Description
The mobile business has gained significant attention in management research due to the increasing popularity of mobile devices and the maturity of related technologies (Yan et al., 2022). The increasing value of mobility and the on-the-go apps (Chun-Chi Lu et al., 2017), allows users to consume services anytime and anywhere. Mobile devices have introduced both easiness and convenience for contemporary travellers for actions such as shopping products and services on-the-go (Ozturk et al., 2016). Thereafter, mobile apps help travel-related companies provide exciting, interesting, and innovative experiences for their customers (Kuo et al., 2019).
However, adopting such technologies alone, may not in itself lead to competitive advantage (Kim & Law, 2015), unless there is investment by hotels to enhance engagement. For advance engagement other industries should be looking at the of the rapid development in video game industry (Cai et al., 2022), for innovative technologies (Phillips, 2018). Gaming industry understood that players’ participation is voluntary, meaning that their first decision is whether to play at all (Morgan McGuire, 2008), which led to studies (Bartle, 2004; Yee, 2006; Demetrovics et al., 2011; Merikivi et al., 2017), investigating elements making games fun for players to engage with. These studies formed multiple typologies of players providing useful tools for designers to promote mechanics that are likely to enhance the sense of fun leading to engagement with the game. Even though mobile apps bring huge benefits to consumers, there has been very few research on the element of fun as a factor affecting the use of mobile apps for hotels (Kuo et al., 2019).
Fun is a subjective term, and it results different meanings that must go into an app to make it fun for everyone. To address this gap, this study aims to understand the element of fun for users when using hotels’ mobile apps. To achieve the aim this research used a qualitative methodological approach focusing on exploring hotel visitors’ opinions, on mobile apps to understand the characteristics that would create a fun ecosystem within the technology. The idea is that, if the active ingredients that make a mobile app fun could be discovered, then marketers can put them into their digital technologies and make it engage.
Semi-structured interviews used with hotel visitors under the condition that they have experience with mobile applications. Data saturation achieved at 19 interviews, but 6 more interviews were carried out in case new information arose. Thematic analysis revealed the meaning of fun for hotel visitors when they use mobile applications for the hospitality industry. Participants revealed seven meanings of fun (socialising, achievement, competitiveness, challenge, explore, interactivity and personalisation) when using the technology. Discussion with the participants, showed some details on the application for some of these elements of fun. For the competitiveness element to be satisfied a mobile app should include a leaderboard; achievement is satisfied in a point and levelling up system and personalization will include avatars. In terms of exploration, it is significantly important to include tasks promoting exploring the destination around the hotel and not the technology itself.
Similarly with games, hotel mobile apps could use the elements of fun, to promote similar levels of engagement with the system. Despite previous studies focus on understanding the meaning of fun when playing games (e.g. Bartle, 2004; Yee, 2006) none of the existing studies focus on understanding the meaning of fun when using a mobile app in the context of the hospitality industry. Hence, this study extended understanding of fun elements when using hotels’ mobile apps. Findings support that users are likely to engage with the technology if they find it fun. Consequently, this will result a higher tendency to make a purchase from the technology. Finally, it should be acknowledged that this study came with limitations. Participants are from age of 18-34 years old, meaning that the results are based on younger generations rather than an overall point of view. Also, the demographics of the sample come from four countries, meaning that it is not a worldwide sample, but more of a representative one. Finally, since this research followed a qualitative path, it is suggested a quantitative future research could generalise the results.
