Determinants of hotel guests’ satisfaction and repeat patronage in the Hong Kong hotel industry

This study examined the relative importance of hotel factors in relation to travelers’ overall satisfaction levels with their hotel stays in Hong Kong and the likelihood of returning to the same hotels in their subsequent trips. Using a factor analysis technique, the study identified seven hotel factors that were likely to influence customers’ choice intentions: ‘Staff Service Quality’, ‘Room Qualities’, ‘General Amenities’, ‘Business Services’, ‘Value’, ‘Security’ and ‘IDD Facilities’. Multiple regression analysis technique was then applied to examine the relative importance of each of these hotel factors in determining travelers’ overall satisfaction levels and their likelihood of returning to the same hotels. In order of importance, ‘Staff Service Quality’, ‘Room Qualities’ and ‘Value’ were the three most influential factors in determining travelers’ overall satisfaction levels and their likelihood of returning to the same hotels.     

The well-being and subjective career success of workaholics: An examination of hospitality managers’ recovery experience

Workaholism and its influence on hospitality managers’ recovery experience, well-being, and subjective career success was examined. Participants were hospitality managers in the hotel, foodservice, airline, and tourism industries in the United States. Data was collected at two time points and the results show that hospitality managers’ recovery experience has a positive relationship with well-being and subjective career success. Furthermore, the positive relationship between recovery experience and job satisfaction and the positive relationship between recovery experience and career satisfaction were found to be stronger for people who are high in workaholism. Theoretical and practical implications based on the results are discussed.     

Do religion and spirituality matter for hotel workers’ well-being and guests’ happiness? An update of the Attraction-Selection-Attrition theory

Drawing on the Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) theory (Schneider et al., 1995), this paper examines how adhering to religious regulations and offering spiritual facilities may affect hotel workers’ psychological well-being and guests’ happiness. Using a mixed method approach, we collected data through two studies on religious practices and spiritual facilities at 5-star hotels in Jordan. In the first stage, interviews were conducted with 18 senior managers at hotels in the Dead Sea area (study 1). In the second stage, data were collected from Muslim guests who visited and stayed at a 5-star hotel in Jordan (study 2) and the hypotheses were tested with partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 3.3.3. Our results indicate that spiritual facilities at hotels enhance workers’ well-being and guests’ happiness while not adhering to religious regulations adversely affects workers’ well-being and guests’ happiness. The paper offers a contextual and novel framework to understand the linkages between religion/spirituality and psychology at hotels in a diverse cultural context in the Middle East. The empirical studies highlight the contextual relevance and extension of Schneider’s (1995) ASA theory by incorporating religiosity/spiritualty and well-being of hotel employees in a Middle Eastern context.     

Tourists’ hotel event experience and satisfaction: an integrative approach

ABSTRACT

Tourists’ hotel event experiences have received little attention in tourism research. By proposing an integrated model of expectation–confirmation theory (ECT) and the experience economy concept, this research explores the relationship between tourists’ event experience and their satisfaction regarding the hotel event setting. The hypothesized model was empirically validated using a sample of 663 tourists who experienced a holiday event at a resort hotel. Results confirmed that the integration of the experience economy and ECT provided a better understanding of tourists’ post-satisfaction in a pleasure-driven setting. This affective–cognitive approach advances the knowledge of tourists’ experiences and satisfaction at hotel events.     

Satisfaction and positive emotions: A comparison of the influence of hotel guests’ beliefs and attitudes on their satisfaction and emotions

This research provides a comparative study of two comprehensive servicescape models to explore the underlying influence of various hotel elements on guests’ satisfaction with, and emotional responses to, their hotel stays. Based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this research sought to identify the differences in guests’ beliefs and attitudes about the elements of hotels’ public areas, rooms, ambiance, social, and green practices in determining their satisfaction and emotions. Two structural models were developed illustrating the theorized interrelationships between identified constructs. Data collected through an online survey from 310 guests stayed in upscale hotels with four-star ratings were used for the analysis. Results from two structural models revealed that the model with attitudes is a better predictor of guest satisfaction and emotions than the model with beliefs. Further, emotionally attached guests engage more in WOM than did satisfied guests. Hotel managers need to offer experiences that consist of elements that matter to customers since customers’ attitude towards various service elements determine their satisfaction and emotional attachment with hotels. Additionally, in order to get brand promoters through WOM recommendations, hotels need to focus on emotionally attached customers than satisfied customers.     

