Purpose Memorable customer experience (MCE) is a key factor affecting customer loyalty and revisit intention. Hospitality managers must identify factors that create MCEs. This study aims to investigate relationships among perceived coolness, customer engagement and MCE and examine the mediation effect of customer engagement. Design/methodology/approach Two samples of 434 restaurant customers and 372 hotel customers in Taiwan returned questionnaires. Hypotheses were examined by structural equation modeling. Findings The results demonstrated that perceived coolness positively affected customer engagement and MCE and that customer engagement positively affected MCE. Furthermore, customer engagement mediated the relationship between perceived coolness and MCE. Research limitations/implications This study is cross-sectional, which limits causal inference. Furthermore, this study only investigated customers of Taiwanese restaurants and hotels, and the findings may not be generalizable to other industries and countries. Originality/value This study contributes to the MCE knowledge in hospitality by elucidating the association among perceived coolness, customer engagement and MCE. The findings can aid hospitality managers in developing marketing strategies, fostering customer engagement and creating MCEs.

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PurposeAmong different leadership styles, scant hospitality researchers have studied the link between authentic leadership and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). This article examined the associations among authentic leadership, job passion, and OCBs and examined the mediation effect of job passion.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaires were distributed to 314 Taiwan's hotel employees. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine the hypotheses of this study.FindingsThe results indicated that authentic leadership positively affects harmonious and obsessive passion and that harmonious passion positively affects OCBs directed to individuals (OCBI) and OCBs directed to the organization (OCBO), whereas obsessive passion positively affects OCBI. Furthermore, harmonious passion mediates the linkage between authentic leadership and OCBs (both OCBI and OCBO), whereas obsessive passion only mediates the linkage between authentic leadership and OCBI.Practical implicationsTraining programs for hotel managers should incorporate courses on authentic leadership to strengthen managers' skills. Succession plans for managers should prioritize the promotion and retention of candidates with authentic leadership traits. Furthermore, managers should use authentic leadership to create a transparent employee incentive system and career development plans, thereby creating a workplace with fair rewards and opportunities for promotion.Originality/valueThe major contribution is that it expands the knowledge of hospitality leadership and determines the linkages among authentic leadership, job passion, and OCBs. Furthermore, job passion was revealed as a mediator in the authentic leadership–OCB association.

PurposeStudies have explored the determinants of customer advocacy because of customer advocacy's vital role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing. The current research complements the existing literature in the hospitality field by examining the association between restaurant innovativeness and customer advocacy while also investigating the mediating roles of self-image congruity and customer engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe statistical software AMOS version 25 and bootstrapping were employed to test the hypotheses. Purposive sampling was employed for participant recruitment, and a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were collected from Taiwanese customers who had dined at selected restaurants.FindingsThe results from 385 restaurant customers reported that self-image congruity had an indirect impact on customer advocacy through customer engagement. Customer advocacy was influenced by restaurant innovativeness through the mediation of customer engagement. The influence of restaurant innovativeness on customer advocacy was positively and sequentially mediated by self-image congruity and customer engagement.Practical implicationsRestaurant innovativeness is linked to customer advocacy through self-image congruity and customer engagement. Thus, restaurant managers should implement strategies focusing on innovativeness to improve self-image congruity and engagement among customers.Originality/valueThe current research may be the first to provide a research model that explores restaurant innovativeness, self-image congruity, customer engagement and customer advocacy in the hospitality context. This study also has practical implications for enhancing customer advocacy.