International Bulletin of Business Administration

ISSN: 1451-243X Issue 7 (2010)

© EuroJournals, Inc. 2010
http://www.eurojournals.com

Emotional Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty in Hospitality

Industry

Ebad Baig
Director & Associate Professor (Marketing), Lahore Business School
University of Lahore, 1-KM Defence Road, Lahore, Pakistan
E-mail: ebadbaig@gmail.com
Tel: +92 42 7515 460

Shusma Khan
Lecturer (Marketing), Lahore Business School, University of Lahore
1-KM Defence Road, Lahore, Pakistan
E-mail: shusmakhan@gmail.com
Tel: +92 42 7515 460

Abstract
The paper discusses how emotional satisfaction has an effect on brand loyalty in the
hospitality industry and relates the concept of physical satisfaction from the quality of
service provided to the psychological dimension of satisfaction which forms the emotional
satisfaction within a customer. The paper highlights how it is a challenge for the hospitality
industry to engage into the understanding of emotional requirements of a customer that
walks in as a guest or a consumer of their service experience.
The prime focus of the paper is on the hospitality industry and how quality of
service does not only mean the material and environmental display of service and care, but
also he emotional experience which registers in the psychology of the customer. The paper
therefore describes emotional satisfaction having a direct impact on brand loyalty and
demands the need for accounting for emotional satisfaction surveys as part of standard
customer satisfaction surveys. This paper also aims to set the stage for the development of a
framework on how motional satisfaction in consumers should be analysed which shall for
future research within this area.

Keywords: Customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, emotional satisfaction, marketing

research, branding, customer satisfaction surveys.

1. Introduction
Customer satisfaction based on the service they receive within the hospitality industry is of prime
importance. Loyalty to a brand results from a customer being satisfied with the services on offer, which
are generally on a physical as well as emotional level. Organizations can increase the number of brand
loyal customers through high growth rates and increased market share. Although it is expensive to
acquire new customers due to stiff competition between service providers, high costs incurred through
start-up operations, advertising and promotion (Tepaci 1999). It is vital that hospitality managers focus
on efforts that increase levels of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Emotional satisfaction is one
of the components of customer satisfaction that is influenced by positive or negative psychological
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experience of customers within a hospitality industry environment. Yu and Dean (2000) indicate in
their study of consumers that an individual’s negative or positive emotions together with the cognitive
component of satisfaction are in correlation with consumer loyalty.

2. Discussion
Emotions may be classified as a core component of satisfaction, since there is a positive relationship
between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, and customer satisfaction incorporates cognitive and
emotional components, because emotions influence behaviour, therefore positive emotions would
increase the emotional satisfaction of clients within any service industry. Decision making process of
customers is also affected by emotions, as positive emotions would result in a positive attitude or
behaviour towards a certain brand. Companies operating in the hospitality industry in recent years are
addressing poor demand of their brands by cutting down on labour costs, marking and staff training,
which are some of the primary reasons why these brands are failing to create that customer experience
that this informed age has created within the minds of the customers of this industry. Strategically
increasing staff training and rewarding high quality work by staff should be of prime importance
within the hospitality industry.
To promote business sustainability and brand loyalty, the hospitality staff should adopt a set of
principles that promote the satisfaction of clients when offered an extraordinary guest experience. The
clients show their commitment to a company or brand if they are satisfied with the quality of services
they receive through brand loyalty. In the United States, an American Customer Satisfaction Index
(ACSI) is used to identify the level of satisfaction that clients in the hospitality industry show towards
different companies and/or brands. For instance, in 2009, the Hilton Hotels Corporation was ranked
first based on the ACSI.The Hilton has over 2,100 hotels worldwide which are popular for high quality
hospitality services. The Hilton had scored 79 out of 100 points. The Hilton due to its high quality
services and ability to increase customer emotional satisfaction has become very. It enjoys brand
loyalty from many customers who are emotionally satisfied with the services.
One way through which the emotional satisfaction of customers in the hospitality industry can
be increased is by providing unique services to the customers. Every individual is unique and this
means that services provided to a customer must meet his or her needs in order to be satisfied (Jacoby
and Chestnut, 1987). Bagozzi (1999) found that customers being offered unique services tailored to
address their needs, show greater willingness to pay higher prices in the future due to the positive
emotions they feel while experiencing the service. Furthermore, positive word of mouth associated
with positive emotions act as an advertising strategy (Gitman and Carl, 2005). A research study
conducted in Singapore to determine the relationship between tourist satisfaction, tourist consumption
emotions, perceived QOL and loyalty, indicated that emotional satisfaction increases customer loyalty
to a brand or service-providing organisation. The study was based on a conceptual model that
combined the concepts of Expectancy Disconfirmation Paradigm, Service Quality framework and
cognitive model that relates to satisfaction decisions. About 424 tourists who were leaving Singapore
at the Changi International Airport were sampled and their responses in a structured questionnaire were
analysed.The tourists were divided into groups based on their continent of origin; those from Oceania,
Europe, North America and Asia. The results indicated that the cost of the services they received was
not a major factor shaping satisfaction levels across all groups. However, accommodation and food
was a significant factor that influenced the level of satisfaction in visitors from North America. For the
Asian and European tourists, attractions had great impact on satisfaction levels while culture was
significant for visitors from Oceania. These tourists confirmed that they were willing to visit Singapore
once again. In addition, they were willing to recommend Singapore to their friends and relatives .This
was a symbol of their loyalty to the hospitality facility that provided different kinds of services during
their stay. Providing high quality services makes the customers feel at ease and very comfortable hence
customers who are emotionally satisfied are likely to recommend the services they receive to others

