How hotel VR photography previews enhance customers’ immediate booking intention through mental imagery and perceived value

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how a hotel virtual reality photography (VRP) preview enhances customers’ immediate booking intention compared to a picture preview.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a one-factor between-subject experimental design and time-based systematic sampling. Respondents were asked to read a scenario on an iPad and assess a hotel preview (VRPs vs pictures) before answering the questionnaire.

Findings

The results show that a hotel VRP preview generates more mental imagery than a picture preview in terms of quantity, vividness, modality and valence. These four dimensions of mental imagery indirectly influence customers’ immediate booking intentions through perceived utilitarian value and hedonic value, among which modality has the greatest influence on utilitarian value and valence has the greatest influence on hedonic value. Moreover, utilitarian value has a stronger impact on customers’ immediate booking intentions than does hedonic value.

Originality/value

The results obtained in this study contribute to hospitality research by using cognitive consistency theory as the overarching framework, combining mental imagery theory, media richness theory and perceived value theory to explain the mechanism of tourists’ hotel booking decision-making from hotel previews. Comparing this study’s results with previous studies shows the difference in the effects of 360° (head-mounted) videos, VRPs and pictures on evoking mental imagery across tourism and hotel products, updating our knowledge of VR technology in tourism marketing.

研究目的

本研究旨在探讨与图片预览相比, 酒店虚拟现实摄影（VRP）预览如何增强客户的即时预订意图。

研究方法

本研究采用单因素被试间实验设计和时间系统抽样收集数据。受试者在 iPad 上阅读场景并评估酒店预览（VRP与图片）, 然后填写问卷。

研究发现

结果表明, 酒店VRP预览在心理意象的数量、生动性、感官模式和情感效价方面比图片预览生成更多的心理意象。这四个维度的心理意象通过感知的工具价值和享乐价值间接影响客户的即时预订意图, 其中感官模式对工具价值的影响最大, 情感效价对享乐价值的影响最大。此外, 工具价值对客户的即时预订意图的影响强于享乐价值。

研究创新

本研究利用认知一致性理论作为总体框架, 结合心理意象理论、媒介丰富度理论和感知价值理论, 解释了游客在酒店预览中做出预订决策的机制。本研究结果与以往研究相比, 展示了360°（头戴式）视频、VRP和图片在唤起旅游和酒店产品心理意象方面的差异, 更新了我们对旅游营销中VR技术的理解。

Citation

Wu, X., Lai, I.K.W. and Chen, J. (2024), "How hotel VR photography previews enhance customers’ immediate booking intention through mental imagery and perceived value", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-10-2023-0328