The experience of luxury in historic hotels: The case of Palácio de Seteais

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to evaluate the perception of luxury in historic hotels from the perspective of employees, identifying the key factors that contribute to a luxury experience for guests. The interaction between employees and guests and the experience that employees have regarding the demands and behaviours of guests in luxury hotels allows employees to have opinions and perspectives on the main factors influencing this market. Thus, this research was structured to understand the key factors within the perception of luxury and its relationship within the hotel industry through historic hotels. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with different members and former members of the Tivoli Palacio de Seteais Hotel. The results allowed us to conclude that luxury is currently based on the customer experience, for which its main factor is the service of the staff. The fact of being a historic hotel attracts an exclusive and select public that wishes to enjoy the essence that the walls and decoration of these hotels keep. These results show a relationship between the luxury experience and the concept of a historic hotel, and, therefore, it helps the hotel industry to define more objectively which markets to operate in and the most appropriate marketing strategies.