Guest Experience Research Articles

THE FACTORS INFLUENCING OVERALL GUEST EXPERIENCE IN HOTELS IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE

The subject of this research is guest experience in hotels. We started this research with the initial hypothesis that individual aspects of hotel products and services influence overall guest experience. The aim was to show which aspects of hotel products and services have the strongest impact on guest satisfaction. Another aim was to find out whether there is a difference between the periods before and during the Covid-19 pandemic where factors influencing guest satisfaction are concerned. Guest satisfaction is one of the main goals of a hotel and its business philosophy. Numerous papers investigating the attributes determining guest satisfaction are referred to in the literature review. Data for this research was collected by analysing the 590 surveys sent to guests following their stay in hotels during 2019 and 2021. Via these surveys, guests rated their overall experience during their stay, as well as different individual categories related to the stay. According to the results of the study, guestroom experience has the most significant impact on overall guest experience. Therefore, hotel management should pay attention to room attributes that could be a competitive advantage in differentiation strategy. Cleanliness should be considered one of the most important room attributes, as it now has a stronger impact on overall guest satisfaction than was the case before the outbreak of Covid-19.

Insights in a city through the eyes of Airbnb reviews: Sensing urban characteristics from homestay guest experiences

There is a growing interest in deriving insights about cities from crowdsourced data. We advance the discourse by employing homestay guest experience to sense urban characteristics. We evaluate the relationship between subjective perceptions and objective indicators thanks to rich information in textual reviews that we posit reflect urban qualities. Next, we investigate dominant topics about urban characteristics in Airbnb reviews (transportation, greenery, amenities, safety, and noise) with natural language processing techniques, i.e. a rule-based dependency parsing method designed to extract relevant information. Then, we establish the associations between sentiments and proxies representing the physical patterns of urban areas. The multi-scale results of the experiments in three cities (London, Singapore, and NYC) suggest that reviews on homestay platforms reflect transportation convenience, amenities, sense of safety, and noise pollution. The correlation is stronger at a higher administrative division level, while the perception of people on safety is more sensitive at a more granular scale. Densities of transportation and amenities in nearby districts are more likely to be perceived similarly. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of perceptions is possibly affected by the morphology and development of a city, and the diversity of guests. This study reveals new possibilities for sensing urban characteristics through user-generated information and introduces a new application of accommodation reviews, which may help alleviate gaps in availability of data required for planning.

Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Menghubungkan Teori dan Praktik Mahasiswa sebagai Guest Experiment Business Luxury Hotel di Jakarta

The main purpose of a Business Luxury Hotel is to provide a comfortable and safe place to stay for guests who are travelling on business or leisure. Business travellers, executives and professionals often require exclusive, luxurious accommodation equipped with high-quality facilities and services for business meetings, conferences and corporate events. This activity uses a qualitative method of descriptive analysis. This activity aims to connect the theory and practice of Business Luxury Hotel services. From this activity has the results of Business Luxury Hotel Services in Jakarta need to be improved, especially in guest experience activities and guest activities need to be given extra services in accordance with the standards set by the world hotel business.

Disney Magic through the Disney Guest Experience

This study discusses how Disney delivers a unique and memorable guest experience. Through subjective personal introspection, it examines Disney's approach to co-creating a profound guest experience. The Disney guest experience is profound because it delivers an experience that touches on all six dimensions of an experience: sensorial, emotional, cognitive, pragmatic, lifestyle, and relational.

Why do guests stay at Airbnb versus hotels? An empirical analysis of necessary and sufficient conditions

Our study explores the differences in necessary and sufficient conditions for producing (dis)satisfactory guest experiences between Airbnb and hotels, intending to develop competitive strategies for the hospitality industry. Using advanced Natural Language Processing techniques, we analysed user-generated content from both platforms in the Andalusian market, utilising Contextualised Topic Modelling and Necessary Condition Analysis to identify the main topics and relationships that impact guests' experiences. We also employed XGBoost to assess sufficient conditions for customer satisfaction, providing insights that can enhance the quality of lodging stays and improve marketing strategies. Overall, our findings show that both types of accommodation share similar necessary conditions for (dis)satisfaction, but differ in the order of importance. Proximity to tourist attractions and staff recommendations are important for Airbnb guest satisfaction, while hotel guests prioritise facilities and staff professionalism. Both types of accommodation share similar themes that contribute to guest dissatisfaction, including noise complaints, value for money, and staff professionalism. Airbnb offers unique and personalised experiences, while hotels prioritise efficient and appropriate interactions between staff and guests. Identifying and prioritising factors influencing guest satisfaction and dissatisfaction is essential for remaining competitive in the hospitality sector. To sum up, our research contributes significantly to the literature on hospitality services, with methodological implications for future studies.

