The effect of recreational experiences and emotional gratification on guest loyalty in resorts

الملخص EN

The aim of the study is to examine the effect of guests' recreational experience and emotional gratification at resort hotels on guest loyalty.

The aim of the study was achieved by employing an integrative model using SmartPLS.

The convenient sampling was used.

Four hundred questionnaires form were distributed to resort hotel guests in Sharm El-Sheikh, out of which 305 were returned, and 286 usable ones were statistically handled (71.5% response rate).

Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyze the questionnaire forms collected from resort hotel guests.

The study results show that most experience factors (entertainment, education, and escapism) significantly affected guest loyalty.

Furthermore, three factors of emotional gratification (i.

e.

, fun, the vicarious release of emotions, and social sharing of emotion) were essential for guest loyalty.

The study holds crucial academic implications for future scholarly research in tourism and hospitality.

Hotel management should hire professional teams and provide different training programs for the animation team.

The hotel managers should motivate senior guests to use recreational activities to enhance their experience and increase their loyalty.

The animation team should design activities that attract guests.