Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Hotel Management

Investigation into the Hotel Brand Consciousness of Religious and Leisure Travellers in Saudi Arabia

by

Sultan Al Saeed

School of Management University of Surrey September 2010

Sultan Al Saeed

ABSTRACT
Brand consciousness is considered a vital feature in business, and particularly in the hotel industry. In addition, expanding through branding is an important strategy to attract different market segments and ultimately to attain brand loyalty. Therefore, this research is aimed at highlighting several decisive aspects of brand consciousness based on two main segments of travellers in Saudi Arabia: religious and leisure travellers. This research investigates the fundamental aspects of brandingthat is, brand definition, brand consciousness, brand equity, and branding strategy. It highlights the influence of branding on customer satisfaction, and how branding can create brand loyalty.

Descriptive and exploratory research is used to gain new insights and assess current phenomena. In addition, SPSS software is the primary tool which analysed the data that were collected from the participants. Moreover, the t-test was used to analyse the differences between the two groups of this study. Furthermore, a correlation coefficient was employed to describe the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables. The results show that there is no significant difference between religious travellers brand consciousness and leisure travellers brand consciousness. In addition, another important aspect of the two groups was investigated. First, brand loyalty proneness is popular among both religious and leisure travellers. Moreover, repeat purchases are a prominent attribute that emphasises the loyalty behaviour. Furthermore, the correlation between brand consciousness and customer satisfaction is a moderate positive relationship whereas the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty proneness is weak. Therefore, marketers are urged to utilize the proper strategy for each segment to reinforce the brand consciousness and the brand loyalty of the two groups. In addition, loyalty programmes have a decisive role in underpinning the relationships between customers and hotel providers. Finally, this paper provides suggestions for future investigation.

Declaration I hereby declare that this dissertation has been composed by myself and has not been presented or accepted in any previous application for a degree. The work, of which this is a record, has been carried out by myself unless otherwise stated and where the work is mine, it reflects personal views and values. All quotations have been distinguished by quotation marks and all sources of information have been acknowledged by means of references including those of the internet

I agree that the University has the right to submit my work to the plagiarism detection service TurnitinUK for originality checks.

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Contents Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ....................................................................1 1.2 THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ......................................................................2 1.3 CHAPTER STRUCTURE ...................................................................................2 Chapter 2 - INTRODUCION TO THE TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA........................................................................4 2.1 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................4 2.2 TOURISM IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDIA ARABIA...................................5 2.2.1 Type of Occasions.........................................................................................6 2.2.2 The Impact of 9/11.......................................................................................6 2.2.3 Types of Tourism in Saudi Arabia................................................................7 2.2.4 Domestic Tourism.........................................................................................8 2.2.5 Inbound Tourism:..........................................................................................9 2.3 HOTEL DEVELOPMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA..........11 2.3.1 Types of Accomodations and Traveller Preferences ..................................13 2.4 CONCLUSION..................................................................................................15 Chapter 3 - THE LITERATURE OF BRANDING.....................................................16 3.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................16 3.2 DEFINITION OF BRANDING.........................................................................16 3.3 THE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDS .................................................................17 3.3.1 Service Brand Relationships .......................................................................19 3.4 BRAND CONSCIOUSNESS ............................................................................20 3.4.1 Definition of Brand Consciousness ............................................................20 3.4.2 Market Segmentation and Brand Consciousness........................................21 3.4.3 The Relationship between Promotions and Brand Consciousness .............22 3.4.4 Categories of Brand Consciousness............................................................23 3.4.5 Factors affecting Brand Consciousness ......................................................23 3.5 BRAND EQUITY..............................................................................................24 3.5.1 Brand Knowledege......................................................................................26 3.5.2 Brand Image................................................................................................27 3.5.3 Brand Awareness ........................................................................................29 3.5.4 Brand Strategy ............................................................................................31 3.6 DEFINITION OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION...........................................36 3.6.1 Customer Satisfaction as a Global Perspective...........................................36 3.6.2 Customer Loyalty and Brand Loyalty.........................................................37 3.7 CONCLUSION..................................................................................................41 Chapter 4 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..............................................................42 4.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................42 4.2 OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY........................................................................42 4.3 RELIGOUS AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS BRAND CONSCIOUSNESS 43 4.4 TYPE OF RESEARCH DESIGN......................................................................44 4.5 TYPE OF INVESTIGATION............................................................................46 4.5.1 Descriptive Study........................................................................................46 4.5.2 HYPOTHESIS TEST..................................................................................47 4.6 Conceptual Framework and Measurement ........................................................48 4.6.1 Measurement: Brand Consciousness and Brand Loyalty Proneness .........48

