Transformative Service Research in Hospitality

Abstract

Abstract The goal of the paper is to investigate how sustainable hospitality companies accomplish the transformative potential of their business for improving the individual and collective well-being in the tourism and hospitality industry. Hence, we took into consideration the case of the Albergo Diffuso (AD), an innovative Italian model of hospitality. We adopted a case study approach based on 17 semi-structured interviews with key informants and a netnographic study analysing 1302 comments of previous guests - 286 in English and 1016 in Italian - on the popular booking website Tripadvisor. From the data analysis, five recurring themes emerged: Sustainability Concerns, Reciprocal Exchange, Mutual Network, Cultural Views, and Authentic Experience. These represent the Transformative Factors that impact on the individual and collective well-being from a hedonic and eudaimonic perspective in hospitality organisations.