The Impact Of Mobile Technology On Customer Satisfaction: A Case Study Of The JW Marriott Hotel In Bangkok, Thailand

Mobile technology

Question:

Discuss about the Mobile Technology And Communication Devices.

Background

Mobile technology is changing the way that the world conducts business, goes shopping, buying major items such as cars and household appliances, conducts banking, pays bills, and plans holidays, among many other features. Smart phones, easy to carry tablets, small computers, all comprise elements of quickly ascertained data for consumer convenience. Email, texting, Facebook and other applications are other venues for creating a speedy line of communication when seeking information. Google too provides instant information gratification link to thousands of sources. It is virtually impossible to travel to almost any part of the world where technology is not being adopted and adapted. Even in some of the most remote corners of the globe, advances are being installed via satellite, cable, and cloud technologies enabling the use of mobile networks. The subject of this thesis is to examine the impact of customer satisfaction through the use of mobile technology, specifically a case study on hotels and hotel stays. For this project, the JW Marriot Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand is the primary source for data collection and analysis on customer satisfaction and the hotel’s implementation of mobile technology.

Definition of Key Terms

Mobile technology – Mobile technology is the primary function for cellular communication which has evolved rapidly over the past two decades. From the onset of this millennium, a standard mobile device has changed from the very clumsy mobile phone system and pagers to becoming a hand-held computer, smart phone and convenient tablet. Included in these devices are navigation systems, web browsers, telephone capabilities, as well as a variety of instant messaging platforms.

Customer satisfaction – Client contentment is a promotional term intended to evaluate how the product or service by a firm complies with or surpasses client expectations. Client contentment is vital since it provides promoters as well as business owners with a metric to use in managing and enhancing business.

Rationale

In the current world technology has been changing dynamically due to the continued innovations and technological advances. In many cases it appears as if tech companies continually race against each other to create more sophisticated devices for mobile communication. Global society has highly embraced mobile technology to the extent that statistics indicate over 70% of the world uses some form of mobile communication devices (Alice, 2016). Mobile technology contributes to changing the way daily tasks are conducted in addition to significantly transforming the manner in which people interact, whether on local, national, or international levels (Chieh-Heng& Tsai, 2014). Time saving devices installed in mobile phones for example mobile banking saves time to travel to banks in order to transact business. In the United States, a few companies have applications for home loans that are advertised to be accomplished at the touch of a button on the mobile device (Quicken Loans, 2017).

Customer satisfaction

Other situations relate to holiday planning, hotel stays, and other aspects of a holiday made more comfortable through the use of mobile devices. Also, many hotels are including a function to accentuate their visitors stay by reducing wait time for check-in and check-out procedures, room service, or other hotel operations meant to increase customer enjoyment. Most visitors can now easily use the mobile devices to interact with hotels whenever they require their services while hotels can use similar devices to interact with their customers. Recent research indicates that customers enjoy the convenience of mobile connectivity with hotels for the many transactions they may conduct during their holidays (Garrett, Rodermond, Anderson, Berkowitz, & Robb, 2014). Functions implemented through mobile technology were adapted for receiving notifications when rooms were ready, requesting room amenities and services and check in and out. Hotels in Thailand are no different as tourism in the country is increasing to the extent that Thailand is one of the most popular countries for tourists attraction thus, the country’s hotels cannot afford to be caught without the latest in technology for customer satisfaction and convenience (Alice, 2016).

Seventy percent of travellers to Thailand believe that the digital status of any hotel in terms of its mobile applications indicates customer experience during a hotel stay. Eighty-four percent of travellers prefer to receive information about the hotel during their travel using mobile connectivity. Sixty-percent will not travel without a mobile device since they wish to be current in connectivity to hotels and other aspects of their travel requirements prior to and during travel (Alice, 2016). The daily use of mobile technology is an inevitable integration with the hotel business to protect them against customer dissatisfaction.

Customers prefer receiving quality services and positive experiences from service providers and since competition is severe in the service industry,hotels need to be up-to-date in what they offer customers, particularly in the way of technology (By & Macleod, 2012). Mobile technology is one of the expectations of the customers; hoteliers are in the process of ensuring that they fully adopt it so as to improve the customers ‘experiences.

In Thailand, around seventy-three percent of hoteliers have invested more in technology during 2016 compared to the previous year, especially the mobile technology for booking-system, check-in process, in-room entertainment, room customization, loyalty account, and other touch points (Alice, 2016). In the Marriott Hotel chain, digital strategy is implemented and linked to the overall business plan (Chieh-Heng& Tsai, 2014). The hotel is ranked first for its remarkable use of technology in enhancing its customers’ experience. Marriott was the first hotel company in Thailand to start offering mobile check-in and checkout. As mentioned in the Marriott Annual Report 2015, the hotel is investing in technology, especially mobile to meet the demand of today’s tech-savvy customers and to offer better guest experiences during their stay.

Evolution of mobile technology

Statement of the problem

The problem for this dissertation is to determine the efficacy of mobile technology as it relates to customer satisfaction in the hotel industry. For this project, the JW Marriot Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand provided the platform for research into customer satisfaction and mobile technology availability in the hotel. In recent years, customer loyalty marketing strategy has been challenged due to so many hotels competing for the finite number of consumers. Thus travellers are given many opportunities to select the most cost efficient, yet comfortable hotel that offers free WiFi for all its guests. Price comparisons and quality services for the customers are additional supplements to selecting a hotel for a holiday and/or business stay. Customers are more interested in having the best guest experience at a hotel and less interested in being loyal to a particular hotel (Chieh-Heng& Tsai, 2014).

There has been a constant change in the market conditions and customer needs vary frequently according to the Intercontinental Hotel Group Annual Report (IHG) (2016). The report indicates that the fierce level of competition has created an epidemic of hotels seeking new ways of buying customer loyalty. Some use reward points and free visits, others offer a variety of other amenities, but hotels need to acquiesce to customer needs in order to attain any degree of loyalty and return business (IHG, 2016). Mobile technology is one paradigm that contributes to winning customers back by offering integrated applications that provides them with more control over their guest experiences. Mobile applications ensure that their needs are being addressed. The recent rise in tourism reveals that a 450% increase in the number of travellers book hotels using mobile technology (Garrett et al., 2014).

This increase of customers using mobile devices worldwide challenges major hotels and even the smaller chains or boutique hotels to adopt mobile technology in order to fit the customers’ standards of being digitally compliant for purposes of meeting customer needs. These institutions also adopt digital advertisements for easy marketing through various systems, e-newsletters, Expedia, Trivago, Priceline, and other online databases created for customer satisfaction. If the hotels adopt the above digital strategies, they may acquire new customers; retain guests to stay loyal to the hotel, and remain competitive in world of increasing tourism. Promotional news will alert the customers to view various sales and deals offered by hotels and even attract new customers who have never experienced the services of a particular hotel. In this case study, the JW Marriot Hotel Bangkok, Thailand is providing the research paradigm.

