Perceived hygiene attributes in the hotel industry: customer retention amid the COVID-19 crisis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102768Get rights and content

Highlights

  • We identify perceived hygiene attributes of hotels amid the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Perceived hygiene attributes raise the cognitive and affective image of hotels.

  • A key construct of perceived hygiene attributes is hygiene in customer-use spaces.

  • Other key constructs are personal hygiene of staff and hygiene in workspaces.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a crisis in the hotel industry worldwide, but few studies have suggested methods to retain customers. This study proposes hygiene management as a means to minimize the indirect damage from COVID-19 to the hotel industry. It identifies perceived hygiene attributes and explores their influence on hotel image, word of mouth, and revisit intentions. This study identifies and validates three types of perceived hygiene attributes through qualitative and quantitative methods. It uses structural equation modeling to validate hypotheses and concludes that there are significant relationships of influence between the proposed variables. This study provides important and meaningful insights into hotel image and customer behavior through perceived hygiene attributes.

Keywords

perceived hygiene attributes
coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
cognitive image
affective image
word of mouth
revisit intention

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