Determining and Prioritizing the Key Indicators to Choose a Hotel from the Iranian Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationships between brand prestige, customer brand identification, well-being perception, and brand loyalty. A review of the current literature in these areas revealed thirteen theoretical hypotheses, from which the authors derived a structural model. The model was tested utilizing data collected from 252 passenger. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were utilized to test the proposed theoretical relationships. Data analysis indicates that brand prestige bears a positive impact on well-being perception, customer brand identification and brand loyalty. Also, it was revealed that well-being perception and customer brand identification have positive impact on brand loyalty. In addition, it was found that brand prestige is the most powerful factor that affects brand loyalty. In spite of impact that well-being perception has on brand loyalty, it also has positive impact on customer brand identification. The findings emphasize the significance of the study variables in maximizing brand loyalty and determine most important factors to choose a hotel in Iran. Since there has been little study of brand loyalty in the Iran hotel industry, the model verified here may serve as a guide for future research aimed at understanding the formation of brand prestige, wellbeing, customer brand identification and their potential impacts on other marketing variables in the Iran hotel industry. The model verified in this study is the first that explains the formation of brand prestige, well-being perception, customer brand identification and their impacts on brand loyalty. Also, this study is the first that indicates key factors to choose a hotel from Iranians perspective.