Factors affecting Portuguese and Spanish hotel guests’ safety perception under COVID-19: insights for the development of personalized hotel offers

Portugal and Spain have both cultural differences and similarities. The current study evaluates the hotel safety perception by Portuguese and Spanish tourists during the COVID-19 pandemic. It discusses the differentiated changes needed to be implemented by the hotel industry to address each country’s tourists’ safety concerns. A sample of 533 Portuguese and Spanish hotel guests was inquired using an online questionnaire to assess safety perception and service needs under the COVID-19 situation by exploring seven critical dimensions: financial risk, front-desk digitalization, entertainment, front-desk service, hygiene and sanitation, hotel characteristics, and space management, and food and beverage service. The results show that there are differences regarding safety perception and preferences between Spanish and Portuguese hotel guests. Findings indicated that the differences spread across all categories with special incidence in hygiene-related factors. The differences vary with gender, and Women seem to be more sensitive to safety as they present more differences than men. The level of education and having children also affects the perception of hotel safety and the requisites of guests. The need to prove hygiene care and have the hotel certificate for COVID-19 emerged as key factors in restoring the client’s trust. The research on the effects of pandemics on hotel guests’ safety perception is scarce. Therefore, the proposed framework for assessing hotel clients’ perceptions and the findings are particularly important for Iberian hotel managers to adopt an innovative approach and shape their offer to better address specific needs and preferences of Portuguese and Spanish clients in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.