The social servicescape: understanding the effects in the full-service hotel industry

Abstract

PurposeUnderstanding how other customers affect hotel consumption behavior is an important topic in the hospitality literature. While existing research has typically explored the effects of active interactions among consumers, this study aims to better understand the effects of passive interactions. Accordingly, this research conceptualizes the hotel social servicescape as a function of the mere presence of the other social actors that occupy the hotel’s shared consumption space.Design/methodology/approachTo operationalize this construct, data were collected from a sample of 1,019 recent consumers of full-service hotel experience in the USA.FindingsThe findings suggest that the social servicescape can significantly affect satisfaction and behavioral intentions in the domain of leisure-driven hotel experiences.Research limitations/implicationsThe results support the hypothesis that the mere presence of others significantly affects leisure travelers’ perceptions of the hotel consumption experience. Accordingly, these findings indicate that the makeup of the hotel servicescape is not limited to the traditionally acknowledged physical elements of the space.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that in addition to managing the physical aspects of the service environment, hotel managers should take steps to manage the social aspects of the servicescape as well.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to provide an operational account of the social servicescape in the domain of full-service hotels. Additionally, nomological validity is established by examining the downstream effects on satisfaction and behavioral intentions.