The Role of Multisensory Marketing and Brand Experience in the Luxury Hotel Industry: Exploring the Effects on Customer Perceived Value and Brand Strength

摘要

Along with the rising homogenization of products and brands, companies are continuously looking for ways to better appeal to the consumer (Reimann et al., 2010). In this regard, sensory marketing may represent an adequate approach for effective marketing communication (Krishna, 2012). Especially in the luxury industry, the concept of multisensory marketing is of increased relevance. To meet the customers' desires and justify high prices, luxury companies need to build an exclusive brand image (Tynan et al., 2010). Creating a positive customer-brand relationship via an outstanding experience and a high customer perceived value (CPV) is especially important for the luxury hotel sector due to an increasing volume and pace of competition calling for differentiation (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). As hotel guests are stimulated by all senses during their stay (e.g., appearance of the hotel room, haptics of bathroom towels), the luxury hotel industry is used as the sector of application for the study in this paper (Park et al., 2010).