Customer Journey in the Accommodation Sector

Jude Mark T. Molay; James Q. Grefalde

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.79889

Customer Journey in the Accommodation Sector

Author(s)	Mr. Jude Mark T. Molay, Dr. James Q. Grefalde
Country	Philippines
Abstract	This study examined the customer journey in the accommodation sector of Surigao del Sur, Philippines, with emphasis on the major experience domains of pre-booking, booking process and interaction, arrival and check-in, accommodation, and post-stay experience and feedback. It also assessed the level of satisfaction of respondents in terms of emotional and psychological factors, identified the domain that significantly influenced overall satisfaction, explored the challenges and barriers encountered by guests, and proposed an evidence-based framework for service enhancement. The study employed an explanatory-sequential mixed methods design. Quantitative data were gathered from 399 tourists through a researcher-made questionnaire, while qualitative data were obtained through open-ended responses and key informant insights. Descriptive statistics, weighted mean, and multiple regression analysis were used for the quantitative phase, while Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis guided the qualitative data treatment. Findings revealed that respondents generally reported high levels of pre-booking experience, booking process and interaction, arrival and check-in experience, accommodation experience, post-stay experience and feedback, and overall satisfaction. Regression analysis showed that accommodation experience was the strongest predictor of overall satisfaction, followed by post-stay experience and arrival and check-in experience, while pre-booking and booking process and interaction did not significantly predict satisfaction. The qualitative findings further revealed recurring challenges and barriers related to expectation–reality gaps, pricing and payment concerns, booking system issues, operational inefficiency, and weak post-stay support. Based on these findings, the study proposed an Integrated Customer Experience Enhancement Framework centered on trust and transaction integrity in hospitality. The study contributes to hospitality research by providing localized evidence on customer journey dynamics and by offering a practical framework for strengthening customer satisfaction and loyalty in provincial accommodation settings.
Keywords	Customer Journey, Accommodation Sector, Customer Satisfaction, Service Quality, Trust and Transaction Integrity
Field	Business Administration
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-29
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.79889

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Customer Journey in the Accommodation Sector

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