This study sought to create and test a customer‐based brand equity model for Spanish hotels with TripAdvisor data. Using a sample of 1514 hotels and structural equation modelling with an asymptotically distribution‐free method, a valid basic, unified model was developed. The results confirm the viability of online data for brand equity research. These data reduce the cost of data capture, allowing the collection of a large amount of data and the creation of more dynamic models. The results also show that aspects of brand equity are now under the control of users, a finding that requires further research. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.