How luxury restaurants will enhance the concept of guest delight

Abstract

PurposeThe objective of this study is to investigate the effect of service excellence and guest delight on guest affective commitment to luxury restaurants, more specifically, the mediating effect of guest delight in the relationship between service excellence and guest affective commitment.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 270 guests with a response rate of 67.5%. SmartPLS software was used for data analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that service excellence and guest delight had increased guest affective commitment to the luxury restaurant. It has been determined that guest delight acts as a mediator between service excellence and guest affective commitment.Practical implicationsProviding a high level of service excellence and delighting, thereby encouraging luxury guests to have a high level of commitment to the restaurant. Therefore, luxury guests' expectations must be exceeded to obtain their commitment to the restaurant.Originality/valueThis research study provides a substantial contribution to the hospitality literature by providing a significant concept of guest delight that can offer the opportunity to establish a new understanding of guest affective commitment in the luxury restaurant context.