Capturing customer delight in hotels: key drivers and consequences

Abstract

ABSTRACT The current work seeks to unveil the essential drivers and consequences of customer delight in the hotel sector. A qualitative approach was employed by conducting an interview to gather data from guests staying in luxurious hotels in Agadir, Morocco, who originated from different countries. Employing thematic analysis, the findings indicated that there are two main drivers of customer delight which are interpersonal factors (i.e. friendliness, problem resolution, employee empathy, professionalism, needs fulfilment, and efficiency) and non-interpersonal factors (i.e. destination attributes and cleanliness). The results also indicated that customer delight leads to behavioural and affective loyalty. This research holds various contributions to both academic and professional. Limitations and avenues for further research are also outlined.