Purpose

This study aims to examine the role of experiential familiarity in determining the competitiveness of hotel chains. It does so by comparing the attribute-performance perceptions of guests who had and had not previously stayed at a property belonging to a specific hotel chain. It also examines how far such perceptions shape word-of-mouth and future purchase intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 1,016 Finnish leisure tourists in 2021 using an online questionnaire, providing a representative sample of Finnish domestic leisure tourists.

Findings

The results indicate that the competitiveness of different hotel chains depends on a small number of key attributes. Differentiation between hotel chains can be seen from the results. Previous guests rate hotel chain attributes more highly than non-previous guests. Behavioral intentions do not differ between previous and non-previous guests, but how many times a person has stayed in the hotel chain significantly influences behavioral intentions. The results provide strategic levers that hotel chains can use to enhance their competitiveness.

Practical implications

Hotels should invest in attributes that have the biggest positive impact on customer behavior. These will be different for different hotel chains. By understanding these differences, it is possible to communicate relevant attributes to customers through marketing and develop hotel features that will drive revisit intention and word-of-mouth marketing.

Originality/value

This study found that while certain hotel attributes had a significant shaping effect on guests’ performance ratings, there were no decisive differences between those with or without experiential familiarity with the hotel chain.

中文翻译：

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体验熟悉度在塑造连锁酒店竞争力中的作用

目的

本研究旨在探讨体验熟悉度在决定连锁酒店竞争力方面的作用。它通过比较曾经入住过和未曾入住过特定连锁酒店的客人的属性表现感知来实现这一点。它还研究了这种看法在多大程度上影响了口碑和未来的购买意向。

设计/方法论/途径

通过在线调查问卷收集了 2021 年 1,016 名芬兰休闲游客的数据，提供了芬兰国内休闲游客的代表性样本。

发现

结果表明，不同连锁酒店的竞争力取决于少数关键属性。从结果中可以看出连锁酒店之间的差异。以前的客人对连锁酒店属性的评价高于非以前的客人。以前的客人和非以前的客人之间的行为意图没有差异，但一个人在连锁酒店入住的次数会显着影响行为意图。研究结果为连锁酒店提供了增强竞争力的战略杠杆。

实际影响

酒店应该投资于对顾客行为产生最大积极影响的属性。对于不同的连锁酒店来说，这些会有所不同。通过了解这些差异，可以通过营销向客户传达相关属性，并开发酒店特色，从而推动重游意愿和口碑营销。

原创性/价值

这项研究发现，虽然某些酒店属性对客人的绩效评分有显着的影响，但对连锁酒店有或没有经验熟悉的人之间不存在决定性差异。