Examination of recreational experiences of boutique hotel guests

The concept of experiential marketing which has recently emerged as the consumers, today, pay importance to the hedonic dimensions of products or services in addition to their physical and functional dimensions has also been discussed in the studies conducted in various sectors and in the service sector, in particular. One of the best areas where the experiential marketing approach can be examined and the obtained results can be implemented successfully is the tourism and hotel management sector which is one of the most important dynamics of service sector. In this study, it was aimed at determining the hedonic and rational experiences of guests accommodating in the "boutique hotels" as a sub-branch of tourism and hospitality sector and examining the relationships of these experiences with the behavioral tendencies in the future.Research was planned in the model of field study on the basis of quantitative research method. At the research process, firstly, a literature review was performed and conceptual framework was drawn up. Later on, a questionnaire was developed by using various scales which were used in studies showing similarity to the present research and were tested in terms reliability and validity. Through this questionnaire, data were collected via convenience sampling from 396 participantsconsisting of local and foreign guests staying in the boutique hotels in Cappadocia Region.The data were analyzed through SPSS statistical package software programme. MultiVariate Variance Analysis was conducted in order to determine whether hedonic and rational service experience levels of participants in a boutique hotel vary depending on their personal characteristics while Pearson Correlation Analysis was performed so as to determine whether there is a linear relationship between sub-dimensions of participants' hedonic and rational service experiences and their future behavioral tendencies. Standard Multiple Regression Analysis was also employed to determine primary experience types affecting the behavioral tendencies in future.The obtained findings indicated that hedonic and rational experiences did not differ by personal characteristics, there were strong, positive relationships between sub-dimensions of hedonic and rational experiences and future behavioral tendencies. In terms of primary experience types affecting future behavioral tendencies of participants, cleanliness, fantasy, social and aesthetic experiences stand out. It is thought that these results will provide important clues to the boutique hotel managers in determining the priorities for designing guest experiences.1.Experiental Marketing2.Experience Economy3.Boutique Hotel4.Boutique Hotel Guest Experiences5.Guest Experience Management