The Influence of Guests’ Social Interaction on the Hostel Experience: A Conceptual Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/sh.v8n4-2.1063Keywords:
Service experience, servicescapes, cross-cultural interaction, backpackers, hostellingAbstract
Social interaction among fellow travellers forms a significant component of the authentic backpacking experience. Hostel accommodation have been purposely designed to provide the kind of environment that fosters communication and interaction between backpackers. Hostel guests have typically been provided with dormitory-type rooms, shared washrooms, kitchen and living areas, thus offering less privacy but more opportunity for social interaction. Few studies to date have fully investigated how social interaction among customers actually enhance or damage the service experience. Therefore, building on previous studies on servicescapes, co-creation and backpacker tourism, a conceptual framework is developed to examine how the hostel environment could be manipulated to influence guests’ social interaction, and consequently their evaluation of the hostel service experience.
References
Argyle, M., Furnham, A. & Graham, J. A. (1981). Social Situations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Baker, J. (1986). The Role Of The Environment In Marketing Services: The Consumer Perspective In The Services Challenge: Integrating For Competitive Advantage. Eds. John A. Cepeil et al. Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association. 79-84.
Biesanz, J. (1941). Nazi Influence on German Youth Hostels. Social Force.19(4), 554-559.
Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes: The Impact Of Physical Surroundings On Customers And Employees. Journal of Marketing, 56, 57-71.
Bowen, B. E. & Daniels, M. J. (2006).Hostelling As A Pathway To Cross-Cultural Understanding.Tourism Review International, 14, 189-199.
Bowie, D. & Buttle, F. (2011). Hospitality Marketing: Principles and Practice. (2nd ed.). Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.
Butler, G. (2010). Challenging hostel user typologies: Motivations And Mobilities In Norway (Doctoral dissertation, University of Sunderland).
Cave, J., Thyne, M. & Ryan, C. (2008). Perceptions Of Backpacker Accommodation Facilities: A Comparative Study of Scotland and New Zealand. In K. Hannam & I. Ateljevic. (Eds.). Backpacker Tourism: Concepts and Profiles. Clevedon: Channel View Publications. 215-246.
Cohen, E. (2003). Backpacking: Diversity and change. Tourism and Cultural Change, 1, 95-110.
Donovan, R. J. & Rossiter, J. R. (1982). Store Atmosphere: An Environmental Psychology Approach. Journal of Retailing, 58(1), 34-57.
Dubin, E. (2003). Preservation For the People: Seventy Years of American Youth Hostels. Unpublished Masters Thesis. University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Ezeh, C. & Harris, L. C. (2007). Servicescape Research: A Review And A Research Agenda. The Marketing Review, 7(1), 59-78.
Hall, C. M. (2009).Sharing Space With Visitors: The Servicescape Of The Commercial Exurban Home. In P. Lynch, A. McIntoch & H. Tucker (Eds.). The Commercial Home. London: Routledge.
Hannam, K., & Diekmann, A. (2010). From Backpacking To Flashpacking: Developments In Backpacker Tourism Research. In K. Hannam & A. Diekmann. (Eds.). Beyond Backpacker Tourism: Mobilities and Experiences. Clevedon: Channel View Publications. 1-7.
Harris, C. L. & Ezeh, C. (2008).Servicescape And Loyalty Intentions: An Empirical Investigation. European Journal of Marketing, 42(3/4), 390-422.
Hecht, J. & Martin, D. (2006). Backpacking And Hostel-Picking: An Analysis from Canada. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 18 (1), 69-77.
Hoffman, K. D. & Turley, L. W. (2002). Atmospherics, Service Encounters And Consumer Decision Making: An Integrative Perspective. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. 33-47.
Holahan, C. J. (1982). Environmental Psychology. New York: Random House, Inc.
Hottola, P. (2005). The metaspatialities of control management in tourism: Backpacking in India. Tourism Geographies, 7(1), 1-22.
Howard, R. W. (2007). Five Backpacker Tourist Enclaves. International Journal of Tourism Research, 9, 73-86.