Adoption of mobile technology in hotel industry

The Marriott hotel has recently adopted mobile technology currently trending in the hospitality industry while some hotels may still reluctantly lag behind in investing in new systems as they may not be fully aware of the impact mobile technology has on customer experiences towards the achievement of customer satisfaction (Garrett et al., 2014).

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of adopting mobile technology by hotels and the hotel industry through the paradigm provided by the JW Marriott Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on customer satisfaction. In the process of the research the method and challenges faced by the hotel during and before implementing mobile technology as well as after adoption of these innovations have been examined. This research will contribute to the literature of the roles that mobile technology plays in the hospitality industry (Bryman &Bell , 2005).This study received the cooperation of participants comprised of hotel guests of the Marriot in Bangkok. One significant aspect of this research is to help hotels determine the efficacy of providing mobile technology to guests despite the initial capital requirement so as to satisfy the customers and retain customer loyalty. The outcome will illustrate customer satisfaction relating to Marriot’s mobile technology in relation to customer needs for mobile technology for the guests (Bingimlas, 2016).

Objectives of the study

The objectives of examining whether the adoption of mobile technology by JW Marriot Hotel for purposes of achieving customers ‘satisfaction were to conduct the literature review on mobile technology in the hospitality business and the impact on customer experience. A further objective was to critically examine the six rings of the modern customer experience framework and the equity theory in relation to guest experiences of hotel services. The research methodology was conducted through primary research questionnaires, surveys and interviews with random guest respondents staying at the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. Additionally the researcher analyzes the data collected from the primary investigations as well as an empirical review of the literature for understanding the implementation and perception of mobile technology in the hotel. The final objective was to provide recommendations and findings from the analysis of data for the benefit of Marriot Hotel management in relation to customer satisfaction (Alice, 2016).

Data Collection

The data for analysis was collected from the company’s website which served as the primary source of information. External literature including peer reviewed journals, articles, reports, provided secondary source of information. I combined primary and secondary sources in order to provide a more thorough database for analysis and decision making with regards to the use of mobile technology in the hotel industry (Cresswell, 2014). The questionnaires collecting primary data were given to hotel guests willing to participate in the study. These were significant since questionnaires serve a fundamental purpose when collecting data for analysis.

Impact of mobile technology on hotel industry

Area of Study

This study was carried out in Bangkok, Thailand at the JW Marriot Hotel since Bangkok has a high rate of tourism and is the capital and most populous city in Thailand. The hotel is on Sukhumvit Road, well known to have businesses, shopping, and entertainment areas that serve the tourists well when it comes to leisure and business activities (Chieh-Heng& Tsai, 2014). The study was specifically based on JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, which is one of the many chain of hotels of Marriott Hotel. I actually settled on this hotel because the sixth annual MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index ranked Bangkok the most visited city in the world out of the 132 hotels survey. Also, the Marriott Hotel is ranked 23^rd on Fortune Magazine’s list of most Innovative Companies and ranked top in consumer services industry. The hotel provides innovative guest experiences through mobile technology as a priority and finally Bangkok is ranked as one of the world’s top destinations for tourists.

This particular area of study is important in researching from a wide range of perspectives such as the variety of cultures and backgrounds of customers. In addition to this, Thailand is my home country therefore it was easy to navigate and strategize during the research since I am familiar with the city and the hospitality industry in Bangkok and was able to assess the adoption and implementation of mobile technology by hotels within the country (Alice, 2016).

The literature assessed the concept of mobile technology with its variables as well as focusing on customers’ experiences at the hotel through current literature and peer reviewed articles on the efficacy of adopting mobile technology in the hotel industry.

Mobile Technology

This definition refers to a type of technology with a portable hardware, software and communication channels that are portable in most cases this technology uses devices such as phones, tablets and laptops (Ong, 2010). For this kind of technology to work more effectively, the devices must be integrated into a common system, be user friendly, and easily accessible with sufficient signals throughout the hotel as well as availability to prospective customers outside the hotel’s physical site.

Recent research indicates that currently most people prefer to communicate online since it is in real-time thus easy for making decision as well as communicating on a device that is internet enabled. Similarly, most guests that visit hotels are travellers who use mobile devices throughout and appreciate rapid service from their hoteliers. Software applications that are actually used in any mobile technology needs to be user friendly and compatible to most of the mobile devices depending on the best integration mode. The higher the compatibility, the higher the number of customers that are reached by the hotel through their system since a large market share can access the information relating to the Hotel (Garrett et al., 2014).

Advantages of mobile technology for hotels

High levels of compatibility and integration help in reducing inconveniences and provide efficient services to the customers as well as offering real time communication (Garrett et al., 2014). The software needs to be reliable, maintainable, efficient and accurate in order to avoid providing misinformation to the guests that are actually visiting a particular hotel.

Hardware that support mobile technology of any hotel that intends to reach the demands of most of its customers must actually be cost friendly, accessible in the market, with latest technology and be efficient in order to help in satisfying technology users. Mobile devices such as phones that access the internet are readily available in the market at a cost friendly price encouraging potential customers to obtain the most advanced mobile technology even though it continues to evolve (Bingimlas, 2016).

The JW Marriot Hotel is one of the best known and popular world hotels has responded positively to customer needs and installed the latest technology for customer use. Customers can book rooms online, check in and out without queuing, providing various notifications to the guests helping to ensure the guests to have a positive experience that meets their needs in addition to obtaining customer loyalty (Cresswell, 2014). The new technology adopted by the Marriot Hotel gives the customers a platform where they can chat with the hotel staff in real-time in order to be able to make customized requests for achieving the highest value of their hotel experience. Since customization is possible, the customers have been able to easily conduct their events at this hotel little effort because all their experiences have been positive relating to their expectations of customization. This has helped in satisfying a significant percentage of hotel guests. Fifty-four percent of customers who use the applications and have the need for a customization feature in the application that will aid the hotel staff to know what the customer expects from them. Once the hotel’s ambiance satisfies the needs of customers he/she is more likely to become loyal to that particular hotel. The Marriot Hotel also provides travel services to its customers and has come up with a travel customized feature in the application so as to help in meeting all the needs of its customers. This additional service aided the hotel to retain its top rating in the hospitality industry (Clandinin& Connelly, 2015).

