بهبود عملکرد برند هتل از طریق تقویت روابط برند در ذهن مصرف کنندگان Enhancing hotel brand performance through fostering brand relationship orientation in the minds of consumers

1. Introduction The growing role of branding is well documented in the tourism and hospitality sector, particularly in the highly competitive hotel industry. According to a recent report, the most valuable hotel brands in 2016 were Hilton, with a brand value of US$8.4 billion, followed by Marriott, in second place with a brand value of over US$5 billion, and Hyatt in third place, at over US$4 billion (BrandFinance, 2017). Managing a hotel brand effectively presents numerous benefits for managers in terms of the ability to obtain a premium price for rooms, grow market share, increase consumer loyalty, and stimulate positive word-of-mouth patron referrals (Kayaman & Arasli, 2007; Sangster, Wolton, & McKenney, 2001). Premised on these benefits and others, hotels have become increasingly interested in developing relationships between their brands and their customers. Indeed, over the past decade, the topic of consumer-brand relationships has attracted increasing interests in the tourism and hospitality literature (Chen & Phou, 2013; Hudson, Roth, Madden, & Hudson, 2015; Xie & Heung, 2012). The choice of hotel accommodation is a significant decision for most travelers (hereafter referred to as consumers). For many, it is also a complex decision-making process (Li, Law, Vu, & Rong, 2013; Sohrabi, Vanani, Tahmasebipur, & Fazli, 2012). A strong brand helps to simplify consumers’ decision-making process by reducing perceived risks and increasing expectations (Keller, 2008). Moreover, many consumers choose a particular hotel because of their strong relationship with the hotel brand (Mattila, 2007; Scanlan & McPhail, 2000). Indeed, developing a strong relationship with consumers “is increasingly emerging as a strategy for organizations that strive to retain loyal and satisfied consumers in today’s highly competitive environment” (Meng & Elliott, 2008, p. 509). Despite the importance of consumer-brand relationships in improving a company’s brand performance, there are notable research gaps in this area. As Papista and Dimitriadis (2012, p. 34) noted, “the literature on brand management and relationship development has so far emerged as two separate streams, despite the possibilities for complementarity between the two fields.” Drawing on relationship marketing and brand management literature, this study examines the role of consumer-perceived brand relationship orientation (hereafter referred to as PBRO) in affecting brand performance. Relationship marketing theory postulates that consumers’ perceptions of the strength and quality of their relationship with the brand shape their behavior in the relationship (Garbarino & Johnson, 1999; Verhoef, 2003). Indeed, consumers who believe that they have a strong relationship with a brand are less likely to patronize other brands (Morgan & Hunt, 1994; Sheth & Parvatiyar, 1995). Grounded in relationship marketing theory, we posit that PBRO, defined as consumers’ perceptions of a brand’s genuine interest in developing relationships with them (Aurier and Ser
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Lanauze, 2012), have positive implications for important hotel performance outcomes such as share of wallet, consideration set size, and revisit intention.