The Adoption of Sustainable Sensory Marketing to Enhance Non-Financial Business Performance in Hotel Spas: A Case Study of Thailand
คำสำคัญ:
Sustainable Sensory Marketing, Non-Financial Business Performance, Mind, Hotel Spasบทคัดย่อ
In Thailand, hotel spas have been expanding rapidly. As customer expectations evolve, hotel spas are adopting advanced marketing practices, including the integration of sustainability. This has led to the emergence of sustainable sensory marketing, which blends sensory stimuli with environmentally friendly practices to improve non-financial business performance.
The objective of this research is to explore the adoption of sustainable sensory marketing practices and investigate their influence on enhancing non-financial business performance in hotel spas. A qualitative research method was employed, using in-depth interviews with a purposive and snowball sample of fifteen hotel spa managers across six major hotel spa destinations in Thailand: Bangkok, Chonburi, Phuket, Surat Thani, Chiang Mai, and Nakhon Ratchasima. Thematic analysis was conducted to examine the interview transcripts. The findings reveal that sustainable sensory marketing practices in hotel spas incorporate six sensory dimensions; sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and an emerging sixth sense of the mind. The study confirms that these practices positively influence non-financial performance outcomes, including customer satisfaction, revisiting intention, customer referrals, brand reputation, while also revealing new themes such as positive online reviews and increasing the length of stay. This research extends the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model by showing how sustainable sensory stimuli influence spa customers’ emotions and behaviors. The study also offers practical implications for hotel spa managers to enhance guest experiences and increase competitive advantages.
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