Applying means-end to hospitality hosts: a study of winery tasting rooms

PurposeThe paper has a twofold purpose: (1) to test the application of means-end theory to providers of hospitality goods and services, and (2) to explore this question in the context of winery tasting rooms when they had a unique opportunity to restructure their hospitality experience due to government restrictions in response to COVID.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was adopted, and a convenience sample was used to conduct semi-structured laddering interviews. Forty interview transcripts were coded as means-end ladders, which were analyzed using a custom computer program to develop the implication matrix and the hierarchical value map.FindingsThis paper demonstrates that means-end is a useful approach to investigate the values and behaviors of the producer, specifically hospitality hosts. It finds that the principal goal of tasting rooms is to generate sales, and offering a compelling guest experience is the characteristic that contributes the most to achieving that goal. The staff and the atmosphere created for the guests are the two factors with the greatest influence on the guest experience.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to use means-end theory to study the hospitality host, or the producer of goods and services in general, and the first to study winery hospitality primarily through the lens of means-end theory. The study also helps fill a gap in research on tasting room sales focused on the winery’s goals.

Technostress and hotel guests: A mere hurdle or a major friction point?

The implementation of hospitality service technology is rapidly growing. Although there are practical, economic, and experiential benefits of these technologies, the increased adoption of service technologies such as mobile keys, and check-in kiosks can introduce friction points for the hotel guests. Technostress is stress induced by the usage of technology and this study is among the first to apply this notion to consumer behavior. Based on the transactional model of stress and coping, and social cognitive theory, this study examined the effects of technostress on hotel guests by using a mixed-method approach comprised of three sequential phases. A qualitative examination of guest experiences with hotel technology indicated Wi-Fi, hotel apps, and smart TVs to be the most prominent stress-inducing technologies. These technologies were also associated with four technostressors: techno-overload, techno-invasion, techno-complexity, and techno-uncertainty. Quantitative examination showed significant relationships between technology self-efficacy, one's locus of control, and technostress; additionally, technostress was shown to significantly impact guest satisfaction. The findings of this study extend technostress literature beyond workplace applications and into consumer behavior.

GUEST SATISFACTION APPRAISAL: THE CASE OF A START-UP STATE UNIVERSITY HOTEL

Guest satisfaction in the hospitality industry is the measure of how contented the guests are with the hotel services they experience. This study presents the results of the guest satisfaction survey on the service quality of a start-up start university hotel, Cebu Tech Hotel, in its first two years of operation. The sixty hotel guests who participated in this descriptive survey research study used quantitative data to provide pertinent and accurate information on the customer satisfaction of the school hotel under investigation. Results show that hotel guests are generally quite satisfied as reflected in their very satisfied rating. However, even if the clients were satisfied, there are still other components of the hotel concerning the hotel service that need to be in full operation like the 24-hour food service to give the visitors the complete hotel experience. This leads to the conclusion that transferring the quality of services supplied in facilitating the guests hotel accommodations is essential to a pleasant overall guest experience.

Unperplexing the nexus between physical evidence and guest retention at beach resorts: multiple sequential mediation models

ABSTRACT Although research evidence shows the link between physical evidence and guest retention, we have limited knowledge about why and how this relationship works and is activated. To untangle this association, this paper examines how physical evidence influences three psychological factors (i.e. guest delight, emotional well-being, and overall image), as well as mediating the relationship between indoor and outdoor physical evidence and guest retention. The cognitive appraisal theory and the stimulus-organism-response model were employed in the study model. Data were gathered from 428 guests staying at seven five-star beach resorts in Sharm El-Sheikh. The Smart-PLS findings show that overall resort image, guest delight, and emotional well-being partially and serially mediate between physical evidence and guest retention. The findings offer theoretical and practical contributions to managing the guest experience journey in beach resorts.

