Servicescape as a Generator of Delight and Satisfaction: Repurchase Intentions in Sun & Sea Hotels

The present paper studies how Servicescape plays an essential role in customers’ Hotel stay experiences, which makes it an important factor in forming a guest’s first impression of a Hotel´s service environment. The main goal of this study was to understand how servicescape influences hotel guests satisfaction or delight and whether the respective satisfaction and delight generate acts of repurchase. This research was based on qualitative and quantitative approaches, through bibliographical research which led to a theoretical literature review, and through the application of a survey with 199 respondents from guests of two sun & sea hotels in Portugal. The basis of the hotel selection being: hotels dedicated to tourists from sun & sea; linked to maritime areas and nautical activities; three-star category classification; and independently managed. Consequently data collection found that, respondents were interested in returning to hotels and that the service environment was one of those reasons. The research confirmed that the majority of the respondents felt satisfied with the services they experienced. Finally, the study highlighted the Servicescape attributes of “Temperature”, “Employee Friendliness”, “Response Readiness”, “Interior Design” and “Decoration” as those that most influenced guests experience.