In the ever changing business climate, the service sector has become a major focus of attention. One key aspect of this competitive environment is the effort of many businesses to differentiate themselves by creating unique customer experiences that accompany their products and services. The challenge to creating memorable consumer experiences is the proper identification of specific characteristics that influence experiences and gaining better understanding of how these impact consumers perceived values. To this end, this study attempted to develop a model that identifies influencing dimensions of consumer experiences and investigates the composition of consumer experiences and the relative outcome on consumer's perceived values in a hospitality setting. To facilitate this research objective, a model was presented which proposed that consumer experiences are composed of both physical and human interaction characteristics. The consumer's perspective of these characteristics, and hence the actual service experience, are affected by situational factors and individual characteristic which in return impact perceived emotive and cognitive values. A set of propositions are presented based on the model and literature review to measure the relationship between these factors. To initiate this research, an intercept survey approach was taken. Four hundred sixty-two (462) surveys were completed by hotel guests staying in one of three market segments in Orlando, FL. Participants completed the self-administered survey by answering questions concerning their current stay experience relating to physical environment, human encounters, trip-related factors, individual characteristics, and perceived values. Overall, the results found that trip-related factors and individual characteristics affect perceptions of physical environment and human interactions consumer experiences during their hotel stay. In addition, the results revealed that both physical environment and human interactions have significant and positive relationship with perceived values. These results can give lodging managers a better understanding of the composition of consumer experiences and how these events influence perceived values.

På en allt mer global och konkurrensutsatt hotellmarknad försöker aktörer att skapa starka varumärken och vinna gästers lojalitet. Men vilka är drivkrafterna bakom valet av boende och vilka attribut avgör vad som ger en tillfredsställd hotellgäst? God tjänstekvalitet har kommit att bli en allt viktigare konkurrensfördel där tjänsteupplevelsen blir en avgörande faktor för kundnöjdheten. Inom ett oerhört subjektivt ämne som kvalitetsuppfattning, fanns det i denna studie en önskan att försöka reda ut vilka faktorer som påverkar kundnöjdheten och vilka attribut som hotellgäster värdesätter och återkommer till. Finns det någon entydig definition av tjänstekvalitet hos hotellgäster eller finns det lika många svar som det finns gäster? Är det dessutom skillnad på tjänstekvalitet mellan hotellkedjor och fristående hotell? Utifrån dessa reflektioner genomfördes kvalitativa intervjuer i fokusgrupper vars frågor baserats på tidigare forskning och teorier kring ämnet tjänstekvalitet. Studiens resultat indikerar att hotellpersonalens uppträdande och närvaro spelar en större roll än vad tidigare teorier betonat. I en allt mer digital värld finner hotellgästen uppskattning och värde i det personliga mötet hos en engagerad personal som kan erbjuda individuellt anpassad service. / In a globally enhanced and competitive hotel market, operators try to create strong brands and win guest loyalty. But what is the motivation behind the choice of accommodation and what attributes determine what makes a satisfied hotel guest? Good service quality has become an important competitive advantage, with service experience becoming a decisive factor in customer satisfaction. In this study, there was a desire to try to figure out which factors affect customer satisfaction and what attributes that hotel guests value and return to. Is there any unambiguous definition of service quality or are there as many answers as there are guests? Is there a difference between the service quality at hotel chains and independent hotels? Based on these reflections, qualitative interviews were conducted in focus groups. The questions were based on previous research and theories on the subject of service quality. The results of the study indicate that the behavior and presence of hotel staff play a greater role than previous theories emphasized. In an increasingly digital world, hotel guests find appreciation and value in the personal meeting of an committed staff who can offer personalized service.

This qualitative study investigates how check-in and check-out self-service technology (SST)for hotels affects the hotel experience of young hotel guests. Following study also focuses onevaluating whether the current SST technology meets the expectations of these young guests.As the hospitality industry in Sweden increasingly adopts SST solutions, understanding theperceptions and satisfaction levels of young guests becomes essential for hotels striving toenhance their service quality. The research employs a qualitative approach, utilizingsemi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method. Twenty respondents, agedbetween 20 and 28 years, were interviewed to gain in-depth insights into their experienceswith SST technology for check-in and check-out processes. / Denna studie undersöker hur självserviceteknologi (SST) på hotell i form av in- ochutcheckning påverkar hotellupplevelsen för unga hotellgäster. Studien fokuserar också på attutvärdera om den befintliga SST-teknologin uppfyller förväntningarna hos dessa unga gäster.I takt med att svenska hotellbranschen i större utsträckning börja använda SST-lösningar blirdet viktigt att förstå unga gästers uppfattningar och serviceupplevelser för att hotellen skakunna förbättra sin servicekvalitet. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ metod medsemistrukturerade intervjuer som primär datainsamlingsmetod. Tjugo respondenter i åldern20 till 28 år intervjuades för att få djupgående insikter i deras upplevelser av SST-teknologiför in- och utcheckning på hotell.