Consumption of boutique hotel experiences as revealed by electronic word-of-mouth
Postmodern society is characterised by consumers’ hedonistic behaviours and values, in which experience consumption is a form of differentiation and social elevation. This study sought to understand consumers’ online manifestations of boutique hotel experiences and individuals’ motivations for e...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Algarve, ESGHT/CINTURS
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Tourism & Management Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tmstudies.net/index.php/ectms/article/view/1147/pdf_132 |
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| Summary: | Postmodern society is characterised by consumers’ hedonistic
behaviours and values, in which experience consumption is a form of
differentiation and social elevation. This study sought to understand
consumers’ online manifestations of boutique hotel experiences and
individuals’ motivations for engaging in electronic word-of-mouth.
The research considered prior studies on experiential consumption,
as well as publications focused on understanding postmodern
individuals. Netnography was used to collect data on – and analyse –
post-consumption behaviours boutique hotels. Participant
observation was conducted of the online manifestations of boutique
hotel consumers’ experiences. The research also included computermediated speech analysis, image analysis of virtually extracted data
and discourse analysis of interviews with users identified from
previous interactions and online postings. This study’s approach was
based on a different perspective than that of Pine and Gilmore’s
work, utilising instead the experience economy, postmodern
consumer analysis and boutique hotel concepts. Observations
revealed that exclusivity and privacy are central elements
determining consumers’ choice and definition of boutique hotels.
However, online manifestations of experiences reveal exhibitionist
and paradoxical behaviours. |
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| ISSN: | 2182-8466 |