“I have to watch my back”: Exploring Chinese hotel guests’ generalized distrust and coping behavior

The hospitality industry has been suffering from a pervasive climate of suspicion among guests who are concerned about potential hygiene or safety issues. From the perspective of protection motivation theory, this study presents a conceptual model elucidating the underlying mechanism through which generalized distrust shapes hotel guests' defensive coping behavior. Exploratory semi-structured interviews and online posts were combined to identify hotel guests' on-site coping strategies and underlying mechanisms. Then, an online questionnaire was distributed to 532 respondents, and structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed research model. Results provide empirical support for the “cognition–emotion–coping behavior” pattern in cognitive appraisal theory. This study offers valuable insight into the management of hotel guests’ generalized distrust.     

Are lodging customers ready to go green? An examination of attitudes,demographics, and eco-friendly intentions

This study attempted to answer the following research questions: (1) Do eco-friendly attitudes affect hotel customers’ environmentally friendly intentions to visit a green hotel, to spread word-of-mouth about a green hotel, and to pay more for a green hotel?; (2) If so, which facet of attitudes has the greatest impact?; (3) How do their expressed intentions differ across gender, age, education, and household income?; (4) How do such expressed intentions differ based on the existence of previous experience staying at a green hotel? A total of 422 cases were used to answer the research questions. Findings indicate that customers’ green attitudes are, in general, significantly associated with their expressed intentions to visit a green hotel, to spread word-of-mouth about a green hotel, and to pay more for it. Gender differences in such intentions were found, and the intentions were affected by their previous experiences with a green hotel. However, the eco-friendly intentions did not significantly differ across age, education, and household income.     

An examination of the progressive effects of hotel frontline employees’ brand perceptions on desirable service outcomes

The present study scrutinizes how hospitality firms’ internal branding influences the service performance of frontline employees in a progressive way. More specifically, based on social influence and social exchange theories, this study examines if organizational commitment mediates the link between hospitality frontline employees’ perceptions of brand authenticity (BA) and brand-value fit (BVF) and their service-related behaviors such as generating ideas for service improvement (GISI) and service-oriented citizenship behavior. With a matched sample of 286 customer-contact frontline employees and 33 of their supervisors from five-star hotels in South Korea, this study found that the higher employees’ perceptions of BA and BVF, the more likely they were to generate ideas for service improvement and engage in service-oriented citizenship behavior, as they were more likely to be committed to the firm. Based on the findings, implications are discussed for hospitality practitioners and researchers alike in terms of internal branding with frontline employees.     

Business travellers’ hotel expectations and disappointments: A different perspective to hotel attribute importance investigation

Hotel attribute importance studies have a long tradition in hospitality research. This study investigates the issue for business travelers by asking the respondents to state their expectations and disappointments / dissatisfaction in an open question format instead of rating the importance of attributes directly.

The aim of the study is twofold: (1) to learn about expectations and past disappointments of this particular segment to provide additional insight for customizing hotel offers and (2) to investigate whether the findings reported in literature so far are mirrored or not.     

Understanding guests’ behavior to visit green hotels: The role of ethical ideology and religiosity

The main aim of this study is to develop and test a model to understand guests’ behavior to visit green hotel by merging the theory of planed behavior (TPB) with theories of ethics and religiosity in a single model. Furthermore, it examines the moderating role of ethical ideology. This research utilized a quantitative method to assess the suggested conceptual framework. Data were gathered from 871 participants and analyzed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). According to the study results, the suggested model shows a favorable prediction level of guests’ behavior, which confirmed the superiority of the proposed model. Our study indicated that TPB and ethical theory adequately explain guests’ behavior to visit green hotel. Ethical ideology was found to be a key driver of guests’ green decision-making process. Our study makes several contributions to the practice and theory by providing useful insights on drivers of consumers’ behavior to visit green hotels in the Egyptian hospitality environment.     

Hosts and guests’ social representations of nudism: A mutual gaze approach

Based on the mutual gaze concept and social representations theory, this study explored locals and nudists’ perceptions of social nudity and each other. Interviews with locals and nudists at a beach destination in Mexico revealed that both groups’ representations of naturism’s ideals, practices and benefits differ considerably. While nudists conceive nudism as a way of life, locals see it as a practice that outside the nudist space is morally unacceptable. Locals’ acceptance of nudists is largely conditioned by their economic significance, and residents have been active subjects in decisions about nudists’ use of local spaces. Nudists have positive perceptions of locals but are dissatisfied with spatial sanctions of nudism. Practical implications are presented.     

How do hotel employees’ feeling trusted and its differentiation shape service performance: The role of relational energy

Although prior literature has generally shown that feeling trusted plays a crucial role in boosting employee performance, little attention has been paid to exploring how and when feeling trusted promotes service performance. Borrowing from the Pygmalion effect and conservation of resources theory, we craft and scrutinize a cross-level framework elucidating why and when feeling trusted shapes service performance by pinpointing relational energy as a linchpin mechanism, and feeling trusted differentiation as a key contingency. A three-wave survey design is used to examine these assumptions with data culled from 505 hotel employee–leader dyads nested in 97 groups affiliated with 16 hotels in China. As anticipated, we found that feeling trusted can evoke high relational energy, which in turn improves service performance. In addition, these observed effects of feeling trusted become stronger when feeling trusted differentiation is low rather than high. Overall, we conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.     

