The price of heritage: an investigation of hotel prices

Abstract

This paper investigates the price premium charged by hotels to heritage tourists. A field study shows that heritage hotels in India command a sizable price premium over comparable, conventional hotels in India. Another field study finds that hotel rooms facing the Niagara Falls, USA, are more expensive than hotel rooms facing the city. A third study investigates the preferences of heritage tourists visiting India to see the Taj-Mahal. The study finds that heritage tourists indicate higher quality perception, purchase intentions, word-of-mouth likelihood and willingness-to-pay for a hotel room with an ethnic room decor and overlooking the Taj-Mahal compared to a hotel room with a modern decor and overlooking the city. Overall, this paper demonstrates a significant 'price of heritage'.