding. The findings were compared with the literature, and it was understood that consumers experiencing brand hate did so passively and actively, caused significant damage to the facility (brand retaliation), avoided the brand, switched brands, frequently expressed their negative thoughts about the facilities on online sites, and mentioned this negativity to people around them. Additionally, it was observed that participants experienced a negative shift in their perception of the hospitality industry due to their brand hate experiences. It is thought that the current study will contribute to the literature by filling the gap and being one of the pioneering studies examining the causes and consequences of brand hate on domestic tourists.