Effects of the guest experience, well-being, and eWOM intention for resort hotels: A positive psychology perspective

Abstract

Guests' experience in an experiencescape (e.g., resort hotel) is a critical pathway for them to cultivate hedonic and eudaimonic well-being from the perspective of positive psychology. Nonetheless, the mechanism between guests' experience, hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, altruism and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention remains unexplored. This study utilized the stimuli–organism–response (SOR) model to advance the understanding of the psychological mechanism underlying guests' experience, well-being and eWOM intention by further integrating altruism as a moderator. In total, 445 questionnaires from China were analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results illustrated significant mediating effects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being between guests' experience and eWOM intention. Unexpectedly, altruism had no moderating effect on eWOM intention. Theoretically, this paper extends the SOR model's application to experiencescapes by describing novel stimuli and organisms, and to enrich the understanding of well-being in tourism and hospitality. Practically, this paper provides guidelines for resort hotel marketers and operators to identify the mechanism of guests' voluntary eWOM behavior and to devise strategies for encouraging more active eWOM.