Exploring hotel identity by focusing on customer experience analysis

Abstract

Changing customer demands in the 21st century have led hotels to rethink their way of doing business. While most hotels operate with an internal focus, it is essential to examine interactions from the customer’s perspective. This study explored what makes a hotel’s identity through a customer experience analysis by interviewing nine customers using semi-structured interviews. The data was processed based on open, axial, and selective coding. The following themes emerged: the customer journey, hotel performance, physical and non-physical components, buying behaviour, and customer engagement. The findings show that guests reported positively about both hotels used in this study, and most of them stated that the overall experience exceeded their expectations. The determining factors in this outcome were the spacious rooms, unique interior design, and product quality. The hotel staff’s excellent and personalised service mainly made most of their experience an exceptional stay. The study concluded that boutique-style hotels create a unique experience which could be a determinant for return guests.

Keywords: customer satisfaction, guest service, hotel performance, service quality