Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationships between motives, skepticism and brands evaluations in the LGBT-friendly branding hotels context.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey is created and 278 LGBT participants are recruited through a consumer panels firm. The research model is tested through structural equation modeling.

Findings

Values-, stakeholder- and strategic-driven motives are negatively related to skepticism, while egoistic-driven motive is positively related to skepticism. Also, sexual orientation openness moderates the relationship between stakeholder-driven motives and skepticism. Finally, skepticism is negatively related to brands evaluations.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings are limited to the LGBT-friendly hotels. However, this research contributes to the CSR and LGBT consumer research by examining the relationships between the four motives and skepticism considering LGBT customers’ sexual orientation openness level.

Practical implications

Hotels should devote greater efforts to communicating that their LGBT-friendly branding efforts are genuine by acknowledging both the social benefits and the business interests.

Social implications

As more and more hotels promote themselves as LGBT-friendly brands, a key challenge is reducing skepticism by appropriately conveying their motives. This research sheds light on this critical issue.

Originality/value

Although existent research on LGBT-friendliness has established its importance; there is a lack of understanding as to how customers perceive LGBT-friendly branding hotels. This research examines the four motives of hotels presenting themselves as being LGBT-friendly and their relationships to skepticism.

中文翻译：

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客户对 LGBT 友好型品牌酒店的归因和怀疑

目的

本文旨在研究 LGBT 友好品牌酒店背景下的动机、怀疑和品牌评估之间的关系。

设计/方法论/途径

我们创建了一项在线调查，并通过一家消费者小组公司招募了 278 名 LGBT 参与者。通过结构方程模型对研究模型进行了检验。

发现

价值观、利益相关者和战略驱动的动机与怀疑主义呈负相关，而利己主义驱动的动机与怀疑主义呈正相关。此外，性取向的开放性调节了利益相关者驱动的动机与怀疑之间的关系。最后，怀疑与品牌评价呈负相关。

研究局限性/影响

研究结果仅限于 LGBT 友好型酒店。然而，考虑到 LGBT 客户的性取向开放程度，本研究通过考察四种动机与怀疑主义之间的关系，为企业社会责任和 LGBT 消费者研究做出了贡献。

实际影响

酒店应通过承认社会效益和商业利益，付出更大努力来传达其 LGBT 友好品牌努力的真实性。

社会影响

随着越来越多的酒店将自己宣传为 LGBT 友好品牌，一个关键的挑战是通过适当地传达其动机来减少怀疑。这项研究揭示了这个关键问题。

原创性/价值

尽管现有关于 LGBT 友好性的研究已经确立了其重要性；人们对顾客如何看待 LGBT 友好型品牌酒店缺乏了解。这项研究探讨了酒店将自己标榜为 LGBT 友好的四种动机及其与怀疑论的关系。