HOTEL BRAND EFFECTIVENESS – THE GOOD PRACTICE OF BULGARIA. THE CASE OF KATARINO SPA HOTEL
Gergana Angelova
Veselin Stoimenov
Abstract
Hotel brand effectiveness determines the level of guest satisfaction, their desire for a repeat visit (guest loyalty) and their positive word-of-mouth. It depends on the quality of hotel superstructure and services paired with the proper use of brand destination resources. For a proper evaluation of hotel brand effectiveness it is necessary that guest perception and behaviour be considered as brands exist in guests’ minds. Successful brands ensure pleasure, even delight and create the emotional connection “brand-guest”. Brands are difficult to evaluate because they are considered to be something intangible and the choice of a brand is rather emotional than rational.
This paper has the objective to analyze and evaluate the hotel brand effectiveness through a proper set of factors, i.e. criteria and indicators. The research employs a qualitative method of analysis and evaluation which entails encoding of guests’ reviews uploaded in the TripAdvisor platform including the period of Covid-19. Research results have proved a higher level of brand effectiveness according to three basic criteria – guest perception, guest behaviour and brand destination.
Keywords: hotel brand, brand evaluation, effectiveness, guest feedback
JEL Codes: Z39
DOI: 10.37708/el.swu.v4i1.4
CITE AS:
Angelova, G., & Stoimenov, V. (2022). Hotel Brand Effectiveness – The Good Practice of Bulgaria. The Case of Katarino Spa Hotel. Economics & Law, 4(1), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.37708/el.swu.v4i1.3
Angelova, Gergana, and Veselin Stoimenov. 2022. “Hotel Brand Effectiveness – the Good Practice of Bulgaria. The Case of Katarino Spa Hotel.” Economics & Law 4 (1): 39–54. https://doi.org/10.37708/el.swu.v4i1.3.
Angelova, G. and Stoimenov, V. (2022). Hotel Brand Effectiveness – The Good Practice of Bulgaria. The Case of Katarino Spa Hotel. Economics & Law, 4(1), pp.39–54. doi:10.37708/el.swu.v4i1.3.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
-
Anderson, E. W., & Mittal, V. (2000). Strengthening the satisfaction-profit chain. Journal of service Research, 3(2), 107-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/109467050032001
-
Angelova, G. (2020). Thematic Analysis and Evaluation Of Hotel Brand Effectiveness. In Anniversary Scientific Conference with International Participation TOURISM AND CONNECTIVITY 2020, University publishing house “Science and Economics”, University of Economics-Varna, 1, 275-288. DOI: 10.36997/TC2020.275
-
Baker, B. (2007). Destination branding for small cities: The essentials for successful place branding. Destination Branding Book. Retrieved from https://www.isbns.fm/isbn/9780979707605/
-
Baker, B. (2012). Destination Branding for Small Cities. Creative Leap Books 2nd edition. Retrieved from https://www.isbns.fm/isbn/9780984957408/
-
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1191/1478088706QP063OA
-
Cai, L. A., & Hobson, J. P. (2004). Making hotel brands work in a competitive environment. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 10(3), 197-208. https://doi.org/10.1177/135676670401000301
-
Davis, S. M., & Dunn, M. (2002). Building the Brand-driven Business: Operationalize Your Brand to Drive Profitable Growth. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
-
Forgacs, G. (2003). Brand Asset Equilibrium in Hotel Management. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 15(6), 340-342. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110310488203
-
Kayaman, R., & Arasli, H. (2007). Customer based brand equity: evidence from the hotel industry. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 17(1), 92-109 https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520710720692
-
Khan, I., & Rahman, Z. (2017). Development of a scale to measure hotel brand experiences. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(1), 268 – 287. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2015-0439
-
Keller, K.L. (1993). Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-based Brand Equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700101
-
Longwell, G. J. (1994). Book Review: Managing Brand Equity. Capitalizing on the Value of Brand Name, New York: The Free Press, New York (1991). Journal of Business Research, 29(3), 247-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-2963(94)90009-4
-
Lowes, B., Pendleton, A., Chadwick, L., & Pass, C.L. (1991). Collins Dictionary of Business. Collins Publishers. Retrieved from https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Collins-Dictionary-Business/17932605130/bd
-
O’Neill, J. W., & Mattila, A. S. (2004). Hotel branding strategy: Its relationship to guest satisfaction and room revenue. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 28(2), 156-165. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348004264081
-
O’Neill, J. W., & Mattila, A. S. (2010). Hotel brand strategy. Cornell hospitality quarterly, 51(1), 27-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965509352286
-
O’Neill, J. W., & Xiao, Q. (2006). The role of brand affiliation in hotel market value. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 47(3), 210-223. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010880406289070
-
Prasad, K., & Dev, C. S. (2000). Managing hotel brand equity: A customer-centric framework for assessing performance. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(3), 22-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-8804(00)80014-2
-
Ries, A., & Trout, J. (2001). Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. McGraw Hill Professional. Retrieved from https://prolightinggroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Positioning_-The-Battle-for-Your-Mind.pdf
-
Rust, R. T., Lemon, K. N., & Zeithaml, V. A. (2004). Return on marketing: Using customer equity to focus marketing strategy. Journal of marketing, 68(1), 109-127. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.1.109.24030
-
So, K. K. F., & King, C. (2010). “When experience matters”: building and measuring hotel brand equity: The customers’ perspective. International journal of contemporary hospitality management, 22(5), 589-608. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111011053765
-
Terziyska, I., & Damyanova, R. (2020). Winescape through the lens of organized travel–a netnography study. International Journal of Wine Business Research, 32(4), 477-492. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWBR-09-2019-0050
-
TPBO. (2015, October 8). Interview with Jeremy Hildreth, the Indiana Jones of Branding. The Place Brand Observer. Retrieved from www.placebrandobserver.com/jeremy-hildreth-interview
-
Xiong, L., King, C., & Hu, C. (2014). Where is the love? Investigating multiple membership and hotel customer loyalty. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(4), 572-592. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2013-0141
-
Xu, J. B., & Chan, A. (2010). A conceptual framework of hotel experience and customer‐based brand equity: Some research questions and implications. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 22(2), 174-193. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111011018179
-
Zenker, S. (2011). “How to catch a city? The concept and measurement of place brands”. Journal of Place Management and Development, 4(1), 40-52. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538331111117151
-
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g658263-d639570-Reviews-Katarino_Hotel_Spa-Razlog_Blagoevgrad_Province.html#REVIEWS, accessed on 10.10.2021