MARKETING MAGIC: UNCOVERING THE KEY DRIVERS OF LOYALTY AMONG LUXURY HOTEL GUESTS

  • Yu Liang PhD Candidate, UCSI Graduate Business School, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Lecturer, Taiyuan Tourism College, Shanxi Province, China https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7311-2278
Keywords: Price Fairness, Social Media Marketing, Service Quality, Consumer Behaviour, Customer Loyalty.

Abstract

Over the past decade, the tourism industry in China has grown significantly, boosting both the size and revenue of the hotel sector across the nation. To stay competitive and relevant to the demand of the market, hospitality firms, particularly the hotels, must deliver excellent services and employ innovative and creative marketing strategies to attract new customers while retaining existing ones. As competition intensifies, research suggests that hotel brand image and customer awareness towards the brand have become crucial catalysts in driving customer loyalty and word-of-mouth, both of which are key to business success in the long term. Given the importance of a sustainable business model for hotels, this study explores and examines the interrelationships between marketing factors, hotel brand image and awareness, service quality, customer satisfaction, loyalty, and word-of-mouth. Using a survey questionnaire, we collected data from 396 luxury hotel guests in mainland China. The collected data were subsequently analysed using SPSS and SmartPLS statistical software. The results reveal that hotel brand image and awareness significantly impact guests' perceived service quality, and all hypotheses regarding the interrelationships between service quality, satisfaction, and loyalty were supported. Furthermore, the findings suggest that hotel managers should prioritise brand image and customer awareness towards the brand as part of their key strategies to improve perceived service quality and, ultimately, drive loyalty among hotel guests. Lastly, this study offers various strategic methods that hotels can consider to attract both domestic and international guests, providing valuable insights to advance the hospitality industry in mainland China.

JEL Classification Codes: M31, M37, L83, L84, Z32.

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Published
2024-11-26
How to Cite
Liang, Y. (2024). MARKETING MAGIC: UNCOVERING THE KEY DRIVERS OF LOYALTY AMONG LUXURY HOTEL GUESTS. Bangladesh Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research, 9(6), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.46281/bjmsr.v9i6.2256
Section
Research Paper/Theoretical Paper/Review Paper/Short Communication Paper