Effects of the new COVID-19 normal on customer satisfaction: Can facemasks level off the playing field between average-looking and attractive-looking employees?
Int J Hosp Manag. 2021 Aug; 97:102996.IJ

Abstract

The attractiveness of service employees can have a significant impact on customer attitudes and behaviors. While frontline employees can reduce the risk of the COVID-19 transmission and infection by wearing facemasks, doing so can also influence customers' perceptions of employees' attractiveness and thus affect customer satisfaction. Based on the Gestalt theory, this study explores the impact of hotel employees' facemask-wearing on customer satisfaction through two experimental studies. The results indicate that average-looking frontline employees who wear facemasks induce high levels of customer satisfaction. However, while the impact of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction is not significant for attractive-looking male frontline employees, attractive-looking female frontline employees who wear facemasks induce lower customer satisfaction. Customers' perception of employees' physical attractiveness fully mediates the effects of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction in the case of average-looking employees. Customers' self-perceived physical attractiveness moderates the mediated effects. Implications that can help hotel managers improve customers' service evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic are provided.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Wu G

School of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China.

Liang L

School of Hospitality Management, Shanghai Business School, Shanghai 201400, China.

Gursoy D

School of Hospitality Business Management, Carson College of Business, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

36540069

Citation

Wu, Gang, et al. "Effects of the New COVID-19 Normal On Customer Satisfaction: Can Facemasks Level Off the Playing Field Between Average-looking and Attractive-looking Employees?" International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 97, 2021, p. 102996.

Wu G, Liang L, Gursoy D. Effects of the new COVID-19 normal on customer satisfaction: Can facemasks level off the playing field between average-looking and attractive-looking employees? Int J Hosp Manag. 2021;97:102996.

Wu, G., Liang, L., & Gursoy, D. (2021). Effects of the new COVID-19 normal on customer satisfaction: Can facemasks level off the playing field between average-looking and attractive-looking employees? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 97, 102996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102996

Wu G, Liang L, Gursoy D. Effects of the New COVID-19 Normal On Customer Satisfaction: Can Facemasks Level Off the Playing Field Between Average-looking and Attractive-looking Employees. Int J Hosp Manag. 2021;97:102996. PubMed PMID: 36540069.

* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case

TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of the new COVID-19 normal on customer satisfaction: Can facemasks level off the playing field between average-looking and attractive-looking employees? AU - Wu,Gang, AU - Liang,Lifang, AU - Gursoy,Dogan, Y1 - 2021/06/13/ PY - 2020/11/11/received PY - 2021/05/18/revised PY - 2021/05/23/accepted PY - 2022/12/21/entrez PY - 2021/8/1/pubmed PY - 2021/8/1/medline KW - COVID-19 KW - Customer satisfaction KW - Employee attractiveness KW - Facemasks KW - Moderating effects KW - Physical attractiveness SP - 102996 EP - 102996 JF - International journal of hospitality management JO - Int J Hosp Manag VL - 97 N2 - The attractiveness of service employees can have a significant impact on customer attitudes and behaviors. While frontline employees can reduce the risk of the COVID-19 transmission and infection by wearing facemasks, doing so can also influence customers' perceptions of employees' attractiveness and thus affect customer satisfaction. Based on the Gestalt theory, this study explores the impact of hotel employees' facemask-wearing on customer satisfaction through two experimental studies. The results indicate that average-looking frontline employees who wear facemasks induce high levels of customer satisfaction. However, while the impact of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction is not significant for attractive-looking male frontline employees, attractive-looking female frontline employees who wear facemasks induce lower customer satisfaction. Customers' perception of employees' physical attractiveness fully mediates the effects of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction in the case of average-looking employees. Customers' self-perceived physical attractiveness moderates the mediated effects. Implications that can help hotel managers improve customers' service evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic are provided. SN - 0278-4319 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/36540069/Effects_of_the_new_COVID_19_normal_on_customer_satisfaction:_Can_facemasks_level_off_the_playing_field_between_average_looking_and_attractive_looking_employees DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -

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Effects of the new COVID-19 normal on customer satisfaction: Can facemasks level off the playing field between average-looking and attractive-looking employees?Int J Hosp Manag. 2021 Aug; 97:102996.IJ