Setting the Scene for the Guest Experience

“The Show”

• A term coined by Walt Disney, “the show” refers to everyone and

everything that interfaces with guests.
• Many hospitality organizations have used the environment to create a
sense of fantasy through theming, as they have learned the value of
creating a unique and memorable setting that enhances and contributes
to the total guest experience.
 Lights and Sounds

• Lights and Sounds are important feature of service

settings.
• They are particularly potent environmental factor.
• Sounds and Lights can also affect guest behavior, as
studies shown that people tend to eat faster and drink
more if the music is fast and loud.
 Why is the Environment Important?

• It influences guest expectations, creates and maintains the

mood, and has positive effects on employees.
 Environment Influences
• Guest Expectations

• Guest Mood

• Employee Satisfaction
 Elements of Servicescape

• Ambient Conditions – the ergonomic factors such as temperature,

humidity, air quality, smells, sounds, physical comfort, and light – affect the
nature of the guest experience.
 Elements of Servicescape

• Use of Space – refers to how the equipment and furnishings

are arranged in the hospitality service setting, the size and
shape of those objects, their accessibility to the customers, and
the spatial relationships among them.
 Elements of Servicescape

• Functional Congruence – refers to how well something with a

functional purpose fits into the environment in which it serves
that purpose.
 Elements of Servicescape

• Signs, Symbols, and Artifacts

• Signs are explicit physical representations of information that the
organization thinks guests might want, need, or expect to find. Signs must
be easy to read, clear, and located.
• Purpose of Signs
– To name the business
– To describe the product or service
– To give direction
• Symbols – representational icons that can replace any specific language.

• Artifacts – are physical objects that represent something beyond their

functional use.
 Elements of Servicescape

• Other People – employees, other guests, or perhaps even

audio-animatronics creations that guests come to think of as
real people.

• Employees are environmentally important even before they

deliver the anticipated service.
 Servicescape

• Servicescape is a model developed by Booms and Bitner to

emphasize the impact of the physical environment in which a
service process takes place. 
• It is also called as service setting.
 Three ways a Guest can respond to Servicescape

• Physiological Responses

• Cognitive Responses

• Emotional Responses
 Three ways a Guest can respond to Servicescape

• Physiological Responses
– Senses
– Information Processing
– Rich and Lean Environment
 Three ways a Guest can respond to Servicescape

• Cognitive Responses
– Expectations
– Non-verbal cues
– Physical cues
 Three ways a Guest can respond to Servicescape

• Emotional Responses
– Degree of arousal
– Degree of pleasure/displeasure
THANK YOU!