Purpose The main purpose of this study was to investigate how the experiential value of lodging tourists affected the relationship between authentic happiness and behavioural intention. Design/methodology/approach A purposive sampling technique was adopted for Taiwanese tourists with lodging experience during the 2017 Taipei International Travel Fair; and utilises confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM) to validate the suitability of questionnaire items, model fit, and the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results demonstrated that experiential value significantly and positively influenced authentic happiness. The mediating effect of authentic happiness through which experiential value enhances behavioural intention of lodging tourists was also found to exist. Originality/value This study provides a novel approach which presents experiential value as the antecedent variable, authentic happiness as the mediator, and behavioural intention as the dependent variable, in order to better understand tourists’ lodging decision-making processes and behaviours and this approach is considered an advancement within the literature.