Huang, J. & Hsu, C. H. (2009a).The Impact Of Customer-To-Customer Interaction On Cruise Experience And Vacation Satisfaction. Journal of Travel Research, 49(1), 79-92.
Jarvis, J., & Peel, V. (2010). Flashpacking in Fiji: Reframing The ‘Global Nomad’in A Developing Destination. In K. Hannam & A. Diekmann (Eds.). Beyond Backpacker Tourism: Mobilities and Experiences. Clevedon: Channel View Publications. 21-39.
Kotler, P. (1973). Atmospherics As A Marketing Tool. Journal of Retailing, 49(4), 48-64.
Kwortnik, R. J. (2008). Shipscape Influence On The Leisure Cruise Experience. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2(4), 289-311.
Markward, A. (2008). Backpackers: the next generation? (Doctoral dissertation, Auckland University of Technology).
Levy, S. E., Getz, D. & Hudson, S. (2011). A Field Experimental Investigation Of Managerially Facilitated Consumer-To-Consumer Interaction. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 28(6), 656-674.
Martin, C. L. (1995). The Customer Compatibility Scale: Measuring Service Customer’s Perceptions Of Fellow Customers. Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, 19(3), 299-311.
McCulloch, J. (1992). The Youth Hostels Association: Precursors And Contemporary Achievements. The Journal of Tourism Studies, 3(1), 22-27.
Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An Approach to Environmental Psychology. Cambridge, MA: MIT press.
Mintel (2009). Youth Travel Accommodation – International. June 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2012 from Mintel Report Database http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic
Molz, J. & Paris, C. M. (2013). The Social Affordances Of Flashpacking: Exploring The Mobility Nexus Of Travel And Communication. Mobilities , 10 (2), 173-192,
Murphy, L. (2001). Exploring Social Interactions Of Backpackers. Annals of Tourism Research, 28(1), 50-67.
Musa, G. & Thirumoorthi, T. (2011). Red Palm: Exploring Service Quality And Servicescape Of The Best Backpacker Hostel In Asia. Current Issues in Tourism, 14(2), 103-120.
Nicholls, R. (2010). New Directions For Customer-To-Customer Interaction Research. Journal of Services Marketing, 24(1), 87-97.
Nilsson, E. & Ballantyne, D. (2014). Reexamining The Place Of Servicescape In Marketing: A Service-Dominant Logic Perspective. Journal of Services Marketing, 28(5), 374-379.
Obenour, W. L., Patterson, M., Pedersen, P. & Pearson, L. (2006).Conceptualization Of A Meaning-Based Research Approach For Tourism Service Experiences. Tourism Management, 27, 34-41.
O’Reilly, C. (2006). From Drifter To Gap Year Tourist: Mainstreaming Backpacker Travel. Annals of Tourism Research, 33(4), 998-1017.
Papathanassis, A. (2012). Guest-to-Guest Interaction On Board Cruise Ships: Exploring Social Dynamics And The Role Of Situational Factors. Tourism Managemen,. 33(5), 1148-1158.
Paris, C. M. (2012). Flashpackers: An Emerging Sub-Culture? Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 1094-1115.
Richards, G. & Wilson, J. (2004). The Global Nomad: Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice. Clevedon: Channel View Publications.
Teo, P. & Leong, S. (2006). A postcolonial analysis of backpacking. Annals of Tourism Research, 33(1). 109-131.
Tombs, A. & McColl-Kennedy, J. R. (2003). Customers As Spatial And Social Influences On Other Customers In The Social Servicescape, Paper Presented at the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC2003), Adelaide, Australia, 1-3 December 2003.
Wilson, J. & Richards, G. (2008). Suspending Reality: An Exploration Of Enclaves And The Backpacker Experience. In J. Wilson & G. Richard (Eds.). Backpacker Tourism: Concepts and Profiles. Clevedon: Channel View Publications. 9-25.
Westerhausen, K., & Macbeth, J. (2003). Backpackers And Empowered Local Communities: Natural Allies In The Struggle For Sustainability And Local Control?.Tourism Geographies, 5(1), 71-86.
