Welcoming host, cozy house? The impact of service attitude on sensory experience

Shared accommodations (e.g., Airbnb) are growing rapidly with ever-increasing attention given to the features of the home decoration style and a homely atmosphere. Similar to an old saying, Love me, Love my dog, it has been established that the perception of hosts' service quality is integrated with customers' evaluations of house amenities. However, little is known about the influence of service attitude (how it is perceived by guests) on customers' sensory experience, which is key to their loyalty and satisfaction. Through a pilot study analyzing guest houses' online reviews, two experiments as well as a survey, service attitude (i.e., enthusiasm and hospitality) was found to be positively associated with customers' sensory experience. In this process, home-like feelings acted as the mediator, sincerity served as a moderator, and only sincere enthusiasm and hospitality helped promote the home-like feeling for customers. This study sheds light on the customer sensory experience management of shared accommodations from the embodied cognition perspective.

Automated summary

This study reveals that service attitude (e.g. enthusiasm and hospitality) has a positive impact on customers' sensory experience, with the home-like feeling acting as a mediator and sincerity as a moderator.