4.6.2 The Relationships among Brand Awareness, Brand Image, and Brand Loyalty .................................................................................................................49 4.6.3 Brand Image and Brand Awareness............................................................50 4.7 QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN............................................................................51 4.7.1 Dependent Variables:..................................................................................51 4.7.2 Independent Variable ..................................................................................52 4.7.3 Structure of Questionnaire ..........................................................................52 4.8 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH ..................................53 4.8.1 Qualitative Research ...................................................................................53 4.8.2 Quantitative Research .................................................................................53 4.8.3 Qualitative Research vs. Quantitative Research .........................................54 4.9 DATA COLLECTION ......................................................................................55 4.9.1 Primary Data Collection .............................................................................55 4.9.2 Secondary Data Collection .........................................................................55 4.10 SAMPLING .....................................................................................................56 4.10.1 Population .................................................................................................56 4.10.2 Sample Frame ...........................................................................................56 4.10.3 Sampling Design.......................................................................................56 4.10.4 Sample Size...............................................................................................56 4.10.5 Executing the Sampling Process...............................................................56 4.11 Non-Probability Sampling and Probability Sampling .....................................57 4.12 PILOT RESEARCH ........................................................................................57 4.13 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY...................................................................58 4.13.1 Reliability..................................................................................................58 4.13.2 Validity .....................................................................................................58 4.14 Data Collection and Sampling in the Current Research ..................................59 4.15 DATA ANALYSIS..........................................................................................59 4.16 CHAPTER SUMMARY..................................................................................60 Chapter 5 - FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS .................................................................61 5.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................61 5.2 PURPOSE OF TRAVELLING..........................................................................62 5.3 DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS .........................................................................66 5.3.1 Gender Distribution ....................................................................................66 5.3.2 Age Distribution..........................................................................................66 5.3.3 Education Distribution ................................................................................67 5.4 Questionnaire Reliability Test ...........................................................................68 5.4.1 Brand Consciousness Reliability Test ........................................................68 5.4.2 Brand Loyalty Proneness Reliability Test ..................................................68 5.4.3 Customer Satisfaction Reliability Test .......................................................68 5.4.4 Mean/Standard Deviation scores of Brand Consciousness Items...............69 5.5 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS RESULT .............................................................70 5.5.1 Brand Consciousness ..................................................................................70 5.5.2 Brand Loyalty Proneness ............................................................................73 5.5.3 Customer Satisfaction .................................................................................75 5.5.4 The Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty .......76 5.5.5 The Relationship between three variables (Customer satisfaction, brand consciouness, and brand loyalty) .........................................................................77 5.6 SUMMARY.......................................................................................................78

Chapter 6 - CONCLUSION.........................................................................................79 6.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................79 6.2 SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH ..................................................................79 6.2.1 Discussion of the Findings..........................................................................80 6.3 RECOMMENDATION OF THE MANAGERIAL APPLICATIONS.............82 6.3.1 Brand Consciusness and Brand Loyalty Proneness ....................................82 6.3.2 Customer Satisfaction and brand loyalty ....................................................83 6.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY.....................................................................83 6.5 FUTURE RESEARCH ......................................................................................84 6.6 CONCLUSION..................................................................................................85 References................................................................................................................80 Appendix......91

