Innovative Hospitality: The Role of Physical Space and People

This essay examines the critical role of service innovation in the hospitality industry, focusing on the impact of the physical environment (servicescape) and the importance of people, including both staff and customers, in creating memorable and unique experiences. It discusses how a well-designed physical environment, encompassing factors like lighting, temperature, and spatial layout, directly influences employee productivity and guest satisfaction. The essay also highlights the significance of attending to the needs and preferences of both customers and staff, suggesting innovative solutions like CRM tools and mobile messaging apps to enhance communication and personalize the guest experience. Ultimately, the essay concludes that a strategic focus on both the physical environment and the human element is essential for fostering exceptional and lasting experiences within the hospitality sector.

Running Head: HOSPITALITY INNOVATION
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The Hospitality Experience
Service innovation in Hospitality Experiences
(Student details :)
3/24/2019

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Contents
The Hospitality Experience........................................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Importance of Physical Environment (Servicescape) in Hospitality Experiences.....................2
Importance of People including customers and staff in Hospitality Experiences......................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................5

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The Hospitality Experience
Introduction
The discussion is all about creating an innovative hospitality experience with the help of
important strategies which are based on innovation in hospitality industry. In this context,
innovation within the hotel industry is essential as it has the capability to renovate the
hospitality industry positively. During the past years, inventions within the hospitality
industry have advanced at a quick moving pace (Bowie et al., 2016). Besides, hospitality
related service providers are attempting their best for keeping up with the rapid changes and
hence new technological innovations have helped the hospitality industry to grow more
(Nieves & Segarra Cipres, 2015). Hence, this paper has chosen two of such innovative
hospitality factors as physical environment and people so as to explain importance of the both
while creating memorable as well as unique hospitality experiences.
Importance of Physical Environment (Servicescape) in Hospitality
Experiences
In this context, physical environment of hospitality industry is critical factor while creating
memorable hospitality experiences for the guests. At the same time, it is an important factor
while keeping employees satisfied within today’s hospitality business (Plangpramool et al.,
2015). Hence, through keeping workforces satisfied with the help of great physical
environment any hospitality firm can offer unique experiences for their guests. In this era,
hospitality workplaces should be diverse, different by constantly changing and evolving for
good. Besides, physical environment influences how staffs within a hospitality business firm
perform tasks, interact, as well as be leading (Bitner, 2017). In addition, physical
environment being an important aspect of the workplace environment own direct impact on
the human sense of experience (Bowie et al., 2016). Hence, over the last decade this factor
has subtly evolved interpersonal interactions as well as productivity of the hospitality staff
which ultimately helps in creating memorable experiences for the hospitality guests. For an
example, ambient features within office environments like proper lighting, existence of
windows, temperature, and free air movements always suggest that such elements of the

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physical environment majorly impact guests’ attitude, satisfaction, behaviours, performance
and employees’ productivity (Bitner, 2017).
In this context, (Bitner, 2017) given the concept of “servicescape” for examining the impact
of physical environment over behaviour of customers within the hospitality service industry.
Here, Bitner suggested that 3 different physical environmental dimensions include
surroundings’ condition, spatial layout as well as functionality and signs are critically
important to create a life-long good experience for the guests. Besides, surrounding
conditions may include music and temperature, altitudinal layout whereas functionality can
include layout features and furniture. Additionally, signs can include artefacts, symbols,
signage as well as styles of decor. In this way, servicescape concept of physical environment
including all of above mentioned dimensions create an overall alleged servicescape which
triggers emotional, internal cognitive and physiological responses with the customers and
employees. For an example, studies about the servicescapes of 2 stadiums include one of high
quality and one of low quality determined that improved satisfaction was clearly associated
with the servicescape of greater quality. Thus, sportspersons were more inclined towards
going to that stadium (Woo Gon Kim & Hyun, 2008). In this context another example is
about a study of facility aesthetics, like wall covering, wall colour, seats, and total facility
attractiveness (Nickson, 2013). Hence, the consideration of above ambient revealed that a
customer’s views about seating comfort are the important components of ambient conditions.
In this way, different studies provided important evidences of the impact of the physical
environment on guests’ satisfaction and employees’ productivity within the hospitality
industry which has the direct relationship with creating memorable experiences
(Plangpramool et al., 2015).
Importance of People including customers and staff in Hospitality
Experiences
With the help of taking care of people including staff and customers within hospitality
industry, unique experiences can be created for the guests. In this context, to manage
workflow, management tools within the hospitality Industry are being utilised for creating
better hospitality experiences (Bowie et al., 2016). We live in the modern era of incessant
innovation where, people get excited over hi-tech as well as transformational innovations.
Hence, technological innovations have introduced many incremental innovations within the

