The article “How hotel VR photography previews enhance customers’ immediate booking intention through mental imagery and perceived value.” jointly by Wu, X., Lai, I.K.W. (MPU), and Chen, J. has been published in Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology. (SSCI, SCOPUS)
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine how a hotel virtual reality photography (VRP) preview enhances customers’ immediate booking intention compared to a picture preview.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a one-factor between-subject experimental design and time-based systematic sampling. Respondents were asked to read a scenario on an iPad and assess a hotel preview (VRPs vs pictures) before answering the questionnaire.
Findings – The results show that a hotel VRP preview generates more mental imagery than a picture preview in terms of quantity, vividness, modality and valence. These four dimensions of mental imagery indirectly influence customers’ immediate booking intentions through perceived utilitarian value and hedonic value, among which modality has the greatest influence on utilitarian value and valence has the greatest influence on hedonic value. Moreover, utilitarian value has a stronger impact on customers’ immediate booking intentions than does hedonic value.
Originality/value – The results obtained in this study contribute to hospitality research by using cognitive consistency theory as the overarching framework, combining mental imagery theory, media richness theory and perceived value theory to explain the mechanism of tourists’ hotel booking decision-making from hotel previews. Comparing this study’s results with previous studies shows the difference in the effects of 360° (head-mounted) videos, VRPs and pictures on evoking mental imagery across tourism and hotel products, updating our knowledge of VR technology in tourism marketing.
The article can be read here:
https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-10-2023-0328