The Impact of Innovativeness in Hospitality Industry Service Operation on Guest Satisfaction in Hurghada City Resorts

Abstract Service innovation is essential for improving service and increasing guest satisfaction. Aside from the significance of technology and tangible products, innovation increases guest satisfaction by stimulating their five senses perception. To produce Service Innovation, Service-Dominant Logic highlights the role of innovativeness in service delivery in accordance with guest perception. This study aims to explore the impact of innovativeness on guest satisfaction in the case of resort operations as qualitative research. A set of propositions are generated based on relevant works of literature and an approximate of one thousand reviews on the TripAdvisor website. The reviewers were international guests of 20 resorts in Hurghada City. The thematic analysis with deductive approach was employed to determine the key themes of Innovativeness that influence guest satisfaction. The findings suggest a conceptual model about the influences of 1) Innovative Humane Hints, 2) Innovative Mechanic Hints and 3) Innovative Functional Hints on the guest’s Transaction-Specific Satisfaction. The model explains how guests perceive innovativeness through the five senses and their evaluation on the innovativeness of the operations. The study addresses the importance of innovativeness in service operation management to satisfy guest expectation.