Core values of hospitality experience through mobile technology

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Early definitions of hospitality enhanced voluntary human exchange, and the provision of food, drink, and accommodation to raise well-being (Brotherton 1999; Teng 2011). According to Telfer (2000: 39) "hospitality is associated with the meeting of needs, entertaining with the giving of pleasure".

Hospitality is a manifestation of value (Poulston 2015), being both behavior and experience (Hemmington 2007). However, the focus of hospitality experience is still on service and tangible products (Teng 2011). Academics have been ignoring some hospitality's study gaps as 1) the study of entertainment and social interactions in hospitality contexts and 2) guest-guest relations and exchanges (Lugosi 2008).

Hospitality and tourism technology studies focus mainly on the consumer-supplier interface. Previous theoretical studies reviewed hospitality technology topics (Muller & Muller 2013), the progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism journals (Law et al. 2014;

Some authors have proposed models of specific themes from qualitative case-studies, such as an experience matrix for technology and co-creation (Neuhofer et al. 2014) and a process model of personalized experiences creation and smart technologies (Neuhofer et al. 2015). Meanwhile, quantitative studies measure technology adoption and the use of user-generated content (Viglia et al. 2016).

Moreover, the empirical exploration of the impact of technology on experiences remains scarce (Neuhofer et al. 2014), being the frame of this research. Hospitality enterprises which hold customers' experiences are going through a pattern of change driven by information technology (Olsen & Connolly 2000; Muller & Muller 2013;

Mobile services for hospitality companies are a synonym of freedom and choice creation which must become values customers are willing to pay, and companies can afford (Carlson et al. 2015). In the other hand, few researchers have explored the values mobile technology provides for a host-guest relationship. Thus, this research identifies the core values that mobile technology can add to hospitality and tourism experience.

The variables that are central in this study are the interpersonal relations (which are the basis of a hospitality experience) and its technological touch points. Therefore, the paper contributes by identifying the proposed values for guests from mobile technologies through a theoretical framework proposal.

Method

This study is qualitative and took place in a historical city of Brazil, Minas Gerais State, named Ouro Preto. It is known for the gold exploration during the 18th century and hosting an important historical chapter of Brazilian independence. Ouro Preto has been designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1980, due to its architecture, history, and culture, including baroque churches, bridges, cobblestone streets, fountains, and museums.

This study is a participant observation visited by one of the authors in two distinguished moments, 1) on October 6th, 2018 in a thematic bar, and 2) on January 27 until January 30, 2019. The first moment has a bar as its setting, such as Lugosi (2008), which had rock music as its inspiration and selling approach. The second moment involved a trip by one of the authors as a solo traveler in the same town. One of the premises of this experience was to stay in 3 different accommodations in order to capture distinct social relations experience. At first, an Airbnb, followed by a hostel and a lodge.

We followed the research mobile ethnography framework suggestions by Muskat et al. (2018). According to the authors, mobile ethnography is recommended to research dynamic phenomena, developed in multi-spaces such as hospitality and tourism experience. The researcher’s role was to co-create data between the research and the participants. The research focus was on hospitality experiences in bars, restaurants, cafés, and accommodations.

In the first research moment, the guests are from another city and were visiting the city as excursionists. None of the four guests (L, M, S, H) have known the bar previously. ‘L’ and ‘M’ are close friends and female. ‘M’ and ‘S’ are a couple and went together to the bar with ‘L’ from a close city (Ouro Branco, 40-minute drive up to Ouro Preto). ‘H’ arrived afterward and did not know any of the other persons personally before, but had a shared friend with ‘L’ and has talked to her before only through an instant message app (Whatsapp).

Study participants knew this was a hospitality experience study and consent their voluntary participation, but they did not know the variable technology was a study focus. Therefore, the research participants were selected by convenience, due to the unforeseen condition of the meeting. Also, the four waiters (named G1, G2, G3, G4) and other bar’s clients composed the analyzed setting of the study, which is considered relevant due to its non-standard context, highly connected to recurrent hospitality notions – novelty for the guests, providing food and drinks, entertain and meeting strangers (Telfer, 2000; Teng, 2011).

Following Muskat et al. (2018) directions, data collection includes textual data (diaries, social media conversations, mobile notes) and visual data (photos and videos by the researcher and the participants). The main tools were mobile phones (smartphones) and its applications. The participant author collected data, who registered time, central conversations and details from both experiences in real-time through field annotations, personal reflection and photos and videos in Portuguese. The full English report version was tran-scripted on both occasions.

We analyzed data through content analysis (Bardin 2008) and categorized it into thematic categorization defined and cross-checked a posteriori. After reading the field annotations, the researches discussed the main findings of the text and made efforts to synthesize it into categories. The main category of this paper, technology, was divided on entertainment, communication, localization, and information and exposed in a proposed model (Fig. 1 ).