Customer Experience

The interaction that the customer has with the staff as well as the interaction between the customer and the environment is essential for customer satisfaction. When a guest checks in a hotel s/he has the opportunity to interact with the welcoming staff for further satisfaction (By & Macleod, 2012). The experience at this stage should be positive if the staffs use the appropriate communication ethics and there should also be a very reliable technological system for effective communication. The manner in which the staffs’ responds to customer requests will help retain customer loyalty. Providing the most current mobile technology is one important factor for retaining customer loyalty.

Case study on JW Marriott Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand

Guests expect quality service from any hotel that they visit since they would like see value for their money in order to be loyal customers of that hotel. After an extensive interaction between the customer and the general environment of the hotel, s/he is able positively relate to the quality of services delivered by the hotel. Whenever a guest receives poor service they definitely have a negative experience and will be dissatisfied due to lack of value for their money (By & Macleod, 2012). In the Marriott hotel’s “Mobile Request” a new two-way chat feature on its application has been launched to enable guests chatting directly with hotel staff whether to ask for information or request services. The customer’s interaction with this new feature could lead to positive or even extraordinary experience as it improves the speed of services and offers a new type of services that they have never seen before.

Relationship between Customer Experience and Customer Loyalty

A marketing research that was conducted in the past found that only positive customer experiences in the environment leads to customer satisfaction. The reasoning for this is that since the needs of the customer have been fully met results in customer loyalty to the product of that company (Chieh-Heng& Tsai, 2014). Customers always want to receive quality services, quality products, proper pricing and attention for customers so that they can feel satisfied with the product. If the quality of services and products that the customer receives are beyond expectations, the hotel or service is more likely to attain the loyalty of customers (Bingimlas, 2016). Brand loyal customers tend to pay more for the brand as they perceive that the unique value cannot be found elsewhere. In this perspective, the Marriot Hotels are significant since they are not considered to be inexpensive hotels. Their Mobile Application is implemented and used as a strategy in the Marriott hotel to enhance customer relationship with management leading to customer loyalty. The hospitality industry continually adapts new, often dynamic systems that facilitate and ease customer experiences (Garrett et al., 2014).

Theoretical Framework

This study was conducted to explore the mobile technology that can be adopted in the hotel industry and customer experiences derived from these new technologies. In order to explore the phenomenon of customer satisfaction the six rings of the modern customer experience framework within the guest experience process model was applied. Additionally, the equity theoretical paradigm was implemented for the study overall data collection and analysis.

Research methodology for the study

The Guest Experience Process Model of Services

Figure 2.1: The Guest Experience Process Model of Services

Researchers have devised different views on customer experience, over time they have developed the framework as depicted in Figure 2.1 above. This model illustrates the complete picture for guest experiences beginning from customer expectations which focus more on the service to the point that the customer develops the intention to repurchase the service due to the achievement of brand loyalty by the customer (Garrett et al., 2014). According to this model, the guest begins with the receipt of adequate information about how a service is likely to be in the future in order to develop interests in the services that are being delivered. This stage actually will directly or indirectly influence all other phases in the process. The relevancy, quality and adequacy of information is what will attract new customers and capture their interests of trying the new services that a particular hotel offers. One service in particular is the mobile technology which provides a selling point (By & Macleod, 2012).

For example, if guests expect to go to a reception desk when s/he arrives at the hotel, s/he will look for the check-in desk in the participation phase. With the new technology this can be done through visiting the website of Marriot Hotel and look at the website so that you can feel how welcoming it is. The participation phase is the time that guests interact with services including the physical surrounding and the service employees or other guests. The interaction will result in the cognitive and affective responses to the interaction with the service environment. Most service evaluations usually focus on the cognitive response by measuring guest satisfaction with the services. The internal response then results in the value of the service to guest in the form of perceived service quality, loyalty (repurchase intention) and brand image. In the hotel industry, the focus of value is on loyalty and loyalty will influence future guest behavior that is whether to come back to the same hotel again (approach) or choose another hotel in the future (avoidance). According to the new mobile technology, the interactions can be through live chats, Skype calls or video calls. The quality of the interaction is what forms the basis of the customer experience. The sufficiency and the credibility of information shared with the guests is what contributes much to meeting guest expectations on the customer services in the hotel.

Findings from the research study

In this study, this model can be used as a quick and structural instrument to gain insight on customer experience in the hotel. It also illustrates at which stage mobile technology has an impact on guest experience and how it relates to their loyalty. However, this type of model has limitations in relation to understanding exact guest expectations from the variety of guests visiting a hotel. Each guest has her/his own requirements as to hotel needs making the hospitality industry market extremely complex (Alice, 2016).

For example, one person might expect just a fresh, clean room and want to be left alone. Another might want the hotel to meet every need required and provide external entertainment as well as more than satisfactory rooms. Some may actually desire the hotel to provide a customized room, lighting themes to match the colour of the bedding depending on one’s culture and event or celebration being marked (Clandinin& Connelly, 2015).

The Six Rings of the Modern Customer Experience Framework

Figure2.2. The Six Rings of the Modern Customer Experience Framework (Alice, 2016)

In addition to the previous model, the six rings of the modern customer experience framework is relevant to this study as a reference to examining further ways that mobile technology impacts today’s tourist experiences. According to this framework, there are six layers that describe how the company should focus on providing quality services to the customer in today’s environment for purposes of being highly competitive (Alice, 2016).

The external or ring 6 refers to that group of people who talk and approach the brand so as to get more information about it. Some may not be the customers but may post comments about the brand on social media helping the organization to reach the blind spot market. Relating to the previous model, this layer may impact guest expectation when they come to the hotel, and thus, their participation, interactions through response and perceived value for their money. Ring five is the channel through which customers seek services from the supplier/seller in that there should be a database containing the customer information and details that can be used for future references (By & Macleod, 2012). A company should explore all communication channels that customers use to reach them in the most efficient manner. For example, if guests have booked rooms using mobile devices, they may expect that the hotel can remember their information for their future booking regardless of channels or devices they use. This will help in speeding up their services and the quality that they offer to the customers. Ring four is personalization, by offering customization services to clients; the hotel is much more likely to meet or exceed guest expectations. This personalization is perceived as service quality that may lead to customer needs satisfaction and loyalty toward which all businesses strive regardless of their specific branding. Ring three is customer relations management (Clandinin& Connelly, 2015). The modern customer relations management makes it easier to trace the guest’s journey in real-time and send out proactive content depending on where they are that may increase guest participation with the hotel.

