International Journal of Hospitality Management最新文献

Despite the prevalence of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA), the acceptance of this novelty among restaurant customers has been overlooked. Using an experimental approach, we investigated the effectiveness of anthropomorphism in making PBMA appealing to non-vegetarians. Drawing on construal level theory, our findings suggest that anthropomorphism through abstract framing increases perceived human-likeness and reduces state reactance compared to non-anthropomorphism. This, in turn, leads to a more positive attitude and greater visit intention. Theoretical and practical implications for developing marketing communication strategies to achieve upselling of PBMA in restaurants are discussed.

The growing emphasis on quality of life has propelled the development of and attention to the tourism and hospitality industry. However, this focus has also led to competitive challenges due to globalization and rapid market changes. This study employed a three-stage questionnaire method to distribute surveys and conducted a comparative analysis of 370 hotel employees. The research aimed to expand the literature by exploring the relationship between transformational leadership styles and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) theory in hotel management. The study revealed that transformational leadership indirectly influences organizational citizenship behaviour through the mechanisms of charm influences and individualized care. With regard to moderating effects, shared vision in the second stage positively moderated the relationship between charisma attribution and individualized consideration, and innovative behaviour positively moderated the relationship between individualized consideration and organizational citizenship behaviour. This relationship was evident in the third stage. Finally, a comparative analysis was conducted between the alternative and original models to reinforce the findings.

This paper highlights to close existing gaps between customer compatibility and usage intentions, with a special emphasis on the moderation function of subjective norms and technology affordance-led compatibility factor in leveraging technology perceptions of usefulness and ease of use to usage intention. Employing Microsoft Form, 626 customers of five-star Egyptian hotels, responded and their responses were checked using SmartPLS v.4. Findings confirmed that perceived usefulness and ease of use partially mediated the significant nexus between customer compatibility with chatbot-powered hotel apps and usage intentions. Moreover, the influence of perceived usefulness is greater on usage intentions when hotel customers have high levels of subjective norms towards chatbot-powered service apps. On the basis of technology’s compatibility, this study offers mutual reinforcement, complementary, and corrective roles for subjective norms and customer compatibility in the hospitality business.

Gain and loss message framing has been utilized to encourage consumers’ pro-environmental behaviors in the hospitality and tourism industries. However, little is known about when and why presenting different types of cuteness cues influences the relative effectiveness of gain-framed and loss-framed messages, despite the commonness of cuteness cues in the service environment. To address this gap, this research examines the interaction effects between message framing (gain vs. loss) and cuteness type (kindchenschema vs. whimsical) on consumers’ pro-environmental responses. Through three cross-cultural studies using the experimental design approach, our results show that when kindchenschema cuteness cues are present, loss-framed (vs. gain-framed) messages generate more favorable pro-environmental responses. In contrast, gain-framed (vs. loss-framed) messages are more effective when whimsical cuteness cues are present. Moreover, results from the mediation analyses revealed that the sense of feeling right is the underlying mechanism explaining these effects. These findings provide critical implications for theory and practice.

Accurate demand forecasting is critical to hotel revenue management and related decision-making. Considering the heterogeneity and dynamics of spatial effects across different time scales, this study introduces a novel model which can deeply extract these features to improve the forecasting performance of hotel demand. Specifically, the model constructs input variables with different periodicities and then integrates a Transformer neural network and long short-term memory to extract multi-scale and dynamic spatiotemporal features to generate accurate forecasts. The effectiveness of the model is verified through an empirical case in Xiamen, China. Results suggest our model significantly outperforms benchmarks in terms of accuracy and robustness. The findings extend the application of spatial-temporal modeling in hotel demand forecasting. Hotel managers can use our forecasts to optimize operations, improve revenues, and control risks. The extracted spatiotemporal features can also help managers examine cooperation and competition relationships with neighbor hotels.

Our study proposes and tests a moderated mediation model. The objectives of our study are to assess: (a) thriving at work as a mediator between high-performance human resource practices (HPHRPs) and innovative behavior; (b) self-enhancement motive as a moderator between HPHRPs and thriving at work; and (c) self-enhancement motive as a moderator regarding the indirect positive effects of HPHRPs on innovative behavior via thriving at work. Data were collected from hotel managers and their frontline employees. The findings from partial least squares structural equation modeling reveal that thriving at work is a mediator between HPHRPs and innovative behavior, while self-enhancement motive strengthens the positive link between HPHRPs and thriving at work. Self-enhancement motive strengthens the indirect positive effects of HPHRPs on innovative behavior via thriving at work. Our study presents implications for managers and theoretical implications that focus on the test of unexplored moderating and moderated mediating effects mentioned above.

Recruiting guests to participate in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities during a vacation presents a dilemma for hotel managers – will such requests spoil a holiday? The study is significant because of increased investment by hotels in CSR activities and greater inclusion of hotel guests in CSR activities. We extend psychological wellbeing theory to evaluate the relative importance of CSR autonomy in enhancing guest engagement. A scenario based on a guest’s return to an actual hotel recently visited was designed and a convenience sample of 249 survey respondents analyzed using structural equation modeling. While hedonic value of the CSR activity provided the greatest effect on brand preference, both self-expressiveness and CSR autonomy significantly impacted brand preference. Effects for all constructs were mediated through cocreated citizenship behavior. The study has substantial theoretical implications for scholars and practical implications for CSR marketing communication campaigns to guests conducted by hotel managers and non-governmental organizations.

The hospitality industry employs artificial intelligence (AI) to positively influence customer psychological reactions and behavior. Our research addresses the challenges posed by AI service failure and explores the role of virtual service agents (VSAs) during the service failure recovery (SFR) process. In this study, we conducted a scoping review of 87 high-quality literature items published between 2000 and June 2024 to investigate how AI service failures contribute to adverse customer psychological reactions and behavior. This paper conceptualizes VSAs’ anthropomorphic attributes that may play important roles during the SFR process by influencing customer comfort and service failure tolerance. Moreover, we present how the severity of service failure and the competence of VSAs moderate the relationship between VSA anthropomorphic attributes and customer service failure tolerance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed to provide additional insights.

The hotel industry's heightened awareness of environmental sustainability has underscored the importance of employees' innovative work behavior in driving corporate performance. This research employs the social exchange theory and conservation of resources theory to establish a cross-level framework for examining the complex correlation between authentic leadership and innovative work behavior. Valuable insights were obtained through data collection from 359 hotel employees and their leaders, representing 118 teams across six provinces in central China. The findings show that authentic leadership positively relates to innovative work behavior, and employee loyalty mediates the above linkage. Additionally, this research highlights the significance of psychological capital and innovation climate as moderators. These two factors strengthen the associations between authentic leadership and employee loyalty, as well as between employee loyalty and innovative work behavior, respectively.