Hospitality Art Experience Model: The Effects of Visual Art on Guests’ Attitudes and Behavior

Abstract

Art evokes a wide range of effects, including emotional, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes. Despite the growing recognition of the role of art in tourism and hospitality, there is a gap in understanding how the different attributes of visual art influence guests’ responses. This perspective paper aims to address this gap by introducing a conceptual framework of the effects of visual art attributes on guests’ perceptions and behavioral intentions and calls for future research on the effects of different art characteristics in hospitality settings. Various attributes of visual art, such as the style, content, size, context, color palette, and thematic relevance of artworks, can serve as antecedents to guest experiences. Several factors can moderate the relationships between different art attributes and perceptions of art, including socio-demographic characteristics, personality traits, cultural differences, familiarity with art, and prior experiences. Hotel or vacation rental characteristics, including price, service quality, ratings, amenities, and other factors, can also interact with art perceptions in shaping attitudes toward the accommodation and behavioral intentions. A combination of survey methods, interviews, experience sampling, experiments, and emerging techniques can be applied in future studies to explore the effects of visual art and its attributes on guest and business outcomes. The proposed framework brings important implications for both academic scholarship and industry practice.

1. Introduction

Art is described as the expression of human creativity and has a wide range of forms and activities, including painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, music, and many others [1,2]. The effects of art on people are diverse and profound, encompassing affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. Art has the power to evoke a wide variety of feelings, from joy and awe to sadness and contemplation [3]. Moreover, art has been proven to stimulate cognitive processes such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity [4]. By engaging with art, people can enhance their cognitive abilities and gain new insights into the world around them. Additionally, art can influence attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions. Exposure to art in public spaces has been associated with increased prosocial behavior and community engagement, fostering a sense of belonging and cohesion among individuals [5,6].

Visual art comprises works expressed through visual means and appreciated by sight, such as paintings, photos, or sculptures [7,8]. Visual art attributes encompass a wide range of characteristics that contribute to its aesthetic and the impact of artwork on people. In addition to style, technique, subject matter, and medium, attributes such as size, content, and color play important roles in shaping the impact of artwork [9]. Size influences the physical presence and scale of an artwork, affecting how it interacts with the surrounding space. Content refers to the themes depicted in artworks, conveying the artist’s intentions and inviting viewers to engage with deeper meanings. Color has an emotive and symbolic significance and evokes viewers’ specific moods, symbolic associations, and emotional responses from viewers. These diverse attributes contribute to the artistic experience and influence people’s feelings, attitudes, and behavior [10,11].

Studies of the effects of visual art in hospitality settings have revealed its potential to enhance the atmosphere, evoke positive emotions, and create memorable experiences [12,13,14,15]. Art installations, curated exhibitions, and artistic decor have often become integral components of the hospitality experience, contributing to the overall aesthetic appeal and immersive atmosphere of hotels, restaurants, and resorts. However, despite the growing recognition of the role of art in hospitality, there is a gap in understanding how different art attributes influence guests’ responses. While some studies have explored the effects of specific art forms or styles, such as paintings, sculptures, or installations, on guest perceptions, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the nuanced relationships between various art attributes and guests’ experiences. This paper aims to address this gap by introducing a conceptual framework of the effects of visual art attributes on guests’ emotions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions and calls for future research on the effects of different art characteristics in hospitality settings.

2. The Effects of Art

Art has been shown to have multifaceted effects on various aspects of human cognition, emotion, and behavior across different contexts. Exposure to art can capture and sustain people’s attention, leading to increased engagement and focus [11]. Studies in museum settings have demonstrated that visually stimulating artworks can enhance visitor satisfaction, experience, and recommending behavior [16]. Moreover, art-based interventions have been found to improve attentional focus and cognitive functioning in clinical settings, suggesting the potential therapeutic effects of art on enhancing attentional and mental processes [17].

Art has long been recognized as a trigger of emotions that has the potential to evoke a wide range of affective experiences [18]. Studies have shown that viewing artworks can elicit emotions such as joy, awe, or sadness [19,20,21,22]. Neuroimaging research has also explored the neural mechanisms underlying emotional responses to art, involving the brain regions associated with reward processing, empathy, and aesthetic appreciation [23,24,25]. Art possesses persuasive qualities that can shape people’s attitudes and values. Studies have investigated the effects of art-based interventions on attitudes toward cultural norms and social issues. Visual art techniques employed in advertising campaigns have been shown to influence attitudes and behavioral intentions [26]. Additionally, art design elements in branding and marketing have been found to impact consumer preferences and purchase behavior [27].