Conclusion and recommendations

The importance of ring three indicates that it can assist in changing orders in case of any eventualities that may happen in the course of the journey thus making it easy for the customer to feel more affiliated and making the customer experience positive in relation to client expectations (Bingimlas, 2016). Ring two refers to the collaboration tools within the system that have decision support systems helping a company to respond to the customers in a more efficient and timely manner. The first ring is a seamless experience that today’s customer demand to be more integrated throughout channels they use for easy communication regardless of any mobile device that one is using to access the mobile technology system, and in this case the Bangkok Marriot Hotel. From the limitations of the previous model, The Guest Experience Process Model of Services relating to meeting the different customer expectations, the six rings fills the gap of difficulty for satisfying customer’s expectations through the various rings that helps the staff of the hotel to know what the customers actually expect in regard to the services that they receive from the hotel (By & Macleod, 2012).

The mobile applications should be implemented starting from the fifth ring so that it can be used as a channel for customers to book their rooms and communicate with the help desk. Then as they make their reservations, their previous booking information will be saved with the prices they booked the room for their own information (Ong, 2014). When customers face problems with the reservations or have questions, they can directly be connected with the customer care desk personnel who can assist with any problems. All of these steps can be added to the mobile hotel applications to enhance the overall guest satisfaction as the applications interact with the guests to provide excellent service.

However, this second model also has its limitations. The limitation is that in order to implement such a service as creating applications with so many services as mentioned above will be costly. Not only financial considerations are significant but it also creates expenses for human labor. To be effective, the application procedure must offer a 24 hour customer service center, a personnel expense that might add to room costs.

The Equity Theory

The Equity Theory appeared relevant to help in understanding the customer experience as it refers to the responses of individuals to the relative balance of inputs and outputs during their stay. This theory states that people believe that social interactions with other people should be balanced or equal in that there is a sender and a respondent who should answer appropriately to what the other person wants (Bingimlas, 2016). When the interaction is unbalanced, or individuals perceive an inconsistency between their beliefs and their actions, they will experience a psychological discomfort and tension. In the hotel business, the social exchange can be the interactions between guest and employees when making inquiries or during the stay.

Future research directions

When a guest experiences a thoughtful and helpful employee during check-in at the hotel, the guest feels welcomed. However, the guest may have to use some self-service technology; it may prevent them from reciprocating the rapport-building behaviours of that employee. The result is “positive inequality” or guests receive more benefit than employees during their social exchange resulting in discomfort. For example, they may feel that they are rude to the employee (By & Macleod, 2012). Conversely, when guests experience negative behaviour in an employee, using self-service technologies can improve service evaluations.

The equity theory can be used with the guest experience process model of services to explain further the role of mobile technology that impacts social interaction of guests during the participation phase in the experience stage of the model. Although some of the processes can be done through the use of technology without the interaction of person to person, in essence, customers will have to come in contact with the hotel employees (Chieh-Heng& Tsai, 2014). As mentioned in the Six Rings model, if the 24 hours customer service were to be implemented, these employees must be aware of the equity theory and make use of the theory so as to further enhance the guest experience to attain a satisfactory visit.

However, this research is faced by limitations; there other factors that affect the customers’ experience beyond the one to one interactions. The quality of products, services and the general hotel ambiance affects the entire guest experience during their stay in the hotel and helps one to make the decision of being a loyal customer of the hotel (Garrett et al., 2014).

References Related to the Research

There are many studies that have been conducted and are related to the overall topic of mobile technology and customer satisfaction in hotels. One study was conducted on the effects of information technology related interface issues on overall guest experience in Hyatt place hotels in the United States. It indicated that customers’ experiences were positive since the hotels had adopted the latest information technology related interfaces giving it a competitive advantage in the hospitality market (Alice, 2016). This is due to the fact that nearly all the customers prefer a hotel with the latest information technology that is reliable and gives them control over their visits.

The customers were able to customize their rooms and book their rooms in advance for the stay and even communicate with the staff in real-time online. However, this research was only limited to Hyatt place hotels only and to be more specific is that it concentrated on the United States leaving a research gap for other studies to examine different hotels and countries for comparative analyses (Clandinin& Connelly, 2015).

References

A further study was conducted on the impact of IT-enabled customer experiences on service perceptions and performances. These researchers found that IT has a high customer preference due to the customization effects leading to an increase in the sales of the organizations and retention of customers. IT services leads to high customer comfort more especially in the hospitality industry due the customer service evaluations and finally it improves disinter-mediation within the channels of communications speeding communications and improving efficiency of services offered to the customers (Chieh-Heng& Tsai, 2014). However this research had a limitation of not having a specific case study or geographic specifications or identifying businesses in a given industry creating more gaps for research.

Another study was carried out on IT and internet impact on the tourism and hospitality industry a case study of Hilton hotels group. The study results indicated that since it was a critical trend that most customers wanted, the hotel had to put the customers’ needs ahead of its own. This created a better atmosphere for customers and helped make the hotel a destination for most of the travellers since it met all their expectations and led to customer loyalty (Garrett et al., 2014). However, this research was only concerned with the Hilton Hotels group. Other research may consider using case studies of other hotels or even considering carrying out researches on Hilton hotels on a given geographical location like a country or a continent.

This gaps in the literature prompts further research to study more on the effect of mobile technology in the hospitality industry. Filling the gap is important therefore the case study on the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, Thailand was deemed appropriate.

Research Methodology

This study used the research onion designed by Cresswell (2014) to explain how each step of the onion was used and chosen. From the collection of secondary data for the research, the research onion gives an explanation of how to approach and interpret the secondary data collected. The research onion has sections which are in layers: philosophies, approaches, strategies, choices, time horizons, techniques and procedures.

Cresswell’s Research Onion

Figure 3.1.The Research Onion

Research Philosophy

Research philosophy is the clarification of assumptions about the source of knowledge in that here data is gathered, analysed, and used to make conclusions (Clandinin& Connelly, 2015). This study is based on the interpretivism approach. This approach uses data collection methods such as interviews and observations and involves researchers to interpret the elements of the study subjectively. According to this approach, it is assumed that access to reality is only through social constructions such as language, consciousness, shared meanings, and instruments. The research uses the interpretivism approach since this research is based on humans and not objects (Ong, 2010).

The main reason for this decision is that the objects cannot think while humans can critically think resulting in different results depending on the characteristics and personality of each person and at the same time only humans can talk to give the purposeful information needed for this particular research. However, humans differ in their critical thinking way which creates a difficult situation since behavioral assumption is inadequate. I considered the factors of interpretivism in order to understand and observe the cultures and their perspectives on the culture of Bangkok, Thailand. This process was easily undertaken since Bangkok is my home town (Cresswell, 2014).

