Tangible and intangible hotel in-room amenities in shaping customer experience and the consequences in the with-corona era

Purpose: This study aims to draw on customer experience theory to shed light on how hotel in-room amenities foster customer experience, which continues to form brand attitude and loyalty before and during the pandemic. Also, this study assesses the impact of the pandemic in the relationships among proposed constructs on the basis of risk perception theory. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was deployed using a total of 379 responses, for evaluating the measurement model through confirmatory factor analysis and testing proposed hypotheses through structural equation modeling. Findings: The findings provide initial support for the predictions, except for the influence of brand attitude on brand loyalty before the pandemic. Particularly, the analysis results observe that the effect of tangible amenities on customer experience was stronger before the COVID-19, whereas the impact of intangible amenities on customer experience is greater during the pandemic. Furthermore, the results validate the significant moderating influence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the path between customer experience and brand loyalty. Practical implications: This present study guides hotel professionals to be more effective in the management of appropriate in-room amenity to create a satisfactory customer experience, which contributes to brand loyalty in the with-corona era. Originality/value: The study differs from earlier studies in that it investigates how the pandemic changes the role of hotel in-room amenities on customer experience, which, in turn, increases brand attitude and brand loyalty for the first time.