Insights into emotional contagion and its effects at the hotel front desk

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to draw attention to the need for a nuanced view of the emotional contagion framework. It proposes and empirically tests a refined model of emotional contagion and its effects in the hotel sector by focusing on the front-desk service encounter interactions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from three separate groups of paired informants: receptionists, hotel customers and interaction observers. The sample included 573 full customer service interactions in 47 hotels in Catalonia. The model was tested with structural equation modelling. Findings Emotional contagion has specific mechanisms at the hotel front-desk. No relationship was found between receptionists’ inner mood and their outwardly displayed emotions. Yet, receptionists’ displayed emotions enhance customer mood, and, largely, customer satisfaction. Ultimately, this affects customer behavioural intentions. It was also discovered that guests are able to clearly distinguish between their satisfaction with the specific service encounter at the front desk and the overall satisfaction with the hotel stay. The positive effects of employees’ displayed emotions are of particular importance in lower-star hotels and are less important at the high end. Perceived training opportunities have a positive effect on customer satisfaction and improve the employee-displayed emotion. Research limitations/implications Researchers should examine employee outcomes that are more stable than mood, but may enhance or be related to the effective display of emotions at the front desk, such as employee satisfaction and commitment. In general, emotions and behaviours of employees and consumers should be further examined in other services across the hospitality industry, in different cultural contexts and in terms of their impact on company performance. Researchers should heed the precise type of mechanism that takes place in each service context. Practical implications The hotel management should focus their efforts on ensuring positive emotional performance, regardless of employees’ inner mood. Managers should carefully interpret differentiated results according to whether they have been drawn from overall satisfaction or customer service interaction surveys. The training provision is of particular importance in lower-star hotels, where customer outcomes depend more on employee-displayed emotion. Originality/value This study empirically corroborates that customer outcomes of front-desk services are linked to receptionists’ displayed emotions, and not to employees’ feelings. Onsite data collection, multiple-informant approach, paired dyads and structural equation modelling hold a great potential for study designs that seek insights into interpersonal phenomena in hospitality services research.

Employee emotional displays in the extended service encounter

“…It is also assumed that happiness is particularly contagious (Chanes et al, 2018;Dimberg and Thunberg, 1998;Harker and Keltner, 2001;Lau, 1982). Findings in previous studies in a service context, in terms of interactions between employees and customers, do support that the customer's exposure to a happy employee can enhance the customer's own positive emotions (Li et al, 2018;Lee and Labroo, 2004;Ustrov et al, 2016). In the present study, it is assumed that this can also happen in a mediated context, in which a photo or a video represents the service firm employee.…”

Association between a parent’s brand passion and a child’s brand passion: a moderated moderated-mediation model

“…Scholars have shown that people often mimic or catch the emotions of others during their social interactions. 35 , 36 Social scientists have further demonstrated that people tend to copy the emotions of trusted or familiar people more readily. 37 This is called the trickle-down effect, which causes a transmitter’s affect and behavior to provoke similar responses in receivers.…”

Otel İşletmelerinde Ön Büro Çalışanlarının Değişim İlişkilerinin Teorik Olarak İncelenmesi

“…Müşterileri olumlu olarak etkilemek için hizmet sağlayıcılar olumlu duyguları yüz ifadelerinde göstermektedirler (Dallimore, Sparks ve Butcher, 2007). Hizmet sağlayıcılarının pozitif ve negatif duygu gösterimleri müşterilerin algıladığı hizmet kalitesini (Pugh, 2001) ve tatminini (Ustrov, Valverde ve Ryan, 2016) etkilemektedir. Bu durum pek çok hizmet işletmesinde "Güler yüzlü hizmet" olarak slogan haline gelmiştir.…”