Lifestyle Experiences: Exploring Key Attributes of Lifestyle Hotels Using Instagram User-Created Contents in South Korea

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the key attributes of a steadily growing hotel sector (lifestyle hotels), which has shown great success in the global competitive market, by analyzing user-created content on Instagram. The dataset used in this study were prepared from a total of 20,999 lifestyle hotel posts and 24,262 boutique hotel posts created from 2013 to 2020 and retrieved using a Python web crawler. The locations, hashtags, and image data were analyzed based on frequency analysis using social network analysis methods and computer vision technology, after which they were visualized with a geographical information system and Gephi. The results demonstrated that lifestyle hotels share key attributes that differentiate them from others in terms of physical, geospatial, and experiential contexts. Design, location, and management type are the main attributes that comprise the distinct identity of each lifestyle hotel. Moreover, a lifestyle hotel is distinct from a boutique hotel in that staying in the former means consuming experiences with continuous changes. The information and knowledge gained from this research will contribute to bridging the gap between theoretical literature and the practical development of lifestyle hospitality.

Exploring international customers’ luxury service experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Due to the popularity of luxury vacations during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea ( Han and Lee, 2021 ), the target population of this study consists of luxury hotel customers in South Korea. Self-administered questionnaires were accessible via the online survey platform Qualtrics.com .…”

Defining attributes of boutique hotels: a systematic literature review

“…In Indonesia, Hussein et al (2018) reported that customer loyalty, which was influenced by perceived value and hotel image, was inadvertently influenced by the physical environment. Further consolidating the association of boutique hotels with design-oriented environments, Han and Lee's (2021) analysis of the hashtags used to describe boutique hotels in Seoul revealed that the most popular hashtags were "interior design", "hotel room", "luxury hotel" and "design hotel". Moreover, when assessing the Instagram images posted by guests who lodged in boutique hotels in Seoul, Han and Lee (2021) concluded that "the most outstanding elements that caught people's attention in boutique hotel images were under the 'design' category, including facilities, general interior, FF&E [furniture, fixtures, and equipment], and architecture" (p. 13).…”

“…In terms of their location and based on the literature which explored both customers and practitioners, boutique hotels were most frequently situated in urban or city centres (Chang, 2010;Chang and Teo, 2009;Dev and Keller, 2014;Gross and Pullman, 2012;Han and Lee, 2021;Qian et al, 2020;Quadri-Felitti et al, 2022;Stranneg ard and Stranneg ard, 2012;Truong et al, 2020). Some were found in sub-city locations, which are areas outside, yet in close proximity to city centres (Han and Lee, 2021), amongst natural elements/rural areas (Han and Lee, 2021;Wang et al, 2019;Xiang et al, 2022) or in world heritage sites.…”

“…In terms of their location and based on the literature which explored both customers and practitioners, boutique hotels were most frequently situated in urban or city centres (Chang, 2010;Chang and Teo, 2009;Dev and Keller, 2014;Gross and Pullman, 2012;Han and Lee, 2021;Qian et al, 2020;Quadri-Felitti et al, 2022;Stranneg ard and Stranneg ard, 2012;Truong et al, 2020). Some were found in sub-city locations, which are areas outside, yet in close proximity to city centres (Han and Lee, 2021), amongst natural elements/rural areas (Han and Lee, 2021;Wang et al, 2019;Xiang et al, 2022) or in world heritage sites. Boutique hotels located in urban centres included, for example, hotels situated in Rue Saint Honor e, Paris (Stranneg ard and Stranneg ard, 2012), in Chinatown, Singapore (Chang, 2010;Chang and Teo, 2009), close to Union Square in the USA (Gross and Pullman, 2012), in Chennai, the movie capital of India (Dev and Keller, 2014) and in Yazd, Iran .…”

Modelling Socio-Digital Customer Relationship Management in the Hospitality Sector During the Pandemic Time

“…Social media tools allow social interactions that provide a large amount of data to hotels. Online interactions with consumers cause user-created content before consumers arrive at the hotel (Bygstad & Presthus, 2013;Gligorijevic, 2016;Han & Lee, 2021;Santos, 2021;Zhang, Ye, Law, & Li, 2010). Hence, exchanging information between customers and hotel firms may guide to value's co-creation that leads to brand loyalty.…”