Brand Experience Research in Hospitality and Tourism – Review and Future Directions

This article aims to present a critical review of brand experience (BE) research in hospitality and tourism brand management literature based on a systematic literature and content analysis of 40 articles published in 25 peer-reviewed journals. The concept of BE is discussed by identifying leading journals, research methodologies, research contexts, country of research distribution, dimensionality approaches, and theoretical perspectives. Quantitative research was applied in most reviewed papers, and structural equation modeling (SEM), together with factor analysis (FA) emerged as preferred data analysis techniques. A steady increase in research papers exploring the construct of BE in an online context has been observed. The study suggests that BE is a critical and substantial ingredient of successful hotel, place, destination, restaurant, coffeehouse, cruise, and casino brand management. Additionally, key insights from previous empirical research were discussed from the perspective of antecedents and consequences of BE to provide a comprehensive conceptual framework. Drawing on the findings, potential themes for future research within six important areas of BE in hospitality and tourism were identified