ISCTE Business School University Institute of Lisbon THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGICAL AMENITIES ON CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN UPSCALE HOTELS Ana Carina Freire Margarido Dissertation submitted as partial requirement for the conferral of Master in Business Administration Supervisor: Prof. Ana Oliveira Brochado, Assistant Professor, ISCTE Business School Co - Supervisor: Prof. Paulo Rita, Full Professor, ISCTE Business School September, 2015
The impact of technological amenities on customer experience in upscale 2015 Abstract Upscale Hotels operate in a highly competitive market and therefore place a strong emphasis on providing quality service and differentiation through the latest technological amenities. Nowadays, hotel companies are trying to follow the customers' desires in order to offer a unique experience. However, given the multitude of available technologies on the market today, hoteliers have little understanding of their guests' expectations and of which technological amenities will drive guest satisfaction. The literature review shows that not all the technological amenities implemented in hotels have been appreciated by guests. Since technological items change rapidly over time, the purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of current technologies and to assess the potential of the latest technologies on customer experience. This study employed a two-step approach. In the qualitative phase an analysis of Portuguese upscale hotel websites was made as well as two interviews with hotel managers. In the quantitative stage a questionnaire was developed for hotel guests, generating a sample of 310 valid responses. The results revealed that Internet access was the most important technology for both leisure and business travelers. The majority of respondents would like to add new technologies or change some of the existing ones for new technologies in order to improve their experience. The results also demonstrate that installing specific new technology can have a significant effect on enhancing guest experience. Keywords: technology, upscale hotels, customer experience, technological amenities, satisfaction. =
The impact of technological amenities on customer experience in upscale 2015 Resumo Os Hotéis de 4 e 5 estrelas operam num mercado bastante competitivo, portanto têm uma grande necessidade de fornecer um serviço de qualidade e com diferenciação através das inovações tecnológicas mais recentes. Hoje em dia, as empresas hoteleiras estão a tentar seguir as necessidades do consumidor com o objetivo de oferecer uma experiência única. Contudo, dada a grande variedade de tecnologias disponíveis atualmente no mercado, os proprietários dos hotéis têm alguma dificuldade em saber quais são as expectativas dos clientes, ou seja, quais as tecnologias que podem levar à sua satisfação. A revisão da literatura mostra que nem todas as tecnologias implementadas pelos hotéis têm sido apreciadas pelos hóspedes. Como os itens tecnológicos mudam com o tempo é importante fazer este estudo que tem como objetivo analisar o impacto das tecnologias atuais bem como avaliar o potencial das mais recentes tecnologias na experiência do consumidor. A metodologia adotada para este estudo está dividida em duas fases. Na fase qualitativa foi feita uma análise a alguns websites de hotéis em Portugal, bem como duas entrevistas a gestores de hotéis. Na etapa quantitativa foi