Forming Strong Guest Loyalty: Sustainable Development of Hotel Industry on the Example of Small-Hotels

Abstract

The study of customer loyalty is an important part of the activity of any enterprise, which allows achieving significant economic indicators. In modern economic conditions of development of the sphere of tourism and hospitality, consumer behavior is increasingly being evaluated as an indicator of competitiveness of the hotel. For effective development of mini hotels, the number of which is gradually growing, it is important to study the needs and wishes of potential customers. The formation of customer loyalty of hotel services is a difficult task, hotel managers have to analyze not only the needs of consumers, but also the behavior in the market of other hotel enterprises, as well as use the mechanisms of «individualization» of service. The object of the research in the article is consumer behavior in general, and loyalty of guests in particular. The subject of the study is the influence of guest loyalty on the development of mini-hotels. The theoretical side of the article is to study the preferences of hotel customers and identify groups of factors that influence the formation of customer loyalty of hotel services, as well as the needs of customers when visiting certain hotel enterprises. The article analyzes the theoretical and practical aspects of the formation of motivation of potential and real customers of mini-hotels, focuses on the role of marketing management of mini hotels. Based on the conducted survey, groups of consumer preferences of mini-hotel clients were identified. The finding results from the article helped to identify the main motivation of potential customers to make the choice in favor of particular hotel. Customer preferences when choosing a mini-hotel include such variables as: favorable living conditions, comfortable psychological climate, level of service. The empirical main conditions of the article are to generalize the main factors of sustainable development of mini-hotels as one of the forms of development of the hotel industry and increase the tourist attractiveness of the region.