Fig. 1 – Core values of mobile technology in hospitality and tourism (Source: The authors)

ЖУРНАЛ preferences for mobile apps related to hospitality. These authors state that location, communication, and service-based innovations are mobile device innovations which customers want to see. Our findings help on identifying and explaining the core values that mobile technology provides for hospitality guests during their entire experience such as demonstrated in Fig. 1.

Finally, technology can enhance guest-host connections through social media, as new friendships. However, these connections have to be sense-making, otherwise, the link might not be strong enough to behold a social engagement (even if only virtual).

Final considerations

This study contributes by giving insights on how technology permeates hospitality experience and highlights both guest-guest and guest-host interactions. The results point out that technology enhances hospitality and tourism experiences through interactivity and social engagement, but it also sustains well-being as a mean to exalt pleasure, emotions, personal development, and self-reflection.

The guest-host hospitality experience permeates technology to create core values to the guest such as to inform, to communicate, to entertain and for localization. The results also indicate that although technology is important to support decision making and connect guests, most of the hospitality experience is created to provide social engagement, either virtually or in real time.

Study limitations evoke a limited setting and context, which cannot be generalized. Besides, technology use is always in progress so that future studies might find different conclusions (Zhang et al. 2018).

Future studies should be taken in other contexts and with different methods procedures in order to explore further lenses and variables in hospitality experience. Once the experience is considered meaningful by the guest, a behavior change or action can occur right away (playing a new set list on Spotify, for instance, or sharing videos and photos on Instagram). Further research could investigate behavior change from the guesthost relationship. The hosts’ perspective could also enrich this discussion.

СЕРВИС

В РОССИИ

И ЗА РУБЕЖОМ

Table 1 – Guest’s Mobile Technology Core Values from Hospitality Experience (Source: The Authors)
Guest’s mobile technology core values	Values
Communication 10:22 –WhatsApp's group L. to friendship group: “M.! What are you up to today? We could seat in a nice place to chat. I even consider going to Ouro Preto (OP). Too much?” M was going to OB by car with S, her husband. M to S: L is asking if we want to go to Ouro Preto today? S to M: At night? Could be. 10:26 WhatsApp group M to L: At night? Silvio is up to it too. L to M: Could be at night, in the evening. I'm free. Uhuuu 15:48 Personal WhatsApp L to M: Girl!! Are you still up to OP? If yes, when? M to S: What time do you want to go to OP? S: Asks L. M: You know her. She wants to see the sunset. Is 20 ok? S: For me it's fine. 16:56: M to L: Yes. 20 o clock? 16:07: Yay! © 16:28: We get you there (at home).	Invitation Meeting
On the next day, (Sunday) a video of me was on L’s stories on Instagram. And she also posted one of our photos together.	Sharing
G2 brings paper and asks me to evaluate the bar. It has a line "share your experience with the world"
A photographer I interviewed in his atelier offers to take a picture of me. It’s an antique photo machine device and his camera. He sends it to me by WhatsApp.	Exchange
Localization 21:22 We get next to the bar. S turns on his mobile and opens Waze. He puts the bar’s name to check where the bar is. We follow the app straight ahead and turn right. He sees the bar and says it’s here. He stops the car and says we can drop off while he parks the car.	Mobility
I turn Google Maps on to find the way. (…) I feel safe in the city center, but the last 300 m seem too dark. I turn my flashlight on.	Safety
Information S to G2: I called here today to book a table. I talked to William. G2: It's me. Nice to meet you. (He stands his hands for S, and they shake hands). S says everything went right. (The table he booked was the one we seat down. L and M didn’t know he booked a table.)	Planning
I just can’t find the wifi password. But, it was so cheap. Was it included? I check the reservation e-mail and find the password.	Assistance
I check Hostelworld to book a Hostel. The best evaluation is for one specific hostel. I might go there tomorrow.	Decision Making

Guest’s mobile technology core values	Values
Entertainment L likes the music that's on. She turns the Shazam app on to find out the music’s name. G2: this playlist’s name is ‘Querida Jacinta’, a bar in Belo Horizonte city. L tries to find the playlist at Spotify on her mobile. But she can’t find it. G2 goes to the cashier and finds out the correct name is Radio Jacinta. S turns on Spotify in his car and turns the "Radio Jacinta" on.	Fun/Joy Hedonism
S. takes a picture and sends it to two WhatsApp family groups. I ask why he doesn’t share it publically. He says sometimes he would like to post it, but he thinks on how this act would benefit him. People knowing his habits and life pattern.	Long term know-ledge/ personal development