Art in hotels as a differentiating factor to attract more customers

: "Tivoli com Arte"

Abstract

This dissertation explores how art in hotels is perceived by hotel’s managers and customers. The research made unfolds if art, namely an art collection and art programs in a hotel, is considered as a differentiator factor which can make a hotel stand out from the competition and, consequently, attract more customers. Ultimately, being an innovative offering, it will be disclosed if a Hotel with Art will beneficiate by advertising its art concept, if art will influence consumer choices and, therefore, increase customer loyalty and retention. Parallel to this thesis, a consulting project was developed to Tivoli Hotels & Resorts which raised the curiosity about the role of art in hotels and lead to the problem statement being investigated here. The purpose of this project, named as “Tivoli com Arte” (Tivoli with Art), was to find a strategy to differentiate Tivoli hotels from its competitors optimizing their art collection, in order to create a better relationship with the customers and to emotionally involve them in the life and history of the hotels. This project made possible to outline a strategy to other hotels that want to become an Art Hotel. The results of this study show that art is indeed a differentiating factor and must be used in hotels, which have these characteristics and these assets, as a marketing tool to attract more customers, because art can influence consumer choices and increase customer loyalty and retention.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rute Xavier (Supervisor)