An examination of students’ perceptions for guest speakers in hospitality and tourism programs

The current study aimed to identify students’ perceptions about guest speakers in hospitality and tourism programs. A total of 222 participants were surveyed at a large, public university in southwestern United States. The mean scores of 10 attributes were plotted on an importance-performance analysis grid to illustrate each attribute of one guest speaker’s lecture. The findings showed a discrepancy between the students’ perceived importance and the performance level. The results indicate that students expect that guest speakers not only provide industry-specific knowledge and current issues but also deliver them appropriately. Therefore, guest speakers should realize that students are eager to learn about strategies for career success and current issues in order to stimulate their interest. These findings provide meaningful information for guest speakers on how to improve their effectiveness because students’ reflection and ideas about guest speakers help faculty members better utilize guest speakers and develop curriculums and programs, which ultimately will benefit students in their learning.     

The power of design: How does design affect consumers’ online hotel booking?

Emphasizing experiential appeals to consumers through design is most notable in the emerging lifestyle hotel segment of the lodging industry. This study identifies which lodging design mechanisms evoke consumer responses and provides a novel understanding of the relationships among consumer perception of hotel product/service design and booking intention by incorporating consumer emotional arousal and quality expectations in a theoretical model. The findings of this study suggest that aesthetics and symbolism in hotel design shape booking intention through emotional arousal and quality expectation. The functional dimension of design affects booking intention only through quality expectation. The findings will be particularly meaningful to the lodging industry because online booking requires both emotional and cognitive responses on the part of consumers.     

An examination of the role of booking lead time in consumers’ reactions to online scarcity messages

Scarcity messaging is frequently employed by travel marketers to drive consumer conversion rate in the online sales environment. This study examines the effects of two types of scarcity messages, unit and option scarcity, on consumer booking intentions and explores the role of booking lead time on the scarcity messaging-booking intentions relationship in the context of the purchase of hotel accommodation. Findings suggest that when booking lead-time is long, unit scarcity messages will be more effective than option scarcity messages in influencing booking intentions as they are perceived as more credible, and induce higher perceptions of a sellout risk. When booking lead-time is short, consumers perceive no differences in the credibility of unit and option scarcity messages: both are equally effective in driving booking intentions. This research provides marketers with guidance on how and when to leverage scarcity appeals to drive consumer conversion rate.     

Environmental knowledge and consumers’ intentions to visit green hotels: the mediating role of consumption values

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research is to explore the effect of environmental knowledge on consumers’ intentions to visit green hotels through consumption values. The research data was collected using the questionnaire survey. The results showed that environmental knowledge is significantly related to consumption values of consumers, which in turn has significant impacts on the visiting intentions. Moreover, this study also found that consumption values mediate the relationship between environmental knowledge and the intentions to visit green hotels. According to the results, the implications, limitations, and the directions of follow-up research were discussed.     

How do consumers’ perceptions differ across dimensions of corporate social responsibility and hotel types?

This study develops three hypotheses regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of the hotel industry. First, the study examines a ranking of consumers’ perceived importance of the four CSR dimensions proposed by Carroll’s hierarchy of CSR in 1991, expecting the following orders: philanthropic, ethical, legal, and economic dimensions, from most to least important. Second, the study investigates the relationship between consumers’ perceived importance of and their overall support for CSR. Third, the study introduces the type of hotel (for example, economy, mid-scale, and upscale) as a moderator to provide a better explanation of the relationship between consumers’ perceived importance of the CSR dimensions and support for CSR. Contributions to the CSR literature in general, and also specifically relating to the hotel context, and managerial implications are discussed.     

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on customer experience design: The hotel managers’ perspective

This research responds to calls for research on the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry by investigating how hotel managers are designing safe customer experiences. Specifically, this study examines the measures adopted in high-end and luxury hotels and identifies the effects of such measures on the intended (or planned) experience. Based on thematic analysis of interviews with hotel managers, this study identifies seven safety measures: hygiene and protection, internal work reorganization, servicescape reorganization, investments in technology and digital innovations, customer wait time reorganization, staff training, and updated communication. These measures are expected to affect the intended experience in terms of reassurance, quickness, intimacy, and proximity, as emerged from correspondence factor analysis. Based on these results, this research proposes a model for safe customer experience design and suggests practical implications to help hotel managers formulate strategies aimed at customer experience creation under safe conditions.