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Developing a scale measuring customers’ servicescape perceptions in upscale hotels

Andrew Lockwood, Kyunghee Pyun

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 29 November 2019

Issue publication date: 13 January 2020

2441

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the detailed process of development of a reliable scale to measure customer perceptions of the upscale hotel servicescape that could then be used as a basis for intra- and inter-hotel comparisons and to examine relationships with other variables, such as emotions, satisfaction and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the existing service and hospitality literature provided a range of dimensions and attributes of the hotel servicescape, which were used as the basis for a Q-sort technique to determine the content adequacy of newly developed and existing items. Testing the emergent items was carried out through a questionnaire that was distributed at five luxury upscale hotels in London providing 612 fully valid responses, which, using a split sample, were subjected to both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to explore the dimensionality and reliability of the instrument.

Findings

Although the Q-sort suggested four key dimensions, the outcome of the factor analyses revealed five dimensions with high reliability – aesthetic quality, functionality, atmosphere, spaciousness and physiological conditions. “Aesthetic quality” appeared to be the most important factor, followed by “functionality”, “atmosphere”, “spaciousness” and “physiological conditions”.

Research limitations/implications

As this study was conducted with customers of upscale luxury hotels in London, the resulting scales need to be further tested in other hotel segments and in other locations.

Practical implications

This study provides upscale hotel managers with an effective measurement tool, which will enable them to benchmark their operation and make improvements that could lead to a better impression and evaluation of their hotel. The scale has a variety of potential applications and can serve as a framework for further research in the hotel industry.

Originality/value

In spite of the wide interest in and importance of the servicescape in hotels, there are only a few studies dealing with this subject in the hotel context. This study provides a new tool for measuring customers’ perceptions.

Keywords

Citation

Lockwood, A. and Pyun, K. (2020), "Developing a scale measuring customers’ servicescape perceptions in upscale hotels", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 40-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2017-0208

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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