Does Service Tangibilization Work in the Hotel Industry? An Experimental Investigation
Authors: Chang, Kuo-Chien1; Tarn, David2
Source: Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, Volume 13, Number 4, December 2008 , pp. 411-434(24)
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Abstract:
This study attempts to test empirically the effects of two types of service tangibility, namely physical tangibility and mental tangibility, on consumers' senses of service, wherein the moderating effect of tangibilization cues is considered. The results gained through using the hotel industry as a case study for the relative effects of three operation-based tangibilization cues indicate that, when perceiving physical tangibility toward hotel services, consumers pay more attention to physical representation than they do to process visibility and encounter performance. On the other hand, for the relative effects of three marketing-based tangibilization cues, the results show that, when perceiving mental tangibility towards hotel services, consumers pay more attention to word-of-mouth effect and information frequency than they do to ranking.Keywords: physical tangibility; mental tangibility; operation-based tangibilization cues; marketing-based tangibilization cues
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1080/10941660802420986
Affiliations: 1: Department of Sports, Health and Leisure, Chihlee Institute of Technology, Taiwan 2: Department of Business Management, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan
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