Human employees versus robotic employees: Customers and hotel managers’ perceived experience at unmanned smart hotels

Hotel managers and researchers are increasingly interested in artificial intelligence (AI) and robots, which are vital to the future of the hospitality industry. However, adopting robotic services is challenging due to the current state of the art and insufficient understanding of the relationship between customer satisfaction and robotic services. Hotels are building a competitive advantage through high technology permeating various service environments. This study examined customer perceptions and satisfaction with smart hotels during COVID-19 based on online reviews by building a list of smart hotel properties that identifies well-performing and poorly performing service quality. Results highlight the advantages of smart hotels in the tourism environment and provide helpful guidance for hoteliers to apply high technology in the service environment. This study examines and demonstrates that the utility of new technologies in a smart hotel at modern times to deal with the challenges of COVID-19, and assures precision and speed in service delivery to improve sustained competition and guest experience.

Exploring the Effects of Technological Advancements on Hotel Guests and Employees in Metro Manila: A Comparative Study

The guests and employees of a 3-star hotel in Metro Manila share a similar perspective on the technological advancements that are being implemented and made available in their establishments. These technological advances have a positive impact on both guests and employees as they greatly improve their stay in the hotel. Although the survey identified some issues, they were mostly rated as moderate by both guests and staff, which suggests that they can be minimized or resolved. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the impact of technological advances on guests and employees. This highlights the need for the hospitality industry to embrace technological advances in order to provide guests with improved services and employees with the tools they need to work more efficiently. However, it is important to note that this study has some limitations. It only covers guests and employees in a 3-star hotel, which may not be representative of all hotels in the area. Therefore, it is recommended to widen the scope of the study to include hotels with 4 and 5-star ratings to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject. Further studies could also examine how technological advances impact the hotel's bottom line and the overall guest experience.

Determinants and Impacts of Quality Attributes on Guest Perceptions in Norwegian Green Hotels

The study aims to contribute to tourism literature and the Norwegian hospitality industry by integrating and mapping guests’ green hotel experiences. Hence, the study deploys mix-methods to aid in depicting guest preferences and perspectives on Norwegian green hotels. Accordingly, these experiences are represented with 1575 guests’ venue-specific generated contents (UGC) found within designated hotel pages of TripAdvisor. Scholars conducted descriptive analysis on guest ratings, machine-learning integrated content analysis to map harmonious and divergent qualities of venue-specific green hotel experiences, and explored users’ community profiles to enrich and reveal further similarities with guest demographics. Consequentially, the study unveiled key themes and concepts relevant to guests’ satisfaction with nine Norwegian green hotels and attributed qualities. Accordingly, the study revealed ten key themes, namely “hotel”, “room”, “food”, “location”, “staff”, “stay”, “service”, “recommend”, “value”, and “experience”. To exemplify, the majority of guests were found to be satisfied with their attributed qualities. Regarding hotel themes, guests were dissatisfied with green practices, booking, check-in, and other aspects of attribution. To contribute, the study offers valuable insights for practitioners and provides theoretical implications. Green hoteliers of Norway should firmly grasp green practices, as improvements and diversification strategies with green practices must be present for both online and embodiments of their venues. In an ever-evolving world of digital presence, practitioners must sustain relevance with UGC content encompassing guest experiences.

