Exploring the Importance of Basic Hotel Attributes: A Focus on Senior Wellness Tourists

Senior tourists represent an attractive target for the wellness industry. Despite the diversifying needs in the senior market, the tourism and hospitality literature has only recently started to investigate the importance of hotel attributes for this specific target. In particular, very few studies have explored the importance of hotel attributes for senior tourists involved in wellness tourism activities. Hence, the aim of this study is twofold. First, it intends to explore the importance of basic hotel attributes according to senior tourists. Second, it aims to identify the underlying dimensions of those hotel attributes.A quantitative study was conducted on a sample of 200 senior tourists at hot spring hotels located in Italy, a European country with a high proportion of senior residents. The findings reveal that the most important attributes are the personnel’s friendliness and kindness, efficiency, reactivity and the presence of a doctor at the hotel. In addition, four dimensions of hotel attributes emerged: senior-friendly facilities; customer care; spa facilities; servicescape. The results allow interesting theoretical and marketing contributions