Understanding the motivation behind new mothers' choice of postpartum wellness hotels: Scale development and validation

Abstract

The intersection of hospitality cultures and healthcare industries has gained widespread recognition. As commercialized postpartum care has gained traction in Eastern countries and the growing acknowledgment of unmet needs of “the Fourth Trimester” in Western countries, the postpartum wellness hotels (PWHs), as a healthcare hospitality business, deserve special consideration. Despite its significance, this niche market remains underexplored, and there is a dearth of research dedicated to the motivation scale in this domain. This study addresses this gap by utilizing comprehensive procedures to develop and validate a PWH motivation scale. The results indicate six primary motivational factors: rest and relief, parenting learning and newborn development, self-reward and indulgence, perceived norms, environment, as well as body and beauty. Furthermore, the impact of motivation on engagement is discussed.