A Framework for Designing Customer Experience of Luxury Chain Beach Hotels in Andaman Coast of Thailand: Repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially altered the tourism and hospitality industry. The lodging business is among those most affected by the pandemic, especially luxury chain hotels, seen as one of the fastest growing type of hotels and until recently, popular among global tourists. To revive businesses, services should be designed to produce memorable customer experiences. This represents a strategic challenge for hotel marketers working on luxury chain beach hotels. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for designing customer experience in luxury chain beach hotels affected by COVID-19 on Thailand’s Andaman coast. The researchers unified Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) Theory and attributes of luxury chain hotels through a systematic literature review. Five antecedents are identified:  service design, customer trust, customer experience, customer delight, and perceived hygiene attributes of COVID-19. The theoretical contribution of this paper could assist academics with effective acceptance model, while the managerial contribution could help hotel marketers to recuperate business when the effects of the pandemic lessen. Suggestions are also provided for future research.