“How was your meal?” Examining customer experience using Google maps reviews

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of restaurant attributes and the underlying factors impacting overall customer experience within a range of different restaurant types. To understand their experiences, this study analyses online reviews of restaurants which have become important sources of customer experience data. This current research utilises a combination of quantitative analyses to examine 935,386 Google Maps reviews of 5010 restaurants in London, Birmingham, and Manchester. The authors used the VADER sentiment analysis algorithm to measure the sentiment of four key restaurant attributes: food, service, atmosphere, and value. Logistic regression was conducted to test the relationships between these attributes and a 5-star rating. Furthermore, logistic regression was used to compare the changes of odds at different star rating levels. To understand the factors that drive positive and negative reviews, the top 30 food items of 8 types of restaurants were analysed.     

Tourists' memories,sensory impressions and loyalty: In loco and post-visit study in Southwest Portugal

This study aims to offer some insights on the contribution of sensory diversity as perceived by tourists to memorable destination experiences and to explore the connection between long-term memory of sensory impressions and destination loyalty. The vital role of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences is stressed by current tourism research and supported by a multidisciplinary view on the role of the five external senses in human perception, memory, and behavior. While the marketing management approach highlights the importance of considering multisensory information in the process of facilitating positive and memorable destination experiences, there is a lack of empirical research to validate the theoretical literature. A two-step exploratory study was conducted in loco and six months after tourists' visits to Southwest Portugal. The findings suggest that perceived richer sensory tourist experiences may have a significant role in the long-term memory of individuals’ experiences, encouraging favorable tourist behavior towards destinations.     

The effects of consumer experience and disconfirmation on the timing of online review: Field evidence from the restaurant business

This study investigated the effects of consumer experience and disconfirmation on the timing of online reviews. Based on a unique dataset of restaurant reservations and online reviews, the empirical results indicate that (1) there is a reverse U-shaped relationship between consumer experience and online review posting timing, i.e., consumers who have strongly dissatisfying or satisfying experiences tend to post online reviews earlier than consumers who have moderate experience; (2) the disconfirmation between a customer’s experience and the average rating of prior reviews has a negative effect on his or her online review posting speed; and (3) the effect of disconfirmation on review posting speed is substantial for consumers who have strongly dissatisfying or satisfying experiences, while it is weaker for consumers who have moderate experience.     

游客间互动对再惠顾意愿的影响研究——基于游客体验的视角

同顾客与员工、顾客与服务环境之间的互动研究相比,服务接触中顾客间互动的研究明显匮乏,这也逐渐成为了服务接触理论进一步深化研究的关键领域。文章基于顾客体验的视角,构建并实证检验了游客间互动对游客再惠顾意愿影响的概念模型,发现了游客间互动的4个维度在影响游客体验价值各层面上存在的差异性以及体验价值的不同维度在游客间互动对再惠顾意愿影响中的不同中介作用：礼仪违背、友好交谈对情感性、认知性、社会性体验价值有显著影响,并间接影响游客的再惠顾意愿;一方面干扰和争执对功能性、情感性体验价值有显著的负向影响,建议与帮助对体验价值的4个维度有显著正向影响,进而间接影响游客的再惠顾意愿,另一方面干扰与争执对再惠顾意愿有直接的负向影响,建议与帮助对再惠顾意愿有直接正向影响作用。此外,有效辨识出各人口统计变量的不同水平对各研究变量影响的差异。这对于旅游企业开展良好的顾客关系管理具有重大的指导意义和价值。     

Sentiment mining of online reviews of peer-to-peer accommodations: Customer emotional heterogeneity and its influencing factors

The polarized problem of customers' emotional experiences in peer-to-peer accommodations has been exposed and needs urgent solution. However, a research gap remains in understanding the emotional heterogeneity. Therefore, this study explores customers' emotional heterogeneity and drivers for peer-to-peer accommodations using deep learning technologies and social network analysis. The results reveal that: For common causes, the environment is a core driver of customer emotions; While services are not necessary to positive emotions. For special causes, price value and location can stimulate customers' positive emotions, while their absence cannot affect negative emotions; The absence of household amenities cannot hinder the formation of positive emotions; While booking information triggers customers' negative emotions. This study clarifies complex demands of customer emotional experiences in sharing economy and provides a multiple emotional heterogeneity perspective for mining the emotional causes of peer-to-peer accommodation customers. Furthermore, it contributes to implications for improving customer emotional experience with differentiated strategies.     

