Exploring the roles of hotel wellness attributes in customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction: application of Kano model through mixed methods

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the underlying structure of wellness in upper-upscale and luxury hotels and the roles wellness attributes play in customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a mixed methods approach consisting of content analysis and social media analytics. In Study 1, the authors integrate and review the structure of wellness attributes by conducting a literature review on prior research on wellness and analyzing websites of upper-upscale and luxury hotels. In Study 2, the authors implement text analytics and regression analysis to determine the roles of wellness attributes in customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction by examining the final data gathered from 141,973 reviews of 226 upper-upscale and luxury hotels in NYC.FindingsThis research introduces the underlying structure of wellness in the upper-upscale and luxury hotels. Findings demonstrate a significant relationship between wellness attributes and customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction. This study shows each wellness attribute’s specific roles in customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction through the Kano model.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study extends the research on wellness by discovering the underlying structure of wellness in the upper-upscale and luxury hotels. Based on the Kano Model, the study reveals specific roles of wellness attributes regarding their dichotomous impact on customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The study makes a novel approach to the topic of wellness through a mixed methods approach consisted of content analysis and social media analytics. Analyzing online customer reviews derived from TripAdvisor.com, the study provides an in-depth insight and understanding of customers’ perceptions of wellness attributes.Practical implicationsThe study guides hotel operators to perform wellness attributes by defining the unique roles of wellness attributes in customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Using the findings of the current study, hotel operators can prioritize wellness attributes regarding their core strategies and provide satisfying wellness attributes to customers.Originality/valuePrior research merely focuses on hotels in wellness destinations or wellness-focused hotels with a lack of research on wellness offered in the general lodging industry. This research fills the gap by discovering the underlying wellness structure embedded in the general lodging industry, specifically in the upper-upscale and luxury hotels.