Customer Experience using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion - A Content Analysis Approach

Abstract

Purpose: This research examines customer experiences at heritage hotels using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion as a framework. The objective is to identify and analyze the emotional responses of guests, offering insights into how these emotions affect perceptions of service quality, ambiance, and overall satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach: The study applies a content analysis methodology, applying sentiment analysis tools to online reviews of heritage hotels. R programming is employed to analyze reviews and categorize emotional expressions according to the eight fundamental emotions delineated by Plutchik’s model: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, rage, and anticipation.

Findings: The study shows a range of feelings about customers' experiences, and we find that Joy and Trust are the main predictors of positive emotions. Sadness and Fear are negative emotions that have been related to specific service failures or expectations that were not satisfied. The findings shed light on the emotional value of heritage hotels' distinctive qualities, such as their architecture, cultural authenticity, and personalized service, in determining the level of satisfaction experienced by customers.

Originality/value: This study contributes to the expanding corpus of literature on customer experience by incorporating Plutchik's Wheel of Emotion into the study of online reviews. It presents an innovative perspective on how emotional responses might function as essential metrics for evaluating the efficacy of heritage hotels in providing outstanding guest experiences. The study offers practical tips for hospitality professionals to improve customer experience by positively managing emotions. And also not engage in activities leading to negative experiences. Heritage hotels boosts of niche customer segmentation and hence superior customer experience is expected.