Customer-robot interactions: Understanding customer experience with service robots

Technology developments relating to automation, artificial intelligence, and robots have transformed the landscape of service industries, including hospitality and tourism. Through a qualitative content analysis of online review data, this study seeks a comprehensive and grounded understanding of customer experience with service robots in hospitality and tourism settings. The analysis identified four categories of customer experience: (1) sensory experience (verbal language, physical appearance, kinesics, and paralanguage), (2) cognitive experience (utility, cuteness, autonomy, coolness, interactivity, and courtesy), (3) affective experience (enjoyment, novelty, negative emotion, and satisfaction), and (4) conative experience (approach/resistance). Results led to the development of a framework representing customer experience with service robots and to insights into customer-robot interactions. Most customers described positive experiences, and while service robots performed well in delivering functional and emotional value, social interaction skills need improvement.     

Impact of customer-to-customer interactions on overall service experience: A social servicescape perspective

Utilizing the appraisal theory, this study proposes a dynamic and sequential customer future interaction intention model that deconstructs customer-to-customer interactions and illustrates how customer-to-customer interaction experience perceptions are formed and how those perceptions may influence customers overall experience evaluation and their future interaction intentions. The model was tested using data from a sample of 460 casual restaurant consumers. Of the three dimensions of interaction, functional interaction only exerts influence on RELATE; hedonic interaction impacts both SENSE and RELATE; expressive interaction influences THINK, SENSE and RELATE. Further, SENSE and RELATE are positively related to FEEL, while THINK has no significant effect on FEEL. FEEL impacts customers’ overall experience evaluation, which has positive influence on approach ACT and negative influence on avoidance ACT.     

The sensory dimension of tourist experiences: Capturing meaningful sensory-informed themes in Southwest Portugal

Sensory aspects of destinations have recently been in focus as an important dimension in the process of facilitating positive tourist experiences. The countryside embraces local resources rich in multi-sensory stimuli that could be utilized in the planning and marketing of appealing tourist experiences addressed to segments of tourists, while fitting sustainable local development. This study follows a holistic approach to the five external human senses, aiming to capture meaningful sensory-informed themes adequate for segmenting rural tourists. A self-administered survey in four languages was collected from 181 tourists in Southwest Portugal. A multiple correspondence analysis suggests four sensory-informed themes, tentatively named generic beach-related experience, nature-based experience, balanced experience, and rural experience. The proposed themes correspond to a four-solution cluster of tourists presenting different profiles. The largest segment (73 tourists) corresponds to the rural experience, regarding which tourists mainly refer to the taste of local food and the smell of fresh air.     

Integrating virtual reality devices into the body: effects of technological embodiment on customer engagement and behavioral intentions toward the destination

ABSTRACT

Virtual reality devices create a high integration of technologies with human senses. However, few studies analyze how embodied technologies affect customer pre-experiences with a destination. Results from a lab experiment show that compared to desktop PC and mobile phones, VR head-mounted displays generate more immersive experiences, higher sensory stimulation, more engagement, and higher behavioral intentions toward the destination. Immersion and sensory stimulation mediate the effects of technological embodiment on engagement and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, active (versus passive) tourism content strengthens these effects. Our results stress the role of technological embodiment to generate effective pre-experiences with potential tourists’ destinations.     

Commercial hospitality in restaurants and tourist accommodation: Perspectives from international consumer experience in Scotland

This study investigates international consumer perceptions of their restaurant dining and hotel accommodation experiences to identify the common core elements of hospitality in commercial settings. A qualitative approach was adopted to explore the deep-rooted reactions, feelings, and perceptions of consumers. The empirical data are based on semi-structured interviews with 20 international postgraduate students in Scotland. The data analysis specified five categories of perceived commercial hospitality, including: interpersonal interaction, psychological connection, openness to different cultures, sensation satisfaction, and perceived value. Additionally, this study proposed a model of commercial hospitality for interpreting the dynamic and interactive relationships among different components. Complex hospitality experience relies primarily on customer emotional and social values. Several strategies based on perceived value and cultural differences were also developed to cater to various customer needs.     

