Examining Customer Value Cocreation Behavior in Boutique Hotels: Hospitableness, Perceived Value, Satisfaction, and Citizenship Behavior

Abstract

Distinguished from the goods-dominant logic, service-dominant logic has suggested customers are value cocreators. However, in boutique hotels where services are highly individualized and interactive between hotel staff and customers, the role of customer value cocreating might be different compared to a normal service encounter. Yet limited studies have demonstrated whether customers’ value cocreation behaviors have changed in boutique hotels and its corresponding mechanism. This study aims to fulfill this gap by examining customer value cocreation behavior (i.e., citizenship behavior via feedback, advocacy, helping and tolerance) from the impact of hospitableness (personalization, warm welcome, deeper connection, and comfort), perceived value, and satisfaction. Data were obtained in China via an online marketing research panel. Results from confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that both hospitableness and perceived value positively affect satisfaction, while perceived value also partially mediates the relationship between hospitableness and satisfaction. An interesting finding indicates that satisfaction impacts citizenship behavior in a following descending order: advocacy, feedback, helping, and tolerance. Two demographic variables (i.e., marital status, household incomes) were found to moderate the relationship between satisfaction and citizenship behavior. This study contributes to the literature on service-dominant logic, value cocreation, and boutique guest experiences. Managerial implications for facilitating the value cocreation process are also discussed.