Art can influence people’s behavioral intentions and decision-making processes through its persuasive and motivational qualities [28]. Research in consumer behavior and environmental psychology has examined the effects of art-based interventions on consumer preferences, purchase intentions, and pro-environmental behaviors. Aesthetic design elements have been found to enhance product attractiveness and perceived value, leading to increased purchase intentions [29]. Furthermore, art-based interventions have been shown to inspire pro-environmental actions and social change [30]. The effects of art have been examined in diverse settings, including education, consumer behavior, and healthcare, with implications for learning, healing, and social interactions [8,31]. Overall, the literature emphasizes the transformative nature of art as a means of engaging, motivating, and influencing people in various settings.

Art plays a crucial role in enhancing guest experiences in hotels and other hospitality settings, extending from the rooms to common areas like lobbies, restaurants, and bars. Boutique and lifestyle hotels have particularly utilized this trend, focusing on incorporating art into their design to reflect local or international culture [32]. By integrating local cultural landmarks and artistic resources, hotels can offer innovative services that attract guest attention and contribute to a unique hospitality experience. Collaboration between hotels and artists creates authentic environments, showcasing a variety of artworks by established artists and emerging talents [33]. The integration of art into the hospitality experience transforms some hotels into immersive art installations where guests actively engage with the artistic environment, while art also serves as an additional entertainment factor [34]. It is important to explore the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of the effects of art in hospitality in order to improve the effectiveness of hospitality businesses, enhance guests’ experience, and contribute to positive changes.

3. Hospitality Art Experience Model

A conceptual framework can be useful in understanding the nuanced effects of art on guest experiences in hospitality settings. The Hospitality Art Experience Model, designed to represent the complex relationships between various attributes of art, guest characteristics, hotel characteristics, and outcomes, can serve as a guiding framework for understanding and managing the effects of visual art in hospitality settings (Figure 1).

Various attributes of visual art can serve as antecedents to guest experiences. These attributes encompass the style, content, size, context, color palette, and thematic relevance of artworks within hospitality spaces [8,9]. Content refers to the subject matter, themes, and narratives depicted in artworks, while style encompasses the artistic techniques and movements employed by artists. Color, quality, and size play crucial roles in shaping the visual impact and aesthetic appeal of artworks, while placement and thematic relevance influence their accessibility and resonance with guests. A range of hospitality business outcomes are associated with guest attitudes and behavioral intentions, including willingness to book, recommend, and promote the hotel or vacation rental. The perception of art mediates the relationship between different art attributes and outcomes. Visual art has been shown to capture guests’ attention, evoke emotional responses, shape attitudes and perceptions, enhance satisfaction levels, influence behavioral intentions, and contribute to the overall guests’ experience [10,11,18].

Several factors can moderate the relationships between visual art attributes and perceptions of art. These moderators include socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, income, or social status [35,36]. Personality traits and cultural differences can also serve as important moderators in the relationship between different attributes of art and guest outcomes in hospitality settings [37,38,39]. Individuals with different personality traits may respond differently to various art attributes based on their psychological dispositions. For example, individuals high in openness to experience may be more receptive to abstract and unconventional art styles, whereas those high in conscientiousness may prefer representational and structured compositions. Similarly, cultural differences influence perceptions of art and aesthetic preferences, with individuals from different cultural backgrounds exhibiting varying degrees of familiarity, appreciation, and interpretation of art [40].

Factors such as familiarity with art, travel experience, and hotel characteristics (e.g., price, quality, ratings, and amenities), as well as the interrelationships between them, may also moderate the effects of art on guest experiences. Hotel or vacation rental characteristics, including price, service quality, ratings, amenities, and other factors, can also interact with art perceptions in shaping attitudes toward the accommodation and behavioral intentions. Hotel star ratings and accommodation infrastructure were found to have important effects on guests’ attitudes [41]. For example, in upscale hotels or vacation rentals, the presence of artwork may be perceived as a reflection of the exclusivity of the property, while in budget accommodations, the perception of art will not have a significant impact on attitudes and behavioral intentions compared to cleanliness, safety, and other factors [42]. At the same time, in accommodations with a wide range of amenities and technological innovations, visual art perceptions can be leveled out with the oversupply of other facilities, while guests in accommodations lacking amenities may rely more heavily on the aesthetic appeal of artwork perceptions in shaping their attitudes toward the property and behavioral intentions [43]. Online reviews were also found to have the highest impact on guests’ attitudes and booking intentions [44].

