Hybrid Servicescapes in Tourism and Hospitality

Bitner (1992, p. 65) defined the servicescape as “all of the objective physical factors that can be controlled by the firm to enhance (or constrain) employee and customer actions.” These include a series of environmental dimensions, namely ambient conditions, space/function, and signs, symbols, and artefacts. In combination, the elements of the servicescape can generate internal responses for customers and employees and influence subsequent behaviours. In the contemporary tourism and hospitality landscape, digital resources and ICTs (such as automated touchpoints, smartphone applications, augmented reality, and robotics) have increasingly been explored within the customer experience, suggesting a need to reframe our understanding of the servicescape.