Assessing humour use in accommodation establishments: the Estonian context

Abstract

This paper contributes to a relatively under-researched area of humour studies in hospitality by analysing the use of different forms of humour in accommodation establishments. The main purpose of the study was to gain a better understanding of how humour is used in marketing communication and service processes, and the ways in which it contributes to the guest experience. A range of research methods were used including desktop research on how humour is currently used in accommodation settings, a focus group consisting of international participants, and two online surveys with both accommodation providers and accommodation guests. The latter was undertaken in Estonia. The results indicate that multiple forms of humour are used in accommodation establishments to provide information and enhance the guest experience, however, it was also clear that many humorous events happen spontaneously rather than being planned for or 'staged'. This study also proposes a decision support model to guide accommodation establishments in how humour could be applied more effectively in their marketing communication and service processes.

Presenting and perceiving humour in Estonian tourism settings

“…While in accommodation establishments about half of the respondents claimed they use humour (Piirman et al 2019), only 27% of other tourism service providers stated having used humour in their organisation. Ball and Johnson (2011: 205) noted that conducting business is a serious matter, and this is potentially why conference centres, as one of the most businessoriented service providers, remain conservative and are willing to use humour mainly in souvenirs and videos.…”

“…The fact that humour is a powerful conversational tool (Bell 2006) was confirmed when the tourism service providers claimed that humour in oral communication was most important to them. Situational humour occurs spontaneously during interactions (Piirman et al 2019) and does not require a lot of preparation. The popularity of humorous oral communication in catering can be explained by people tending to appreciate it when someone amuses them, which could lead to more satisfied customers and bigger tips.…”

“…Tourism companies mostly use humour to offer their customers comfort, connect with them and make them mindful and attentive to messages (Pabel & Pearce 2019). Humour at accommodation establishments can be used on five different levelssituational, hidden, intended, designed and promised humorous communication (Piirman, Pratt, Smith, & Tooman 2019). These different levels of humour can be used by tourism providers when there is a need to keep tourists´ minds engaged and alert (Pabel & Pearce 2016).…”

Incorporating humour in the educational journey of young tourists

“…Research also shows that humour can increase student retention and participation (Sultana et al, 2019), stimulate emotional engagement (Miller et al, 2017), improve classroom interaction (Kosiczky & Mullen, 2013), and foster positive teacher-student relationships (Abraham et al, 2014). Hence, using humour in the classroom is linked to greater enjoyment and less boredom and anxiety (Bieg et al, 2017), making it a powerful pedagogical tool that activates cognitive processes and boosts student engagement (Pekrun & Linnenbrink-Garcia, 2014).…”

“…Certain museums and heritage attractions are also making use of humour to enhance the tourists' attentiveness and mindfulness (Turnsek et al, 2019). Depending on the nature of the tourism service, using positive humour can benefit both the service provider and the tourists (Piirman et al, 2019). However, much of the existing research on humour in tourism has focused primarily on adults, leaving ample opportunity to study children's experiences with humour in tourism settings.…”