The conceptual Hospitality Art Experience Model describes the relationships between various visual art attributes, perceptions of art, and guests’ attitudes and behavioral intentions, moderated by different guests’ and accommodations’ characteristics. It can provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the effects of visual art in tourism and hospitality. However, the model is not holistic and does not include the whole range of factors affecting guests’ attitudes and behavioral intentions for conceptual clarity. Future research is necessary to validate the model and explore the effects of visual art on guests’ attitudes and behavior.

4. Exploring the Effects of Visual Art on Guests’ Attitudes and Behavior

Exploring the effects of visual art and its attributes on guest experience and outcomes in hospitality settings requires a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates various research methods [45]. First, surveys offer an opportunity to collect self-reported data from guests regarding their perceptions, preferences, and experiences with art in hospitality settings [46,47,48]. By administering structured questionnaires, researchers can gather insights into guests’ attitudes toward different art attributes, their emotional responses to artworks, satisfaction levels, and behavioral intentions. In-depth interviews provide an opportunity to explore guests’ experiences with art in greater depth and detail [47]. Through semi-structured interviews, researchers can delve into guests’ motivations for engaging with art, their interpretations of specific artworks, and how art influences their overall hospitality experience. Interviews allow for a deeper understanding of guests’ subjective perceptions and preferences regarding art, as well as insights into the contextual factors that shape their responses.

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) involves collecting real-time data on guests’ experiences and behaviors through repeated assessments at random or predetermined intervals [49]. ESM can be particularly useful for capturing the dynamics of guests’ experiences with art in hospitality settings, as it allows for the assessment of instant changes in emotions, attention, and engagement.

Several discrete modeling techniques like conjoint analysis can serve as a powerful method for understanding how guests value different attributes of art and their relative importance in shaping guest preferences [50]. This method provides insights into the underlying preferences and priorities that drive guests’ choices in hospitality art environments. However, only experimental research design offers a rigorous tool to isolate the effects of specific art attributes on guest outcomes by controlling for extraneous variables [51]. Through carefully designed experiments, researchers can manipulate various art stimuli (e.g., content, style, and color) and assess their impact on attention, emotions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. The experimental approach enables researchers to establish causal relationships between art attributes and guest responses, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying art’s effects in hospitality settings.

Advancements in technology have led to the development of emerging methods for studying the effects of art on guest outcomes. Psychophysiological and neurological measures, such as heart rate variability, skin conductance, or event-related potentials, can provide objective indicators of guests’ emotional arousal and engagement with art [52,53,54]. Pupillometry, which involves measuring changes in pupil size, offers insights into cognitive processing and attentional allocation in response to visual stimuli, while eye-tracking data can be useful in measuring guests’ attention toward particular art attributes. Online testing tools, such as time-on-task, click-through rates, A/B testing, etc., can be also used to assess the impact of art-related content in hospitality contexts. In addition, emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance the study of art in tourism and hospitality [55,56]. VR and AR platforms can create immersive art experiences for guests, while AI algorithms can analyze guest feedback and preferences to optimize art curation and placement in hospitality settings.

5. Conclusions and Future Research

The Hospitality Art Experience Model offers valuable insights into the use of art to enhance guest experience and improve the effectiveness of hospitality businesses. A combination of survey methods, interviews, experience sampling, experiments, and emerging technologies can be used to explore the effects of visual art and its attributes on guest outcomes. Each method offers unique advantages, allowing researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between art and guest experiences.

The Hospitality Art Experience Model has significant implications for both academic scholarship and industry practice. From an academic standpoint, the model contributes to the advancement of knowledge by describing relationships between art attributes and guest experiences. By providing a theoretical framework for analyzing and interpreting the impact of art in hospitality environments, the model can serve as the groundwork for future research endeavors aimed at exploring new avenues of inquiry and generating actionable insights for the hospitality industry. The conceptual model is not holistic and does not include some previously described factors affecting guests’ attitudes and behavioral intentions that are not directly related to the effects of visual art for the sake of conceptual clarity. Future empirical studies should validate the reliability and validity of the model and test the effects of additional factors on business and guest outcomes.

