Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Hyunsu Kim, Ph.D. Student, is currently a Ph.D. student in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, University of South Carolina. His research interests are in the technology-driven customer journey and service marketing in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Jing Li, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hospitality and Retail Management at Texas Tech University, graduated with her Ph.D. from University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on customer experience, sharing economy, and marketing.

Kevin Kam Fung So, Ph.D., is William E. Davis Professor and Associate Professor at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University, USA. His research interests focus on services marketing, service management, and applications of advanced quantitative methods and analytical techniques.

Abstract (150 Words)

Although the travel and tourism industry has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic, little research has empirically examined the types and effectiveness of the hotel’s industry’s responses. To examine common response strategies within the hotel industry and assess their effectiveness, two studies were conducted. Study 1 included a hybrid approach involving deductive and inductive thematic analyses to evaluate a large volume of news articles. Five broad themes emerged: revenue management, crisis communication, alternative approaches to service delivery, human resource management, and corporate social responsibility. Drawing upon protection motivation theory, Study 2 involved a pre-test, pilot study, and main experimental study to investigate the effectiveness of three customer-oriented response strategies. Results showed that reassuring crisis communication and contactless services can foster consumer confidence and response efficacy, leading to positive customer attitudes and booking intentions. Crisis communication and price discount were found to influence consumers’ attitudes and booking intentions directly.

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The hotel industry’s responses to COVID-19: Insight from hybrid thematic analysis and experimental research

Although the travel and tourism industry has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic, little research has empirically examined the types and effectiveness of the hotel’s industry’s responses. To examine common response strategies within the hotel industry and assess their effectiveness, two studies were conducted. Study 1 included a hybrid approach involving deductive and inductive thematic analyses to evaluate a large volume of news articles. Five broad themes emerged: revenue management, crisis communication, alternative approaches to service delivery, human resource management, and corporate social responsibility. Drawing upon protection motivation theory, Study 2 involved a pre-test, pilot study, and main experimental study to investigate the effectiveness of three customer-oriented response strategies. Results showed that reassuring crisis communication and contactless services can foster consumer confidence and response efficacy, leading to positive customer attitudes and booking intentions. Crisis communication and price discount were found to influence consumers’ attitudes and booking intentions directly.