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(Hui, 2007). Good management puts emphasis on the need for the hospitality staff to listen to the
concerns of customers. Constant improvement of services ensures that brand loyalty is achieved
through quick response to the concerns of the visitors and high levels of satisfaction in customers. The
hospitality staff rely often take note of the issues raised by their customers. This provides room for re-
inspection so that efforts that improve consumer satisfaction are fully supported. By satisfying the
psychological needs of the customers, one promotes positive attitudes towards the service provider.
Satisfying emotional needs increases the customers’ appreciation for the services provided. These two
encourage clients to be loyal to the brand of services or products offered.
Discrimination based on gender, culture, race or age has been a major concern in the society.
Negative stereotyping together with traditional and cultural beliefs can promote discrimination against
certain individuals. To ensure that all customers are satisfied, the hospitality staff should not show any
biasness, prejudice or discrimination against some customers. Poor treatment leads to lack of
satisfaction and such customers will seek services from another company or organization. There is a
highly damaging to the image of the company when customers complain to business partners, friends
colleagues or relatives (Restall and Gordon, 1993). Improvement in services that are provided in the
industry influences the expectations of the customers. The need to meet the demand for better services
requires hospitality staff to be flexible and dynamic (Cochran, 2003). The concentration of
organizations or institutions that provide hospitality services on efforts to solve financial problems has
made them neglect efforts that improve customer experience. This has had negative impact on brand
loyalty as clients try to seek for better services from other organizations. For example, the overall client
satisfaction in the US hospitality industry between 1997 and 2009 has remained the same at 75 being
the baseline score.
Developing a genuine desire and passion to serve others equips the hospitality staff with skills
and knowledge to serve their guests excellently. A guests’ experience can be divided into several
stages; pre-arrival, arrival, consumption, departure and post-departure. During this cycle, a guest makes
both non-physical and physical contact with the staff. The staff should have guests emotionally and
psychologically engaged in the guest experience so that emotional satisfaction leads to positive
perception about the organization (Zeithaml, 1996). The staff needs to be engaged in the collection of
customers’ opinions about services they receive. The collected data is analyzed and stored in a
database that is then used by a company to point out problems and identify where changes can be made
to increase customer satisfaction (Bloemer and Kasper, 1995). In order to ensure that the personnel
dealing directly with the customers improve their satisfaction, training and seminars should be
conducted to ensure that only the best quality services are delivered to the customers (Reichheld,
1993). Currently, emotions form a vital component of loyalty and satisfaction hence emotional
satisfaction cements their loyalty to a company or organization (Dick and Kunal, 1994).
For example, a study carried out to establish the link between service quality and client
satisfaction in chain hotels (New Zealand) indicated that some of the factors that influence hotel image
and customer satisfaction include food and beverage, housekeeping and price. High quality services in
relation to these factors leads to customer loyalty.
Through effective communication, the staff working in hospitality facilities try to respond to
the demands on time. Prompt response to the needs of the clients increases emotional satisfaction of
the clients because the assurance they get from receiving services on time motivates them to seek
services from the same organization when the need to do so arises (Hofstede, 1994). This increases
brand loyalty. Hospitality managers recognize the depth and breadth of the associations that customers
have for their brands. Patterson (1999) found that customers express brand associations through
behavior. Brand associations are represented as emotional impressions in the memory such that when
customers are emotionally satisfied by the services they receive, they do not spend much effort and
time to consider the alternatives. Therefore emotional brand associations increase brand loyalty by
becoming the dominating determinants of choice (Supphellen). It is cheaper to retain existing
customers as compared to attracting new ones. The hospitality industry staff should be aware of the

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cultural backgrounds and beliefs of different clients. This is meant to allow the staff to handle clients in
a manner that does not defy their cultural and traditional beliefs. Managers usually put emphasis on the
relationship between the customers’ perceptions about and the quality of the services they receive.
Collecting information from customers promotes the improvement of services which in turn increase
brand loyalty. Customer loyalty to a certain brand varies in industries and markets (Quelch and
Harding, 1996). The relationship between a customer and the brand determines the loyalty of the
customer to the brand (Bluestein, 2003). Some of the ways through which the hospitality industry can
increase brand loyalty include civility and respect (personalization, friendliness and courtesy),
flexibility and efforts that forge a long-term relationship with the clients.

3. Conclusion
It is a challenge for the hospitality industry to ensure that clients are provided with the best quality
services. This promotes psychological, physical and emotional satisfaction of the clients. All customers
aim at getting value for their money when they purchase a product or seek services from a service
provider. In the hospitality industry, customers get value for the services they hire when those services
are of high quality.However, differences in culture and preferences requires the hospitality staff to
identify the various needs of clients .Research studies that have been conducted to establish the
relationship between emotional satisfaction and brand loyalty in the hospitality industry show that high
levels of satisfaction increases brand loyalty. Further studies require investigation into how customer
surveys should take account of emotional satisfaction of customers in order to have a better
understanding of how to monitor and improve upon the psychological and emotional aspects of
providing a quality service in any industry.

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