Motivators and Inhibitors in Booking a Hotel via Smartphones

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to identify motivators (i.e. self-efficacy, perceived behavioural control and perceived benefits) and inhibitors (i.e. perceived cost and anxiety) that affect behavioural intentions to book hotel rooms using smartphones. Design/methodology/approach – Utilising survey data collected from online consumers who have booked hotels in London, two stages of structural equation modelling were applied to estimate the proposed model. Findings – The results of this research indicate that perceived behavioural control appears to be the core motivator for the use of smartphones to book a hotel with perceived benefits, whereas anxiety plays a negative role in leading to mobile booking behaviours. It is also identified that self-efficacy indirectly influences intentions to reserve hotel accommodation. Practical implications – This study suggests that hospitality marketers should (1) simplify the mobile purchasing process to enhance self-confidence in controlling the system during transactions; (2) educate current and potential online consumers to become aware of the competitive benefits of using smartphones; and (3) create alliances with credit card companies in order to relieve anxiety when users are asked to provide personal or banking information. Originality/value – In light of the substantial literature regarding the adoption of technology in terms of user experience (i.e. TAM), this study integrates two theoretical foundations of understanding consumer behaviours (i.e. a concept of consumer values and theory of planned behaviour) to assess motivators and inhibitors in behaviours related to booking hotel accommodation via smartphones