Creating memorable service experiences to hotel senior guests

Purpose of the paper this paper aims to identify what kind of needs managers hotels should satisfy in order to generate guest delight. Methodology This paper adopts a qualitative approach. Since delightful experiences are more likely to be retained in consumers’ memories, based on the critical incident technique, the positive memorable experiences (i.e. delightful experiences) of some senior hotel guests are collected and analyzed. Main findings Four main types of needs emerge which, when satisfied, determine customer delight and memorable hotel experiences. These needs include learning, authenticity, uniqueness and emotion. Practical implication Hotel managers must learn how to manage the emotional component of their guests’ experiences and apply the same rigor used in the management of other hotel products and services. The senior market is highly heterogeneous; hotel managers should develop specific marketing strategies to deliver memorable experiences to their specific target. Offering the same service attributes to all senior guests will not prove a successful strategy because attributes will be perceived differently by different customers. Originality/value To study how to delight hotel guests is not new in service and hospitality literature but, at the best of our knowledge, limited attention has been paid to the seniors’ market.