Exploration of Guests' Behavioral Responses to Hotel Hygiene Management during the COVID-19 Outbreak

During the Covid-19 epidemic, few travelers agreed to stay in hotels. This required hotels to adopt health strategies and operational safety standards. Because hotel managers must address their guests' health concerns during the COVID-19 epidemic, hygiene management is one of the strategies hotels have adopted to encourage consumers' positive behavioral reactions during this period. The present study investigates guests' behavioral responses to hotel hygiene management during the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, a sample of 340 guests who had the experience of staying in a 4 or 5-star hotel in Mashhad during the outbreak of the third wave of COVID-19 in December and February 2020 were selected by available methods. Data were collected through an online questionnaire distributed on social networks related to tourism and hotel management. The results of testing the hypotheses indicate that the hygiene characteristics perceived by hotel guests positively affect the formation of the cognitive and affective image of the hotel. Also, the cognitive image compared to the affective image has a significant effect on encouraging the behavioral reactions of hotel guests. Finally, the hygiene characteristics perceived by the hotel guest indirectly, through the formation of a cognitive and affective image, lead to behavioral reactions such as word of mouth and the revisit intention.