Kaluarachchi Liyanage, D. S.Mirando, U. J.2025-07-182025Kaluarachchi Liyanage, D. S., & Mirando, U. J. (2025). The Impact of Online Consumer Reviews on Hotel Booking Intentions in Colombo City Hotels in Sri Lanka: The Moderating Role of Price Sensitivity with Special Reference to Gen Z Customers. 9th Student Research Conference in Marketing. Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/29755A growing reliance on the internet as an information source when choosing tourism products raises the need for more understanding of electronic word of mouth. The development of the internet and technology has provided the public with an open space to share their thoughts without any impediments. Consumers often rely on evaluations such as online reviews shared by other consumers when purchasing. Online reviews have emerged as a crucial marketing tool that offers a distinct advantage over traditional methods by fostering trust among consumers. Subsequently, previous studies have advanced our understanding of how eWOM drives the continued development of digital communication in different sectors. However, the results remain inconclusive. This discrepancy highlights a critical aperture in converting reviewer engagement into actionable consumer behavior. Moreover, existing literature is context-specific, and their results could have limited applicability in the diverse and competitive tourism market of Colombo. However, with the rapid advancement of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka, it is important to investigate how these factors interact with the consumer behavior of Gen Z travelers in the local context to improve booking results. Therefore, this study explores the impact of online consumer reviews (OCRs) on hotel booking intentions in Colombo City hotels, specifically focusing on Generation Z consumers. Adding to this complexity is the moderating role of price sensitivity, a concept that significantly affects tourists’ choice of tourism products. Although price sensitivity has been examined in various settings, its interplay with online consumer reviews and hotel booking intentions within the tourism and hospitality industry in Sri Lanka remains underexplored. Furthermore, these apertures underline the need for a focused investigation to optimize the effectiveness of managing OCRs in fostering both reviewer engagement and booking results. Employing a positive paradigm and a deductive approach, the research utilizes non-probability convenience sampling to gather insights from 385 Gen Z participants across the country. Data collection was conducted through a structured questionnaire designed to capture the interplay between OCR dimensions, including review source, quality, volume, recency, and valence to determine their influence on booking decisions. Regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses, ensuring a robust examination of the proposed relationships. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between OCR and hotel booking intention with review quality and recency emerging as the most influential factors. Price sensitivity moderates this relationship emphasizing the importance of tailored pricing strategies for Gen Z who are both tech-savvy and budget-conscious. These results underscore the need for Colombo City hotels to refine their digital marketing efforts, focusing on authentic reviews and competitive pricing to attract this demographic. Consequently, the implications of this research are both theoretical and practical. Theoretically, it advances the understanding of eWOM by elucidating the role of price sensitivity as a moderator between consumer reviews and hotel booking intentions. Practically, it provides actionable recommendations for marketers in the Sri Lankan tourism and hospitality sector. Marketing professionals in Colombo City hotels must improve their strategies to offer a better experience to this consumer segment by upgrading their online review strategies, working on price sensitivity, making good use of social media, using local cultural experiences, and reviewing management practices. Future research could expand the scope by incorporating longitudinal designs and exploring diverse experimental designs to ascertain cause and effect. Despite its contributions, the study is not without limitations. Colombo City hotels that target Generation Z consumers restrict the findings of research from being generalized to other demographic groups, geographical locations, and accommodation types. Furthermore, many previous studies relied on self-reported data, which itself may exert some social desirability biases, recall errors, etc.Online Consumer ReviewsGen ZHotel Booking IntentionPrice SensitivityColombo City HotelsArticle