Title: Do the managers of boutique hotels value their tangible and intangible attributes in the same way as their guests?

Authors: Laura Fuentes-Moraleda; Teresa Villacé-Molinero; Carmen Lafuente-Ibáñez; Ana Muñoz-Mazón

Addresses: Business and Administration Department, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain ' Business and Administration Department, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain ' Legal and Business Science Faculty, Francisco de Vitoria University, Carretera Pozuelo a Majadahonda, Km 1.800, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain ' Business and Administration Department, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to identify tangible and intangible attributes of boutique hotels and how they are rated by the guests and the managers, to analyse whether or not there are differences and whether these differences are based on variables such as age, level of income and gender. Results confirm that guests consider the comfort of the services provided by the hotel and the sense of feeling good (lack of noise, comfort) and connected (Wi-Fi) to be the most important, whereas for managers, the important attributes are related to the room (bed, décor). The client age, level of income and gender are not determining variables in the differences between guest and manager ratings. Managerial implications emphasise the importance of emotional experiences and the use of social media to reduce the gap between managers and guests.

Keywords: boutique hotels; attributes; income; gender; age; client; manager; experience.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMP.2020.110005

International Journal of Management Practice, 2020 Vol.13 No.5, pp.521 - 546

Received: 01 Feb 2018
Accepted: 25 Oct 2018
Published online: 01 Oct 2020 *

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