First Impressions of Hotel Lobbies as Inferences About Hotels: A Marketing Tool

Abstract

Hotel guests frequently make purchase decisions on whether to stay at a hotel or not based upon pictures on websites and hotel brochures. Hence, pictures of the interior space have become important marketing tools. The purpose of the study was to examine participants’ impressions of and extended inferences about hotels based upon pictures of lobbies by applying Impression Formation Theory. Previous research has indicated that the physical environment influences consumer behavior and can be utilized as a marketing tool. Data were collected by means of survey instruments requesting written open-ended comments about four of the lobbies and the hotels in general. Comments were content analyzed and participants made extended inferences about aspects of the hotel such as quality of service, amenities, clientele, cost, and geographic location from pictures of the hotel lobbies. The quality of the interior environmental cues in the lobby played a role in marketing quality and nature of the services of the hotel and its image. The findings of the study indicate that the physical environment is an important marketing tool for hospitality establishment. Hence, their design should elicit approach behavior from potential customers.

Keywords: hotel lobbies, first impressions, inferences, interior environment, pictures, marketing