Revenue management pricing in the hotel sector: Reducing perceived unfairness to encourage willingness to pay

Abstract

In a context of ever-increasing competition, revenue management pricing (RMP) has become a strategic tool for companies with limited capacity. However, despite its considerable appeal, studies show that RMP has mixed reactions from consumers. The aim of this research is to test levers of actions that can help reduce the perceived unfairness of RMP and thus promote willingness to pay (WTP). Two quantitative samples ( N1 = 325; N2 = 280) allowed us to validate the measurement instruments for the concepts mobilized and to test two explanatory ‘fairness-based pricing’ models. The results show that fairness and transparency have strong positive individual and interaction effects on reducing the cognitive dimensions of perceived unfairness and on reinforcing WTP. However, the effects on the affective dimensions are not confirmed in the two models tested.