Hotel brand personality and brand quality

Abstract

Hotel brand quality itself may not guarantee to increase hotel brand value and loyalty, but the combination between brand quality and brand personality will be significantly associated with brand value and brand loyalty (Boo et al., 2009). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between hotel brand quality and hotel brand personality in order to find an effective way for hotel brand managers to develop their brand value and loyalty. The results of the study demonstrated that the five dimensions of hotel brand quality construct (assurance, tangible, empathy, reliability, and responsiveness) are significantly related to preferences on the five dimensions of hotel brand personality (competence, excitement, sincerity, sophistication, and ruggedness), respectively. In addition, effects of hotel prices on brand quality are significant. These findings suggest that in order to develop a successful brand value and loyalty, hotel brand managers should (1) increase high-assurance performance for a competence hotel brand, (2) strengthen tangibles for an excitement hotel brand, (3) develop empathy performance for a sincerity hotel brand, (4) escalate reliability performance for a sophistication hotel brand, and (5) advance responsiveness for the ruggedness hotel brand. This could be an effective way to develop hotel brand value and loyalty. It may be postulated that the interaction between brand quality and brand personality of the hotel experience directly affects brand value and loyalty. Hotel brand managers may then specify their hotel designs and packages such that the congruence between brand personality and perceived quality develop brand value and loyalty.