Components of experiential value: Case of hospitality industry

Abstract

Customer experience is acknowledged as a dominant objective for organizational strategy, affecting sustainable differentiation from competition. However concerning planning, application and measurement of experiences literature has failed to create a universal continuum. This study based on a qualitative inquiry with 22 upscale hotel managers, uses the value chain concept in order to determine the activities affecting customers' experiential value for services. Interviews with managers were content analyzed and compared with relevant literature before experiential value creating activities were grouped under human resources, technology, procurement & strategic alliances, and physical design. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.