Construction of a service quality scale for the online food delivery industry

The main purpose of this study is based on qualitative and quantitative research procedures, and integrates the key service factors for the online food delivery (OFD) industry extracted by Internet Big Data Analytics (IBDA) to construct a OFD service quality scale (OFD-SERV). This study takes OFD customers in Taipei City as the objects. The results show that 20 key service factors for the OFD industry are extracted through IBDA. The OFD-SERV scale contains six dimensions including reliability, maintenance of meal quality and hygiene, assurance, security, system operation and traceability, a total of 28 items. The results from the structural equation modeling showed that the reliability, assurance and system operation have a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Finally, the findings provide knowledge and inspiration for the current OFD, and enable OFD operators and future researchers to more accurately identify the deficiency of service quality.     

The impact of customers’ prior online experience on future hotel usage behavior

Service experience model stipulates the importance of service experience in increasing satisfaction, price acceptance, revisit intentions, etc. It has been extensively tested and validated in hotel management studies. However, the online service experience which, in these days, precedes the physical service experience has not be considered together in most hotel service experience studies. In hotel management literature, studies on online experiences are largely segregated from physical service experience model. In this study, prior online experience model is proposed which includes online experience preceding the physical service encounter, and a survey is administered. Result indicates the strong influence of online experience as a leading construct of the service experience model in hotels. Online experience strongly conditions the customers’ perception of physical service experience and, also, provides good ground for price acceptance. Interestingly, the influence of physical service experience on price acceptance seems to be rather alleviated with online experience, indicating the important role the online experience plays in managing customer perception on hotel service experience. Hotel management needs to pay close attention to their customers’ online experience beyond simple esthetics as the online experience seems to influence all the subsequent components of hotel service model.     

Authentic dining experiences in ethnic theme restaurants

The literature on ethnic theme restaurants has already shown that patrons of such restaurants often wish to experience authentic ethnic culture, and customer satisfaction correlates with authenticity. This study examines the relationship between importance and performance of perceptions of authentic dining experiences in ethnic theme restaurants, and attempts to verify the influence of authentic dining experiences on repurchase intention in ethnic theme restaurants. After designing questionnaire content and sampling, this study obtained 538 samples. The analytical results show that authentic dining experiences effectively indicate customer repurchase intention. This study thus concludes that to attract more customers, ethnic theme restaurants should improve their service, settings, and food to provide customers a more authentic dining experience.     

旅游者恢复性环境感知的结构模型和感知差异

旅游者对恢复性环境的感知是旅游者对旅游目的地的一种综合性体验,是旅游者与旅游地环境相互作用的结果。文章以九寨沟国内旅游者为研究对象,基于一致性、新奇、迷人、逃逸和兼容性5个维度,探讨了旅游者恢复性环境感知特征及其差异,检验了恢复性环境感知维度间的影响关系。研究结果表明:(1)由一致性、新奇、迷人、逃逸和兼容性5个维度组成的恢复性环境感知量表具有较好的信度和效度。(2)九寨沟旅游者的恢复性环境感知在一致性、新奇和兼容性等3个维度上存在一定差异。(3)恢复性环境感知的5个维度间并不是独立的,而是一种具有影响关系的结构。一致性维度对新奇、迷人、逃逸和兼容性维度具有显著的正向影响,新奇维度对迷人、逃逸和兼容性维度具有显著的正向影响,表明旅游者恢复性环境感知是一个渐进式的心理感知过程。     

Ecotourists' Perception of Ecotourism Experience in Lower Kinabatangan,Sabah, Malaysia

