A quarantined lodging stay: The buffering effect of service quality. (October 2020) - Wong, IpKin Anthony
Highlights: This study investigates guests' experience in quarantine lodging outings during the coronavirus outbreak. It draws on terror management theory to highlight an anxiety buffer mechanism through service quality. Guests' level of anxiety is further explained by an interaction between their health status and the length of stay. It points to the dark side of hospitality and opens up new research avenues during the global pandemic. Abstract: How do guests feel during their stay at quarantine lodging? This study draws on terror management theory and social exclusion theory to synthesize a model that highlights guests' perceptions about their experience under enforced isolation. The model articulates guests' feeling of anxiety and loneliness, whereas quality of service presents warmth and care that activates an anxiety buffer mechanism that mitigates the effect of anxiety. In turn guests' level of anxiety is further explained by an interaction between their health status and the length of stay. Results point to a conduit for studying the dark side of hospitality, opening up research avenues that could help assess broader social behavioral changes during the global pandemic, while offering operators revelations for lodging management during a crisis.