Is it possible to feel safe in hotels during the COVID-19? Key factors in hotel guests’ risk and safety perception

ABSTRACT

This article assesses the risk perceived by hotel guests under Covid-19 by exploring clients’ perceptions in seven critical dimensions for customers’ safety perception: financial risk, front-desk digitalization, entertainment, front-desk service, hygiene and sanitation, hotel characteristics and space management, and food and beverage service. To evaluate clients’ perceptions and expectations a questionnaire was made available to collect data worldwide, resulting in a sample of 1005 responses. The findings show that the frequency of stay influences guests’ perceptions and preferences. The need to provide hygiene care evidence and have the hotel certified for COVID-19 emerged as key factors for restoring trust. This study provides a meaningful contribution by proposing a framework for assessing clients’ perceptions regarding the safety of hotel services.

KEYWORDS:

• Hotel management
• hospitality management
• safety perceptions
• risk perception
• consumer behaviour
• Covid-19

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank NECE – Research Unit in Business Sciences funded by the Multiannual Funding Programme of R&D Centres of FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under the project UIDB/04630/2020.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paulo Duarte

Paulo Duarte holds a PhD in Management and is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Portugal. He heads the MSc in Marketing and is vice-coordinator for RH and Marketing at NECE - Research Centre in Business Sciences. His research interests include consumer behavior, the intersection between Psychology and Marketing, namely consumer and buying behavior, satisfaction, and branding in tourism, both offline and online.

Cristina Santos Estevão

Cristina Estevão is Assistant Professor at the University of Beira Interior. She holds a PhD in Management and a post-doctorate in Tourism. She is a researcher at the NECE - Research Center in Business Sciences and her research areas are Management, Competitiveness, Marketing, and Strategy applied to the Tourism sector. He has already published a book in the field of Tourism, some book chapters, as well as several scientific articles at the national and international levels.

Adília Cabral

Adília Cabral is professor at Escola Superior De Educação Politécnico de Coimbra. She headed the master’s degree in Inland Tourism since 2009 and Director of bachelor’s degree in Tourism since 2006 and Director of Bachelor´s degree in Gastronomy (IPC and EHTC in partnership with Coimbra Polytechnic (ESEC, ESAC, ESTESC and Tourism of Portugal). Her research interests focus on hospitality and hotel management, tourism trends and globalisation, as well as Health and Wellness Tourism, Medical Tourism, Cultural and Sustainable Tourism.

Ana María Campón-Cerro

Ana María Campón-Cerro is professor in the Departamento de Dirección de Empresas y Sociología, Facultad de Empresa, Finanzas y Turismo, Universidad de Extremadura, Spain. She was awarded the Extraordinary PhD Award. She is the author of various papers published in Spanish and international journals and chapters in edited volumes. Her research interests include relationship marketing, rural tourism, agritourism, gastronomic tourism, olive oil tourism, experience tourism and quality of life, among others. She is a member of MARKETUR-Tourism Marketing and Management Research Group and NECE-Research Centre in Business Sciences.

Uci Yuliati

Uci Yuliati is professor at Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang in East Java, Indonesia. Her research interests include human resources and marketing management in tourism.