This paper presents the empirical findings of an exploratory qualitative study which looks at ecotourists' perceptions of ecotourism experiences in Sabah, Malaysia in order to identify the expressive dimensions that describe the quality of their experience. In-depth interviews were conducted with European ecotourists who stayed at two ecolodges in Sukau. Positive and negative experiences were identified from an analysis of the expressive dimensions of their service experience. The findings show that the ecotourists' experience is multidimensional. Respondents place particular emphasis on the ecotourism activities in which they physically engage at the sites and the natural environment in which they are located; their interaction with the site service staff; socialisation with other ecotourists, and the information acquired during the visit. The six expressive dimensions describing the positive experience are consistent with previous research. The study explores understanding of ecotourists' experience in the ecotourism environment – an under-researched area. The paper points out that the evaluation of quality of experience appears to involve both attributes – functional elements that are provided by the service suppliers and affective/emotional elements that are brought about by the ecotourists themselves.     

社会化视角下接待业服务机器人对顾客体验的影响研究

随着人工智能和自动化技术日渐普及,服务机器人被越来越多地引入旅游接待业,但其应用尚处于探索阶段。在已有文献和理论基础上,本文依据互联网、社交媒体中接待业顾客对服务机器人的评价信息,以及对接待业顾客和员工进行深度访谈的数据,分析顾客对机器人服务的感知及体验。研究发现:(1)对机器人服务的感知涉及工具、社会化两个属性,社会化属性对顾客的愉悦体验产生重要影响;(2)服务机器人通过提升服务和营造愉悦氛围两条路径改善顾客体验。在此基础上,本文构建了服务机器人影响顾客体验的概念模型。本文从社会化视角探讨服务机器人的顾客体验感知,对服务机器人设计、服务场景管理和体验设计具有启示意义。     

Examining the Relationship Between Motivation,Enduring Involvement and Volunteer Experience: The Case of Outdoor Recreation Voluntary Associations

Voluntary associations representing numerous types of recreation users and environmental issues have recently flourished. However, the literature has not sufficiently studied these associations and their members’ experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of enduring involvement as mediator and moderator on the relationship between membership motivation and volunteer experience of outdoor recreation voluntary associations (ORVAs). Data were collected from an on-line survey of members of three ORVAs in Texas (n = 315). Six distinct dimensions of membership motivation and three dimensions of involvement were identified. Results indicated that enduring involvement fully mediated the relationship between membership motivation and volunteer experience. Members that are motivated to join ORVAs for social networking, civic engagement, and self-enhancement reasons had more volunteer experience through enhanced enduring involvement levels. The moderator effect of enduring involvement was also significant. The association between membership motivation and volunteer experience was stronger as involvement level increased.     

Understanding casino experiential attributes: An application to market positioning

Customer experience is becoming more critical in the service encounter. Although the literature is beginning to understand the role of experience in enticing customer satisfaction and loyalty, the criteria of customer experience evaluation is missing. The objective of this article is to explore the attributes that customers use to gage their experience in the context of the casino. In addition, the relationships between customer characteristics and the experience attributes are also investigated. The authors present a perceptual map illustrating the market position of major casinos in Macau based on the experiential attributes customers defined. The findings shed new light on the understanding of customer experience and provide scholars and managers insights into the factors that relate to various experiential attributes in the context of casinos. This study also presents an alternative method that allows researchers to interpret the dimensions of a perceptual map more objectively.     

Consequences of Customer Dissatisfaction in Upscale and Budget Hotels: Focusing on Dissatisfied Customers’ Attitude Toward a Hotel

It is important to understand customer dissatisfaction in order to maintain a sustainable business, given that the negative effects of customer dissatisfaction in service businesses may be even greater than the positive effects of satisfaction. This study investigates customer dissatisfaction and its consequences by focusing on the mediating role of attitude toward a hotel according to different hotel classes related to customer expectation level. The results show a mediating role for attitude in the relationship between customer dissatisfaction and specific negative behavioral intentions. This study broadens our knowledge of customer dissatisfaction and the role of attitude toward a hotel in the relevant literature. The empirical findings demonstrate that regardless of hotel type, customer dissatisfaction significantly affects their attitude and their consequent negative behavioral intention.