Modelling Customer Delight in Hotel Industry

Abstract

It is not an exaggeration that the present-day competitive environment calls for continuous and consistent delivery of customer delight in any sector of the business. The studies conducted by separate researchers across different settings suggest the existence of a common model sequencing the events that lead to customer delight. This study attempts to empirically establish the model after conceptualizing it. Discriminant analysis is used as a basic tool to establish the relationship between different events using the data generated from a sample of repeat hotels guests. The results show that surpassing of expectations of the hotel guests affect their perception on pleasant surprises, which in turn affect their consequent happiness. Such happiness along with their perceived excitement and perceived positive feelings create a delighting experience for them. It is hoped that the findings shall encourage other researchers to test this model in different business environments.