Examining the role of personality traits in guestroom technologies

PurposeThis study aimed to identify distinctive characteristics of hotel guests and understand their perception of guestroom technologies (GRTs) in hotels by utilizing the theory of consumer innovativeness and the social influence theory.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 268 hotel guests. The K-means clustering algorithm was employed to identify participants based on their views on the significance of technologies provided in guest rooms. A multivariate analysis of variance was applied to investigate if there were significant differences among clusters regarding social influence on hotel bookings, technology innovativeness and technology expertise and knowledge.FindingsTwo clusters were identified: technology compassionates and casual users of technology. Findings revealed that technology compassionates are more influenced by their friends when booking a hotel compared to casual users of technology. The ability to link up multiple wireless mobile devices, accessible outlets and mobile websites were the most critical GRTs for technology compassionates.Practical implicationsTechnology should be considered a crucial part of the hotel guest experience. Hoteliers ought to continue investing in smart technologies to improve their guests' experiences. GRTs can reduce overhead staff costs while giving guests more control over their stay by utilizing everyday items like smartphones and offering them more power over their lodging experience.Originality/valueThis study advances the existing literature on GRTs by identifying which GRTs produce the most customer satisfaction. Moreover, this study explores the impact of social influence, innovativeness as a personality trait and having expert knowledge of technologies on preferences for GRTs.

CONTENT ANALYSIS ON THE GUEST EXPERIENCE OF PARK VISITORS IN ENCHANTED KINGDOM, LAGUNA

During the pandemic, the implementation of safety protocols allowed theme parks to reopen with a certain capacity which gave tourists mixed experiences during their stay at the theme park. On the other hand, the growing popularity of social media led to the creation of websites such as Facebook where online reviews can be posted on the official Facebook page of different establishments. In this study, the researchers used qualitative content analysis by utilizing Microsoft Teams Excel and the Experience Economy Theory to identify the guest experience of park visitors in theme parks during the pandemic through utilizing the 4 Realms of Experience which are Entertainment, Educational, Escapist and Esthetic. The results show that majority of the online reviews mentioned the Escapist realm while the Entertainment realm was the least mentioned experience. Furthermore, most of the online reviews were negative which mentioned “queue times” and “safety protocols” as the main factor that negatively affected their experience. This study aims to improve the management’s understanding of the guest experience during the pandemic in Enchanted Kingdom in Santa Rosa, Laguna and suggested recommendations based on the results gathered from each realm of experience to contribute in the betterment of the guest’s experiences.

Congruence in Communication and Customer Booking Decision: A Cognitive Heuristic Perspective

This study adopts a cognitive heuristic perspective to examine the role of congruence in communication in influencing customer decision-making in the Airbnb context. It is well accepted that home-feeling is an important guest experience of Airbnb. We particularly examine how potential guests source credible online home-feeling-oriented information to make booking decisions. Existing research on home-feeling and its positive impact focus on a single source of information, either from the host or the guest while overlooking the (in)congruence of information of these sources. The results of polynomial regressions on 2,644 matching data from Airbnb support our view. Our findings show that booking will be higher when guest reviews and host self-descriptions are aligned with a high-level congruence of home-feeling-oriented information. However, when they are not closely aligned, a better outcome of booking is achieved based on a high level of home-feeling-oriented information from guest review than that from host self-descriptions.

Sentiment Analysis on Hotel Ratings Using Dynamic Convolution Neural Network

Currently, the role of information technology is very important in everyday life because heavy workloads can become easier, communication time can be made shorter and data processing can be faster and more accurate. Hotel ranking sentiment analysis can provide important information for hotel owners and managers to improve the quality of service and guest experience. It can also be used by prospective guests to make the right booking decisions. Sentiment analysis can identify positive or negative feelings from guest reviews. There are 694,213 data reviews about hotels using English which are used as training data. The data was preprocessed and 76,905 vocabularies were obtained by utilizing Word2Vec. The training data was carried out at the encoding stage. The DCNN model is given a K-Max-Polling value of 2. The model is trained for 20 epochs. The model that has been formed is tested with 173,554 data and obtained an accuracy rate of 95%.

Research trends on guest experience with service robots in the hospitality industry: a bibliometric analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to reveal the research trends in guest experiences of service robots in the hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a review was carried out on the Web of Science (WoS) database with the assistance of bibliometric analysis techniques. Cluster analysis was also employed for this to group important data to determine the relationships and to visualize the areas in which the studies are concentrated. The thematic content analysis method was used to reveal on which customer experiences and on which methods the focuses were.FindingsOn the subject of experiences of service robots, the greatest number of publications was in 2021. In terms of country, China has come to the fore in the distribution of publications. As a result of thematic content analysis, it was determined that the leading factor was the main dimension of emotional experience. In terms of sub-dimensions, social interactions attracted more attention. Most of the studies discussed were not based on any theory. Apart from these, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL) and Perceived Value Theory (PVT) were featured more prominently among other studies.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, only the WoS database was reviewed. In future studies, it would be possible to make contextual comparisons by scanning other databases. In addition to quantitative research designs, social dimensions may be examined in depth following qualitative research methods. Thus, various comparisons can be made on the subject with mixed-method research designs. Experimental research designs can also be applied to where customers have experienced human-robot interactions (HRIs).Originality/valueIn the hospitality industry, it is critical to uncover every dimension of guests' robot acceptance. This study, which presents the current situation on this basis, guides future projections for the development of guest experiences regarding service robots in the hospitality industry.

