How website quality, e-service quality, e-satisfaction, and social value affect poshtel e-loyalty in Thailand

Abstract

Poshtels have become the high-end version of the backpacker’s hostel, which is now combining the comfort and style of boutique hotels with the sensibilities and budge prices of a hostel. Current research has stated that the global market for hostels is $5.2 billion, with the smaller niche market of poshtels rapidly growing. As such, the authors set out to investigate which factors influence a Thai poshtel’s e-loyalty (eLOY). An analysis was conducted on the six hypotheses interrelationships between website quality (WQ), e-service quality (e-SQ), e-satisfaction (e-SAT), and social value (SV). Initial analysis was conducted by the use of confirmatory factor analysis [CFA], followed by a structural equation model [SEM] path analysis using LISREL 9.1 on the study’s five latent variables. From the audited questionnaire sample of 405 poshtel guests, the factors affecting e-LOY were SV (TE = 0 . 81), e-SQ (TE = .59), WQ (TE=.28), and eSAT (TE). Additionally, all the model's variables influenced poshtel guest e-LOY as the combined influence of the factors (R2) was 75%. Although the ten poshtel websites used in the study showed very creative designs and a multitude of promotional features, the poshtel guests rated this as a moderate concern but elevated the social value that the poshtel brings to its guests as very important, with numerous reports backing this conclusion. Therefore, poshtel proprietors need to take great care in maximizing their guest online social experience by providing accommodations that are ‘picture perfect’ and exciting to the guest and smartphone camera’s eye. Moreover, although it might be expected that younger Millennials are in the majority of the guests (they were at 70.62%), it is also interesting to note that almost 30% were 31 years of age or older.

Keywords

• Accommodations
• boutique hotels
• hostels
• social media
• tourism