Research Approach (Hypothesis testing)

This study has taken the approach of testing the validity of assumptions, theories or hypotheses. In this case, I tested whether the mobile technology has an impact on customer experience. The usage of data collected concerning this approach was actually applied to evaluating hypotheses related to an existing theory. After analyzing data at the end of the study, a clarification and criticism of the theories is provided and recommendations given in relation to the primary and secondary data that was collected (Garrett et al., 2014).

Research Strategy

This study took a research strategy of choosing a case study as it takes into consideration more than one individual or cases and puts it into real life context. The primary research conducted reviewed the satisfaction rates of the customers of the Marriott Hotel on the mobile applications through the usage of questionnaires and interviews (Clandinin& Connelly, 2015). The two chosen methods were conducted on a pool of 100 participants who were either interviewed or asked to fill out a questionnaire.

Research Choices

This study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research method or a mixed methodological approach. Qualitative data was gained from in-depth interviews that facilitated deeper insights and greater exchange of information between the researcher and the participants. On the other hand, result from the questionnaire helped in generating quantitative data so as to show trends of preference and perceptions of guests towards the mobile technology that the Marriot Hotel in Bangkok adopted (Cresswell, 2014). The use of both qualitative and quantitative data helped to solve limitations by providing supportive documentation.

The quantitative research was collected and fulfilled the theories that were used as to understand the link between the two variables; mobile technology and customer satisfaction (Cresswell, 2014). On the other hand, as the quantitative data does not suggest specific customer desires from the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, the qualitative data was used to find out the other needs that the hospitality customers wanted in order for their experiences to be vibrant through the interviews since the customer is able to express what they wants.

Quantitative research used primary data to collect opinions and thoughts from the customers through questionnaires and interviews in which were used to support and supplement the qualitative data (Cresswell, 2014).

Time Horizon

This research applied a cross-sectional study, which refers to an observation study that analyzed data collected from the population at a particular point in time. By choosing the questionnaires and interviews, these were conducted over a short period of two months because the research had time restrictions. I believe that the cross-sectional study, which is a “snapshot” of time, was more suitable (Cresswell, 2014). An examination of the questionnaires and interviews were conducted in good time within the restricted time frame.

Data Collection Methods

Based on the research onion, the data collection method required that the sample groups be the questionnaires and interviews which contained both open ended and closed questions.

The study was conducted on current guests at the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, Thailand. The range of age differed because the customer pool cannot be predicted, and the sample consisted of 100 random guests (By & Macleod, 2012). The chosen 100 guests were asked to fill in the questionnaires and a selected few, which were 10 guests, were interviewed. The participants were required to have at least at one time had the experience of using the Marriott Hotel mobile application and have booked a room through the use of the app (Cresswell, 2014). The exclusion criteria were anyone who did not possess a mobile device or had not used the mobile application at any time.

The questionnaires and the interviews asked the participants whether they were satisfied using the mobile application, and questions were devised to reveal what made or did not make the participant satisfied. In order to analyse the effect of the newly adopted mobile technology on the customer experience, there were three questions and answers from the entire interviews and questionnaires that were given importance (Alice, 2016). The main measurement criteria were overall quality of the service, overall experience and overall accommodations. Scores for those three questions depended on other relevant questions, for example 1] “Speed of Check-in” –this measured the efficiency of mobile technology as well as the employees’ performance on making the customer experience positive; 2] “Ease of mobile technology use by the guests” – This measured the complexity of the user interface of the mobile technology adopted by the Marriott Hotel. Question 3] “Quality of Wi-Fi access and online communications” – This measured the quality and speed of communication in case of inquiries made by the guests since guests prefers a real-time online communication.

Results indicated that the research tool two months and during this period, the mobile technology application, had already been fully installed and was now operational, and guests’ experiences scores in relation to satisfaction were noted through the interviews and questionnaires (Cresswell, 2014). Complaints from the customers were also recorded separately in order to look at the dissatisfaction of the customers but were not used for the purposes of this case study since it was irrelevant in one way or the other since it was not purposeful information for this particular case study. In the month of January this year, changes were made on the Marriot Hotel system by adopting the new mobile technology for purposes of good customer relationship management. The bandwidth internet and intranet to hotel guests and the employees was actually increased by 50% due to the adoption of fiber optical cable internet for easy use of the new mobile technology leading to a huge increase in potential customers inquiries in the Hotel.

The new mobile technology is rated one of the best versions with a 50 second faster check-in and check-out function compared to the normal systems used in other hotels. The internet also being a Wi-Fi that can effectively serve the hotel full capacity without dropping since the bandwidth available to the customers was increased by another 50% to make it more user-friendly and super quick (Garrett et al., 2014). The results showed that the average amount of time that the customers spent to check in using the new mobile technology reduced from 2.0 minutes to 1.2 minutes. And the average time that customers used to place order went from 1.3 minutes to 0.60 minutes (Macleod, 2006).

Figure 3.2. Customer Request Time Differential

The overall experience, overall service quality, overall accommodations and online communication scores have been presented on the table below from the month of February 2016 to the month of April. The results from the table are actually indicating a positive customer experience since the guest’s expectations were met by the new mobile technology adopted by the hotel meaning that most of the customers are satisfied basing on the scores (Cresswell, 2014). However, there was no correlation analysis carried out. Some researchers in the past had concluded that an investment in hospitality IT system benefits the hotel since the customers stand a good chance of having a better experience.The hotel staff too work more efficiently since work is simplified to satisfy the customers’ needs in regards to the quality of services that they expect from the hotel (Garrett et al., 2014).

Table 3.1.Customer Experience Scores For The JW Marriot Hotel, Bangkok

DETAILS	FEBRUARY	MARCH	APRIL
Overall experience	67.55	78	83
Overall quality of service	67	69	75
Overall accommodation	60	76	70
Intention to visit again	74	68	65
Recommend	76	67	78
Value for their money	79	78	80
Overall arrival	67	72	78
Accuracy of reservation	64	65	79
Speed of check-ins	78	72	78
Speed of check-outs	65	83.2	75
Accuracy of billing	76	76	69
Online communication	74	65	80

The questionnaire survey had a scale of 1 to 10 percent and customers were asked to rate their experience with each item according to this scale. The above table shows the percentages of surveyed customers that scored either a 9 or a 10 for an item on the survey. The goal of JW Marriot Hotel is to be in the 9-10 range of the scale since it’s an indication that the customers are actually having a better customer experience since all their needs and expectations are met by the newly adopted, mobile technology and this would result to increase in the sales volume and attainment of loyal customers for the hotel.