Hospitality in times of pandemic: Examining the guest experience in lodging facilities in the city of João Pessoa/PB

The day-to-day activities of lodging businesses are marked by hospitality, but this routine was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gradually, the sector resumed its activities, implementing specific protocols and good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while providing guests with hospitality and safety. Guests share their experiences on the Internet, providing information about their stay and evaluating establishments based on the quality of services provided. This information determines the performance of lodging facilities and generates an online reputation that can influence the decision-making of future potential guests. The goal of this research was to analyze the guest experience of twelve hotels categorized as 4- and 5-star, located in the city of João Pessoa in the Brazilian state of Paraíba (PB), during the period of the pandemic, using User-Generated Content (UGC) available on the website Booking.com. The guest experience reported on websites is considered a reliable database, hence our decision to use it as a data collection instrument. A descriptive netnographic survey was conducted, and it was found that in addition to issues related to hospitality, biosecurity, and infrastructure, the breakfast service was a predominant and decisive factor in the guests' evaluation.

Hospitality to healthcare: Patient Experience Academy, a successful alliance between the ChristianaCare Health System and the University of Delaware

This exemplary case study describes a successful collaboration between a healthcare system and a hospitality management program to bring hospitality to healthcare. ChristianaCare Health System (CCHS) and University of Delaware’s Hospitality and Sport Management partnered to create Patient Experience Academy. The program focused on a training intervention, supported by leadership to enhance the patient and guest experience at the ChristianaCare Health System (CCHS). The highlights of the program included Managing Expectations;Service Recovery; Power of Listening & Empathy in Healthcare Setting; Healthcare Theatre (HT) Interactive Training Platforms & Delivery Systems for Sim Sessions; Transformation; and Achievement Stories. Total participants included 32 Cohorts (nearly 1000 participants), and each cohort was comprised of 25–30 attendees selected by CCHS. Cohorts included Physicians, LPNs, RNs, NAs, MAs, OAs, frontline and other support staff. The results were measured at three levels: 1) Learning outcomes, 2) Application of training to practice, and 3) Patient satisfaction scores. Scores in all three areas showed significant improvements.

ROLE OF SERVICE AUTOMATION ON GUEST EXPERIENCE OF HOTEL INDUSTRY

Purpose – This study examines the impact of service automation (SA) on value creation (VC) and guest experience (GE) in the hotel industry to provide recommendations on how the hotel industry can rebuild from the impact of Covid-19 and meet future growth challenges. Design – The constructs of the variables were considered from previous literature. A twostep questionnaire was created to first identify demographics, years of experience, etc., and a later portion of the questionnaire was based on a 5-point Likert scale to identify our intended proposal. Methodology – A sample of 290 Indian hotel customers was considered. The focus of the preliminary study was on the psychometric properties of the scale constructs. This study focused heavily on the validity and reliability of the scales. The first-order constructs, SA Practises, Service VC, and GE, were tested for validity and reliability. Structural equation modelling (SCM) is used to determine the effects of SA on VC and GE. Approach – The identified factors were confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the SEM technique was applied to reveal the exclusive as well as the complex relationships between SA, VC and GE. Findings – The results show that both SA and the service VC have a positive influence on GE. SA has an indirect and significant influence on GE, with the service VC playing a mediating role. The results show that both factors, SA and VC, have a positive influence on GE in the hotel industry, but SA has an indirect and significant influence on GE, and VC plays a mediating role. Originality of the research – the study suggests that SA may be able to improve GE in the hotel industry through its influence on VC