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There are several factors that affect customers' perceptions of service quality. According to the results of the evaluation of these factors, customers may prefer to apply for word-of-mouth communication as positive or negative. However, it is stated that customers share their satisfaction and positive thoughts less frequently, and therefore it is thought that positive comments may be more valuable for businesses. In addition, with the fact that the Internet and social media are at the center of people's lives, the preferability of electronic word-of-mouth communication has increased. Based on this situation, it is aimed to determine the factors that create the perception of high service quality (food quality, physical environment, personnel, price) in restaurants, which are among the businesses operating in the service sector, to what extent these factors are effective in the tendency of consumers to positive electronic word-of-mouth communication (e-wom) and whether there is a difference according to gender. The data source of the study is 359 positive comments made for restaurants operating in Hatay, one of the two cities selected as a gastronomy city by UNESCO in 2020, and Istanbul, which is considered the cultural mosaic of our country and is the most populous city, and ranks first in the middle price category registered on the Tripadvisor website. The data were analyzed by content analysis from qualitative research methods. Within the scope of this analysis, frequency analysis was performed in SPSS program and word frequency analysis was performed in MAXQDA program. As a result, it has been determined that food quality, personnel, physical environment and price are effective in customers' perception of restaurant service quality, respectively. In terms of gender, it has been seen that male customers tend to e-wom more than women. According to the word frequency analysis, while the most frequently used word for the restaurant in Hatay is "Antakya", the district where the restaurant is located, the most used word in the restaurant in Istanbul is "advice". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: With the proliferation of Web 2.0 and the travel-related user-generated content platforms, researchers can obtain abundant unsolicited data to examine guests' perceptions, preferences and behaviors. Drawing on online reviews, this study aims to identify the key factors that determine guest satisfaction in lodging businesses. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 400 English-language reviews posted about the best-rated hotels in Istanbul, Turkey, according to TripAdvisor's ranking system, were selected and content-analyzed. A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive content analysis was adopted in this study. Findings: The findings suggested that the quality and size of rooms, along with the service quality from staff, mainly determine guest satisfaction. The findings also reveal that relatively young European male travelers who stay in couple and with family are more likely to share their accommodation experiences in cyberspace. Originality/value: The study adds to the literature on the determinants of guest satisfaction by examining online reviews. Unlike research using conventional research methods, the present study contributes to the existing literature of guest satisfaction in the hotel industry by harnessing the power of the word of mouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]