Full metadata record
DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributorSchool of Hotel and Tourism Managementen_US
dc.contributor.advisorLo, Ada (SHTM)en_US
dc.creatorHung, Oi Ki-
dc.identifier.urihttps://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/12418-
dc.languageEnglishen_US
dc.publisherHong Kong Polytechnic Universityen_US
dc.rightsAll rights reserveden_US
dc.titleAre your health and safety signals enough to attract the guests back to your hotel? A study on the impact of health and safety signals source and communication format on consumers’ risk perception and booking intention in the “new normal”en_US
dcterms.abstractHotel industry has been severely affected by the pandemic, experiencing the lowest occupancy in the history. During this low time, hoteliers have been working restlessly to enhance their health and safety standards in the hotels in order to regain consumers’ confidence for visiting hotels. Consumers’ behavior has been changed drastically during the pandemic, the priory for making purchase decision has been shuffled with health and safety topping the list. The stringent hygiene and safety standards are expected to be part of the “new normal”. It is important for hotels to effectively communicate their health and safety standards with the consumers. One of the challenges of communicating health and safety is its unobservable nature. Based on the signaling theory, hotels can send signals or cues to tangiblize the health and safety standards to consumers. The health and safety signals adopted in hotel industry can be categorized into four types: government certification, third-party endorsement, commercial collaboration and self-declared health and safety program. In this study, we try to understand the effectiveness of the different types of health and safety signals and the way they are being communicated influencing consumers’ perceived health risk, hotel image and their booking intention. A 4 (health and safety signals sources) x 2 communication format (text vs logo) between-subjects experiment were conducted. The results showed that government certification was the most impactful on consumers’ behavior, followed by third-party endorsement. It was surprising to note that commercial collaboration was perceived with the highest health risk hence lower purchase intention among the four health and safety signals. Health and safety signals presented in text format yielded more favorable results than logo in general expect hotel image. Furthermore, no significant interaction was found between health and safety signals sources and communication format but the effect of health and safety signal sources is much higher than communication format on consumers perception. This study addressed the research gap of the effectiveness of different health and safety signals source and their communication format from consumers’ perspective. Thermotical implications and future studies topics are also discussed.en_US
dcterms.extentiv, 55 pages : color illustrationsen_US
dcterms.isPartOfPolyU Electronic Thesesen_US
dcterms.issued2022en_US
dcterms.educationalLevelM.Sc.en_US
dcterms.educationalLevelAll Masteren_US
dcterms.LCSHHotels -- Health aspectsen_US
dcterms.LCSHIndustrial hygieneen_US
dcterms.LCSHTravel -- Health aspectsen_US
dcterms.LCSHHong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertationsen_US
dcterms.accessRightsrestricted accessen_US

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
6866.pdfFor All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only)2.18 MBAdobe PDFView/Open


Copyright Undertaking

As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:

  1. I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
  2. I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
  3. I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.

By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.

Show simple item record

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/12418