Figure 3.3. Customer overall experience graph

In February of 2016, out of the total number of all the customers randomly sampled and asked to fill questionnaires, actually 90 surveys were answered. This number decreased to 70 for March of 2016 and the number rose to 85 for April 2010. In order to read the above results, therefore, one would say, customers rated 9’s and 10’s for the overall experience survey item for the JW Marriot Hotel, customer experience increased from 67.55% in February to 83% in Aprilwhich is a 15.45% increase (Cresswell, 2014). These scores from the survey were compared against the hospitality industry global standards and it was found out that the scores in April of 2016 are much higher which is why the Marriot Hotel was ranked the best hotel globally by Fortune Magazine (By & Macleod, 2012; Marriot International, 2017).

Recommendations

This case study had limitations in that an existing survey was modified to meet the purposeful results for the case question to be answered fully. This case study has examined only the mobile technology as the main factor for customer experience. It proved difficult to identify errors in the new mobile technology since it is integrated with other subsystems such as banking system, creditors system and marketing system. Interested future researchers can expand and focus on other factors that affect the customer experience.

This research was restricted to one specific location, which is Bangkok. Other researchers should think about expanding to cover other hotel companies and other geographical locations because it will be interesting since the outcomes are likely to vary due to differences in customers’ expectations and needs in various areas. Additionally, this research was limited since it did note the continuous changes in the hospitality environment that may have affected the outcome of the survey and were not taken into account. Someone can carry out researches on the effects of environmental changes on the customer experience in hotels.

Quantitative Analysis

With the mixed methodology, the data was analyzed quantitatively and the interviews were subjected to qualitative analysis. Regarding the efficiency of the new mobile applications at the Marriot Hotel in Bangkok showed a remarkable drop in waiting time to check in and check out of the hotel. For checking in, the time decreased from 2 minutes to 1.2 minutes, thus reducing guest frustration relating to standing in the queue to check in. Most guests are tired after traveling to their destinations and wish to be settled in their hotel rooms before too many delays. Journeying to Thailand from other countries usually comprises many hours, even days if the patrons travel from the United States or Canada. Therefore, when they reach their final destination, the last thing they wish to do is stand in another queue waiting for an overworked staff to check them into their rooms. If the process is already completed via a mobile application, the hotel can have staff ready with a room key to escort the weary travellers to their rooms. Another advantage of the mobile application was the time spent placing a room service order. Normally a process of around 1.3 minutes, the mobile application reduced the situation to less than .6 of a minute. Efficiency and efficacy brought compliments and positive feedback for customer satisfaction at the Bangkok Marriot Hotel.

Referencing Table 4’s results of the questionnaire, one of the issues at stake was that the numbers of customers varied between February and April who agreed to participate in the survey. In February 90 customers agreed to participate, in March only 70 participants could be rated, and in April 85 surveys were completed. Since the Marriot Hotel wished to score in the 9 or 10 percentile of excellence, the totals had to be averaged. In February 67.55% of the respondents rated their stay as excellent while in April, 83% of the participants believed they had an overall excellent stay at the Marriott. This 16% variance may be attributed to the staff having more experience with the mobile application and its efficacy for guest use. Other factors could relate to the familiarity of guests with mobile applications for their hotel stays. Quality of service from February to April only increased 8% overall so it appears that the Marriott staff requires more training in their service techniques. Quality of service is not broken down into categories, so the quality deficiency may be due to culturally different expectations. A European visitor may desire certain amenities while an American or Canadian visitor will have other expectations. Since these are judged on both the quantitative scale and the qualitative scale through interviews, the disparity in service and customer satisfaction might encompass the parameters of an independent study.

Accommodation and intent to visit again did not rate very well on the overall customer satisfaction scale. Intent to visit again scored lowest on the scale however could be due to the fact that one-time tourists to Thailand may not wish to return to the country as they will visit other tourist destinations. But according to the scale based six rings scale framework, the Marriot Hotel in Bangkok is on the lower rim of customer satisfaction (Alice, 2016). Based solely on dissecting the questionnaire from the six rings framework it seems that the inner rings of the framework require additional training for staff as well as for management. According to the questionnaires, Marriott Bangkok Hotel has not achieved its goal of being in the 9 or 10 percentile of satisfaction and will have to re-evaluate its customer relations management that is the third ring of the six rings of the modern customer experience framework. 

According to Wang, So, and Sparks (2017) they suggest that traveler’s agencies need to consider the degree to which their customers are familiar with technology usage and their “technology readiness” (TR) as part of shaping the framework of mobile applications for hotel use for check-in, check-out and other hotel services (p. 563). If clients are not fully aware of how technology is incorporated within the system their frustration levels may rise and lessen their degree of satisfaction. Thus the TR component of a customer combined with the “quality of technology-enabled services (TESs)” definitively correlates to the overall customer satisfaction element in any travel situation (Wang, So, & Sparks, 2017, p. 564).

Another study conducted in relation to e-ticketing on airlines to denote customer satisfaction with the ease of transactions was examined through an empirical study by Qteishat, Alshibly, and Al-ma’aitah (2014). They too discovered that a customer’s satisfaction with the e-ticketing was dependent on the customer’s familiarity with the “measured variables, data security, customer and technical support, and user friendliness” merged to indicate the level of customer satisfaction (Introduction, para 1). One of the variables not tested in the current study was data security. In this age of data security breaching, many customers do not wish to have all their personal details passed through the internet. If they have this innate fear of disclosing their personal details and yet are forced to use the mobile applications installed by the hotel, then their overall enjoyment of the stay will be negatively impacted (Qteishat et al., 2014).

Examining the guest experience model of services, guests forced to use services with which they are unfamiliar will interact negatively with the social and physical environment of the hotel and reduce their customer satisfaction, and thus their loyalty to the hotel. Physical environment plays a significant role in customer satisfaction as illustrated in the questionnaire in the intrinsic nature of the questions. Communication and perception of the hotel and staff upon arrival were considerable factors as indicated by the questionnaire results. Only 67% of guests were satisfied in February and the total of satisfied customers by percentage only increased to 78% by April. It might be suggested that the hotel management, ring 3 on the model, the customer relations management (CRM), had not been evaluated to the extent of discovering the most efficacious ways of increasing customer comfort via management, particularly relating to first impressions. Though the primary measurements related to overall quality of service, experience, and accommodations, CRM is vital to increasing these overall experiences for customers as well as establishing customer loyalty to the brand. While some customers may not return to the specific Marriott in Bangkok, their overall satisfaction may encourage them to seek other Marriott Hotels in various locations, increasing brand loyalty through CRM improvement (Daikh, 2015).