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hospitality industry which are highly useful for guests as well as hospitality staff (Nickson,
2013). For an instance, workflow management tool is an example of incremental innovations
(Bhavani, 2013).
In addition, both customers and staff of hospitality industry need attention and solution of
their problems to have great, memorable and unique life-long experiences within this sector.
For instance, a poor understanding of the guests’ habits by the staff can results in huge
conflicts and dissatisfaction related problems for the customers. Hence the problem must be
addressed through service innovation within this industry. Thus, CRM (referred as Customer
relationship management) Tool being an innovative solution to above problem offers a profile
of each and every hotel guest, along with the insights to their behaviours and preferences in a
way that it can help in following up with marketing campaigns and surveys post their stay
(Service Skills Australia, 2011).
Furthermore, another supportive example can be quoted through mobile messaging app in
hospitality industry. Here, the problem is antiquated communication which can be addressed
through an innovative Solution of Mobile Messaging App. It is used to text, email modern
guests who expect to communicate with hotel industry anytime, anywhere (Karunaratne &
Jayawardena, 2010). This mobile messaging platform is necessary to be used by the
hospitality staff and management to communicate with the guests so that they can have a
unique experience for life-long. Another example is of a problem for guest’s viewpoint which
is outdated rooms (Bowie et al., 2016). In this way, an innovative solution in the form of
Better In-Room Hardware can be offered and used to create better experiences for the guests
through offering them luxurious hardware services in order to make them feel special. For an
example, by offering phone-activated hotel room keys, innovative devices usage for
controlling the temperature of the room, awesome new in-room technologies are creating
great experiences for the guests (Karunaratne & Jayawardena, 2010).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the paper has utilised two major hospitality management strategies or factors
include people and physical environment in order to demonstrate the importance of these
strategies for creating memorable experiences for the guests. With the use of the examples
like CRM tool, messaging app and technological in-room devices discussion has successfully
illustrated the raised arguments.

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In this way, this discussion has linked the physical environment like workspace, sound,
lighting, colour, temperature, design, layout of tools and equipment with guests as well as
employees’ satisfaction. Finally, findings of this discussion revealed that physical
environment and people including staff and customers play the most important role while
creating great life-long experiences within hospitality industry.

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References
Bhavani, M.G., 2013. Customer’s expectations of hospitality services–a study on five star
hotels in Hyderabad city. Journal of Management and Science, 3(4), pp.16-22.
Bitner, M.J., 2017. Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on employees and
customers. [Online] Available at:
https://www.ida.liu.se/~steho87/und/htdd01/9208310667.pdf [Accessed 24 March 2019].
Bowie, D., Buttle, F., Brookes, M. & Mariussen, A., 2016. Hospitality marketing. London:
Routledge.
Karunaratne, W.M.K.K. & Jayawardena, L.N.A.C., 2010. Assessment of customer
satisfaction in a five star hotel-A case study. Tropical Agricultural Research, 21(3), pp.258-
65.
Nickson, D., 2013. Human resource management for hospitality, tourism and events.
London: Routledge.
Nieves, J. & Segarra Cipres, M., 2015. Management innovation in the hotel industry. Tourism
Management, 46, pp.51-58.
Plangpramool, , Worasuwan, K., Lema, J. & Agrusa, J.F., 2015. Hospitality workforce in
Thailand and ASEAN. International Journal of Qualitative Research in Services, 2(2),
pp.147-54.
Service Skills Australia, 2011. TOURISM, HOSPITALITY AND EVENTS environmental scan
2011. [Online] Available at:
http://www.oph.fi/download/145170_TourismHospitalityEventsScan_Print.pdf [Accessed 08
December 2018].
Woo Gon Kim, B. & Hyun, J.K., 2008. Multidimensional Customer-Based Brand Equity and
Its Consequences in Midpriced Hotels. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 32(2),
pp.235-54.

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