Análisis comparativo de aplicaciones móviles para la reservación de servicios de alojamiento en la ciudad de Guaranda.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a comparative analysis of mobile applications (apps) for the booking of accommodation services in the city of Guaranda. The purpose was to identify significant differences among the apps and contribute to the strengthening of digital marketing strategies for the city's hotel service. For the development of the project, an analysis, synthesis, induction, and deduction methodology was applied. Regarding data collection, primary and secondary information was considered. Apps related to hosting services were identified by using an Android system mobile device tool. Evaluation criteria were recorded for the analysis and this process was developed into one condition: those criteria that coincided in more than 65% of the prioritized apps were part of the comparative analysis. The analysis was developed by applying statistical tests using MINITAB 15, once the assumption of normality was verified, U Mann-Whitney and t-Student tests were used as an alternative to the lack of fulfillment of the assumption. The compared evaluation criteria were the following: room comfort, cleanliness, service and evaluation, the study was conducted in 7 lodging accommodations located up to 3.8 km from the center of the city of Guaranda and the comparison was made to 9 apps. The results demonstrated that there is no significant difference in the evaluation issued by tourists. It was concluded that tourists perceive a similar experience when staying in a hotel or hostel. Besides, the National Health Emergency caused by the COVID-19 has restricted tourism to operate as usual, which means that not all tourism services benefit from digital commerce in the current economy. Based on the circumstances generated by COVID-19 in tourism, an update of the project is recommended to complement the information with the generated data, once the demand for tourist accommodation through apps improves.