As noted in the study proposed by Daikh (2015) in relation to repurchase intent by consumers, it is connected to “service quality and customer satisfaction so as to bring about customer loyalty and repurchase intentions” (p. 3). If a customer is satisfied, then the assumption is that the customer will develop brand loyalty, since the overall experience rates the customer’s valuation of the service and the branding as equitable (Daikh, 2015, p. 6).

Mobile technology and mobile applications are spreading to virtually every aspect of life and customer loyalty and satisfaction are being examined in a variety of situations. Daikh (2015) found examples in banking in African institutions, and Deng, Lu, Wei, and Zhang (2010) explored the relationship of satisfaction and loyalty through mobile applications in China. They too found that customer relations are intricately tied in with CRM as well as TRs and TESs. If customers are not equipped, knowledgeable, or educated in the use of various mobile applications, then regardless of management’s consideration of the viability of technology, then the customer’s will not be inclined to rate the services very high (Deng et al., 2010; Hsu &Kulviwat, 2009).

Hsu and Kulviwat (2009) went further in their exploration of E-Commerce and customer satisfaction. The found that by applying the technology acceptance model (TAM) which was not used in the current study, they concluded that four “constructs to predict the service subscribers’ intentions to switch depended on a level of personalization of messages and included privacy issues” (p. 1650). If privacy issues received little attention, customer loyalty and satisfaction were minimal. Therefore, in examining the intent of the Marriott Hotel in Bangkok relating to the use of mobile applications for check-in and out procedures, privacy is endemic to the level of customer satisfaction. Billing data is always part of the procedures for both checking in and out and if a customer’s personal data is not protected or if a customer perceives their data is too exposed, then customer satisfaction and loyalty will be impaired.

In creating their mobile application, the Marriott management’s intentions were to increase the speed of processing check-in and check-out procedures, and also enabling customers ease of access to other amenities available at the hotel (Pantano&DiPietro, 2012; Simon &Senaji, &Eng, 2017). While their application did increase the ease and speed with which customers could access the many services available at the hotel, the problem remains that many customers did not feel comfortable with the process. According to Cresswell (2014) in order to understand the complexities of customer relations (CRM) and customer satisfaction, correlational analyses need to become part of the study. In the case of this study, time and other limitations prevented a correlational analysis from being carried out. So the benefits of the increased speed and efficiency of the Marriott’s IT system requires further exploration in order to understand the full impact of customer needs and satisfaction (Cresswell, 2014; Khayyat&Heshmati, 2012). Khayyat and Heshmati (2012) studied key factors relating to customer satisfaction with mobile phones. What they discovered was that since mobile phones are the new absolute purchase for the twenty-first century, other facets of the communication industry require attention, particularly the high level of competition among mobile phone providers (p. 92). A similar correspondence with the hotel industry can be made. Competition is fierce and growing daily, particularly in regions where tourism is increasing such as Thailand. In order to become a leader in hotel customer loyalty, then hotels, such as the Marriott need to ensure that while they have the latest in mobile applications, they need to segue this to CRM (Khayyat&Heshmati, 2012).

Pantano and DiPietro (2012) found that ease of usefulness is efficacious in determining how adaptable the consumer is to using new technology,the paradigm initiated by Wang et al. (2017).It indicates that unless the customer is TR and perceives the value of TESs, then the experiment in mobile applications may not be as successful as initially hoped (Wang et al., 2017). The data collected from this study appears to indicate that during the three months dedicated to questionnaires and interviews, the hotel did not achieve its desired ratings by consumers. The hotel achieved more than 80% satisfaction in only one of the categories of the survey. In April, of the 85 respondents, the overall implication was an 83% overall satisfaction. However, those same 85 respondents returned a much poorer rating of 75% for overall quality of service perceived through the use of the mobile application. Since the mobile application is costly to install hotel-wide and requires a 24/7 help desk availability, then it might be suggested that the Marriott Bangkok needs to investigate further prior to installing any more mobile applications. The other component is that they need to elevate the CRM relationship as indicated on the six ring scale in order for customers to feel they have had a seamless visit, the inner ring, number 1 in the paradigm.

Equity in their visit may also be a factor relating to some dissatisfaction with their stay. Though another component not investigated, cultural expectations, linguistic limitations may be addition problems that cannot be easily overridden via a mobile application, but may be negatively magnified through mobile application expectations. The hotel may expect its guests to be immediately familiar with the application process, and when guests fail to grasp its significance, management and customers may be limited in their cohesion, thus CRM is ineffectually situated in the overall picture of hotel ease of use and access. Inequity may be felt by the customer based on their personal lack of ability in technology (Naveed, Akhtar, & Cheema, 2013; Saleem& Rashid, 2011). Overall data collection for this study indicates that though the innovative ideology behind the Marriott’s mobile application has a substantial base for developing quality services via mobile application processes to encourage customer ease of use, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Conclusion

When the final scores for the project were evaluated and compared with other hotels in the hospitality industry, the increase in overall customer satisfaction went from 67.55% in February to 83% in April. This 15.45% increase was compared with other hotels in the industry and according to Fortune Magazine, the Marriott Hotel received a “best” ranking globally (By & Macleod, 2012; Marriott International, 2017). Though the Marriott scored with the best ranking, this factor should not limit the Marriott management to improve the individual lower marks they received in the other items tested on the questionnaire and the interviews. Mobile technology, though it has increased in use nearly a hundredfold since the turn of the century, not every prospective customer is educated in the use of all the mobile applications regardless of their age or socioeconomic status (SES). This particular case study with the Bangkok Marriott has laid a platform for further investigations into the efficacy of using mobile applications to improve customer satisfaction and increase customer loyalty.

Restricting this study to one location and one hotel using a mobile application was one limitation to the study. Further studies that correlate and compare outcomes relating to customer satisfaction and loyalty based on the use of mobile applications for ease of checking in and out and receiving other hotel amenities would provide a more complete picture of the significance of mobile applications (Cresswell, 2014).

Findings of this study were problems perceived problem with the overall quality of service at the Marriott Hotel and the lack of any intention of re-visiting the hotel. One question that needs to be added to future studies is to discover why the customer will not revisit the hotel. If it is because the customer is not returning to Thailand or if the customer is dissatisfied with the Marriott Hotels in general is vital to understanding how the hotel can improve its customer relationship management (CRM). Customers also had limited appreciation for value for money at the hotel stay which may be another factor in customer decisions not to return to the hotel. One of the lower ratings in the spectrum indicated in chart 1 is the speed of check-ins. The purpose of the mobile application was its intention to increase speed of check-ins which was apparently not perceived by customers. Other facets of the Marriott Bangkok experience though rated higher than most other international hotels, was the accuracy of the reservations. When customers reach their tourist destination, in addition to not wishing to stand in a queue to be checked-in, they do not wish to have their reservations cluttered with inaccuracies. One factor that has not been examined was the availability of mobile technology for guests visiting the hotel. If they have mobile applications in their home country, which may not be Thailand, they might not have the same accessibility in Thailand. Mobile phone companies are not all globally accessible and unless the customer has access to a local SIM card for her/his mobile device, then s/he will have to rely on hotel amenities for ease of check in.

