A methodological scoping review for video analysis in hospitality research

Purpose As video content becomes increasingly central to hospitality marketing and customer engagement strategies, researchers face mounting challenges in developing robust analytical frameworks for this multimodal medium. This scoping review examines video analysis techniques in hospitality research, identifying current methodological practices, gaps and opportunities to guide researchers conducting video-based studies in this rapidly evolving field. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a systematic scoping review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, analyzing 37 peer-reviewed English-language studies published between 2017 and 2025. The review involved comprehensive database searches across Web of Science and Scopus, systematic screening using Rayyan and data extraction focused on sample characteristics, analytical techniques, and methodological approaches. Findings Analysis revealed three key methodological patterns: researchers primarily analyze textual and visual elements while underutilizing auditory components; YouTube dominates as the source platform, limiting platform diversity, and qualitative content analysis represents the most common approach, with minimal adoption of advanced computational techniques, such as machine learning-based topic modeling. Research limitations/implications Researchers should expand data collection beyond YouTube to include emerging platforms like TikTok and Bilibili, investigate underutilized auditory components for richer contextual insights and develop hybrid analytical frameworks that combine machine learning efficiency with qualitative depth to address scalability challenges. Originality/value This study represents the first systematic methodological review of video analysis techniques in hospitality research, mapping current practices and providing guidance for methodological advancement in this emerging area.