Hotel servicescape and customer citizenship behaviors: mediating role of customer engagement and moderating role of gender

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of hotel servicescape on customer citizenship behaviors “CCBs” by addressing customer engagement as a mediator and gender as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach A total of 619 questionnaires were collected from hotel customers. Structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis. Findings Customer engagement mediates the effects of physical and social servicescapes on CCBs of providing feedback to an organization, making recommendations and helping other customers. Moreover, the indirect effects of physical servicescape on the three types of CCBs through customer engagement are stronger for male than for female customers, whereas no significant gender difference is observed in those effects of social servicescape on these types of CCBs through customer engagement. Research limitations/implications This study can help hotels promote the three types of CCBs and customer engagement by creating wonderful physical and social servicescape elements. The major limitation is that this study collected survey data outside the hotel environment. Originality/value This study enriches current knowledge on the servicescape-driven responses by exploring how hotel servicescape elements affect the three types of CCBs through customer engagement. Additionally, the different moderating roles of gender in the indirect influences of servicescape elements on these types of CCBs are presented.