On the interview questions that were only for 10 respondents during the study period that related to satisfaction with speed of check-in, ease of mobile use by the customers, quality of the Wi-Fi access and bandwidth. These three questions formed the basis of the cross-sectional analysis for this study. The research onion illustrates the manner in which a cross-sectional analysis is composed.

Various components within the theoretical paradigm of a mixed methodological approach are the philosophical viewpoints of the hotel, the approaches to customer service of the hotel and how the research is able to analyze these approaches via questionnaires and interviews. Strategies and research choices have to be made as well as deciding on a time frame for a study. Each layer of the research onion (Cresswell, 2014) provided aspects for analysis of the question of mobile application use and customer satisfaction. The research for this study was a case study of the one Marriott Hotel in Bangkok, which was a limitation since not all hotels offer similar facilities for their customers. By assessing this one hotel through a case study, and understanding that Fortune Magazine had already rated the Marriott Bangkok as a superior international hotel (Marriott International, 2017), it can be suggested that this type of survey would provide a more complete representation of mobile applications and customer satisfaction with a variety of hotels with varying levels of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Future studies using other theoretical premises, such as a qualitative study applying grounded theory may reveal other initiatives that impact customer loyalty and satisfaction. Ease of check in and check out and ease of accessing hotel amenities may be only the first steps in establishing parameters for customer satisfaction. Meals, quality of food, friendliness of staff, convenience to outside amenities, room comfort, and value for money may be other choices for ensuring customer loyalty and satisfaction. In order to determine the overall efficacy of mobile applications as the primary reason for customer loyalty and satisfaction, future studies will need to include additional hotel characteristics (Pantano&DiPietro, 2012).

However, the overall value of this study is to lay the groundwork for evaluating and exploring the significance of updating hotels in the use of mobile applications for the benefit of their clientele. Most travellers make their reservations via the internet, so that familiarity with internet usage is becoming more endemic to society. However the mobile application needs to be more explicitly designated as a valuable asset for individuals and/or families who stay at hotels during their holidays. Visiting Thailand for the first time from a country with a non-Eastern cultural identity, staying at the Marriott may provide a comfort zone for some travellers and thus the experiences engendered at the hotel need to be of a quality that guarantees customer satisfaction in order to establish customer loyalty. The idea behind hotel stays for most people is to feel a sense of safety, comfort, and well-being while visiting a foreign land or merely experiencing a brief holiday away from home. Ease of use of mobile applications, when correctly applied, can ensure the most efficacious and enjoyable experience for customers as indicated in the overall 83% rating by the Bangkok Marriott customers in April, 2017.

Reference

Alice. (2016). 4 ways Luxury Hotels can use Mobile Technology To Provide Customer Service. Hotel Speak .

Bell, B. (2015). Business Research Methods (4th ed.). London : Oxford University Press.

Bingimlas, K. A. (2016). Barrers to the successful integration of ICT in teaching and learning environments: A review of the literature. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, v5 n3 p235-245 2009

By, R. & Macleod, C‎. (2012). Managing organizational change in public services: international issues, challenges and cases. Research Gate. DOI: 10.4324/9780203881835.

Chieh-Heng, K., & Tsai, T.-H. (2014). Adoption of Mobile Technology in Hotel Sales. Indian Journal, 10(22). Retrieved from https://www.tsijournals.com/articles/adoption-of-mobile-technology-in-hotel-sales.pdf

Clandinin, J., & Connelly, M. (2015). Narrative Inquiry. Experience and Story in Research. John Wiley and Sons.

Cresswell, J. (2014). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design. Sage Publications.

Daikh, J. (2015). A research proposal: The relationship between customer satisfaction and consumer loyalty. Johnson & Wales University.1-15.

Deng, Z., Lu, Y., Wei, K., & Zhang, J. (2010). Understanding customer satisfaction and loyalty: An empirical study of mobile instant messages in China. International Journal of Information Management, 30(2010), 289-300.

Garrett, J., Rodermond, R., Anderson, N., Berkowitz, S., & Robb, C. (2014). Adoption of mobile payment technology by consumers. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 42(4), 358-368. DOI: 10.1111/fcsr.12069

Hsu, S., &Kulviwat, S. (2009). Personalization and customer satisfaction in mobile commerce. IGI Global International. 1-3.

Intercontinental Hotel Group. (2016). Annual report. Available at:https://www.ihgplc.com/files/reports/ar2015/files/pdf/annual_report_2015.pdf [Accessed 1May. 2017].

Khayyat, N. &Heshmati, A. (2012). Determinants of mobile phone customer satisfaction in the Kurdistan region. Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics, & Information Technology, 3.

Marriot International. (2017). Fortune names Marriott International as a world’s most admired company. Marriot International News Center. Available at:https://news.marriott.com/2016/02/fortune-names-marriott-international-as-a-worlds-most-admired-company/ [Accessed 5 May, 2017]

Naveed, T., Akhtar, I., & Cheema, K. (2013). The impact of innovation on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty: A study of the students of Faisalabad. Internation Journal of Management & Organizational Studies, 2(2), 1-7.

Ong, L. I. (2010). Can self service technologies work in the hotel industry in singapore?

Pantano, E. &DiPietro, L. (2012). Understanding consumer’s acceptance of technology-based innovations in retailing. J of TechnolManagInnov, 7(4), 1-19.

Quicken Loans. (2017). Let’s talk about your mortgage. Available at:https://rocket.quickenloans.com/ [Accessed 5 May, 2017]

Qteishat, M., Alshibly, H., & Al-ma’aitah, M. (2014). The impact of e-ticketing technique on customer satisfaction: An empirical analysis. JISTEM, 11(3).

Saleem, Z., & Rashid, K. (2011). Relationship between customer satisfaction and mobile banking adoption in Pakistan. International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, 2(6), 1-8.

Simon, V., Senaji, T., &Eng, R. (2016). Effect of electronic banking on customer satisfaction in selected commercial banks in Kenya. International Academic Journal of Human Resources and Business Administration, 2(2), 41-63.

Wang, Y., So, K., & Sparks, B. (2017). Technology readiness and customer satisfaction with travel technologies: A cross-country investigation. Journal of Travel Research, 56(5), 563-577.