From a practical perspective, the proposed model offers valuable guidance for hospitality managers, online travel agencies, peer-to-peer economy platforms, destination marketing organizations, and other stakeholders. The model can be useful in hospitality marketing and help strategically place visual artworks in rooms and lobbies aiming at attracting attention, influencing guests’ attitudes, and encouraging booking intentions. Hotels, hosts, and vacation rental managers can collaborate with local artists and art galleries to display various artworks and evaluate their effects on business outcomes. By evaluating the effects of various art attributes on guest perceptions and behaviors, hospitality professionals can strategically curate art experiences to establish brand loyalty, increase satisfaction, and cultivate emotional connections with their guests. Furthermore, the model informs marketing strategies, experiential design initiatives, and destination branding efforts, empowering stakeholders to leverage art as a strategic asset in motivating guests’ visitations and maximizing their experience.

Directions for future research in hospitality art encompass a range of avenues aimed at deepening the understanding of the interplay between art attributes, guest experiences, and outcomes centered on both business and guests. Some potential directions include further investigation into specific art attributes such as content, style, color, and placement that can shed light on their differential effects on guest perceptions and behaviors. Experimental and cross-sectional studies examining the impact of different art styles or thematic content on guest outcomes could provide valuable insights for hospitality. Research focusing on moderating factors, such as socio-demographic characteristics, familiarity with art, and travel experience, can elucidate how individual differences influence the relationship between art and guest experiences. Understanding how personality traits and cultural differences moderate the effects of art attributes on guest outcomes can provide valuable insights for hospitality professionals in designing art experiences that resonate with diverse guest populations and develop unique propositions for each guest category. Understanding these interaction effects can inform targeted marketing strategies and personalized guest experiences.

Using emerging methodology from different disciplines will help to investigate the relationships outlined in the model. Future studies can gather rich data on guests’ interactions with art throughout their hospitality journey by using the Experience Sampling Method and administering brief surveys via mobile devices. Lab and field experiments should be conducted to explore the role of each art attribute in influencing guests’ attitudes and behavioral intentions by controlling for the effects of other factors. As promising directions for future research, psychophysiological and neuroimaging techniques can be used to explore the effects of color, content, and other affective attributes, as well as guests’ attention, memory enhancement, emotional states, and other reactions to visual art objects in hospitality settings.

Visual art also possesses the potential to influence guest-centered outcomes within hospitality experiences, notably affecting guests’ well-being and personal transformation. Well-being is related to positive emotional states, positive functioning, and self-fulfillment [57], while the aesthetic experience of art has the potential to reduce stress, evoke positive emotions, and increase mindfulness [58]. Tourism and hospitality aesthetic experiences were found to bring positive changes to people’s beliefs, vision of self, and personality [59]. Encounters with art have also been shown to effectively challenge people’s perspectives and worldviews [60]. Various art forms serve as instruments for fostering social interactions with other people and better understanding themselves [61]. Future research can explore the effects of visual art characteristics and moderation factors from the Hospitality Art Experience Model on guests’ self-changes and personal transformation.

Longitudinal research designs could explore the temporal dynamics of guest experiences with art over time, allowing for the assessment of how perceptions and attitudes change with prolonged exposure. Such studies can provide insights into the long-term effects of art on guest satisfaction, loyalty, and overall well-being. Furthermore, comparative studies across different cultural contexts can reveal the cultural factors that influence the interpretation and impact of art in hospitality settings. By examining cross-cultural variations in guest feelings, attitudes, and behaviors, researchers can identify culturally sensitive art strategies that resonate with diverse guest populations. Incorporating experiential research methods such as ethnography, phenomenology, and participatory design can provide deeper insights into the subjective experiences of guests with art in hospitality settings. These qualitative approaches can capture the lived experiences and meaning-making processes underlying guests’ interactions with art in hospitality settings. Overall, in addition to the effects of art on guests’ emotions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions, further research should investigate the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of these effects in terms of enhancing guests’ well-being.