List of Tables
Table 2-1 International Tourism Growth in the Middle East ........................................6 Table 2-2 Percentage Distributions of Inbound Tourists by Purpose and Length of Stay ..............................................................................................................................10 Table 2-3 Hotel Classification in Saudi Arabia ...........................................................12 Table 2-4 Inbound Tourist Trips by Destination and Type of Accommodation (000) 14 Table 2-5 Average Length of Stay by Purpose of Visit and Type of Accommodation (Nights) ........................................................................................................................14 Table 2-6 Tourism Expenditure by Item and Purpose of Visit (Million SR) ..............15 Table 3-1 The Importance of Brand.............................................................................19 Table 4-1 Example of the Likert Scale ........................................................................52 Table 5-1 Collected Questionnaires.............................................................................61 Table 5-2 Purposes of Travelling (63 in Mecca, 64 in Jeddah) ...................................62 Table 5-3 Descriptive Statistics of Religious and Leisure Travellers .........................64 Table 5-4 Gender Distribution .....................................................................................66 Table 5-5 Brand Consciousness Reliability Test .........................................................68 Table 5-6 Brand Loyalty Proneness Reliability Test...................................................68 Table 5-7 Customer Satisfaction Reliability Test ........................................................68 Table 5-8 Hypothesis Test of Brand Consciousness (Religious travellers 47, Leisure travellers 61) ................................................................................................................71 Table 5-9 Total score of mean for the Brand Consciousness ......................................72 Table 5-10 Hypothesis Test of Brand Loyalty Proneness (Religious travellers 47, Leisure travellers 61) ...................................................................................................73 Table 5-11 Total score of mean for the Brand Loyalty Proneness ..............................74 Table 5-12 Pearson Correlation between Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty. 76 Table 5-13 Pearson Correlation (Customer Satisfaction, Brand Consciousness and Brand Loyalty) .............................................................................................................77

List of Figures
Figure 2-1 Statistical Summary For 2008 ......................................................................7 Figure 2-2 Main City Destination Visited by Month (000) ...........................................8 Figure 2-3 Percentages of Domestic Tourism Trips by Purpose of Visit ......................8 Figure 2-4 Distributions of Inbound Tourist Trips by Purpose of Visit ........................9 Figure 2-5 Percentage Distributions of International Tourist Arrivals by Length of Stay ................................................................................................................................9 Figure 2-6 Domestic Tourist Trips by Type of Accommodation Used .......................13 Figure 3-1 The benefits of branding ............................................................................18 Figure 3-2 Dimensions of Brand Knowledge ..............................................................26 Figure 3-3 The Service Branding Process ...................................................................28 Figure 3-4 Business Customer Satisfaction .................................................................36 Figure 4-1 The Research Process.................................................................................45 Figure 5-1 Purpose of Travelling.................................................................................63 Figure 5-2 Tourist Distribution....................................................................................63 Figure 5-3 Purpose of Travelling after Alteration .......................................................65 Figure 5-4 Age Distribution.........................................................................................66 Figure 5-5 Education Distribution ...............................................................................67 Figure 5-6 Mean and Standard Deviation of the Average Image ................................69 Figure 5-7 Customer Stay Distribution........................................................................75 Figure 5-8 Respondents who Stayed at the Hotel Before ............................................75

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List of abbreviations
1234567The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).1 Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA)....5 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO 2010)..5 Visit Friends and Relatives (VFR)..8 Tourism Information and Research Centre (MAS)....11 Cognitive Brand Consciousness (CBC)..23 Guest Comment Cards (GCC)....36

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Dedication and Acknowledgments

I dedicate this project to my parents as well as my brother Saeed. Thank you very much for motivating and advising me.

I also dedicate this project to my supervisor, Dr. Hesham Al Sabbahy. Thank you for your supervision and advice.

I cannot forget the great support I received from my wife Samirah over the period of my studies. Thank you very much. Last but not least, thanks to everyone who devoted his time to the hard work of collecting data.

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Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Branding is important to hotel management because it has a significant impact on customer sustainability. Hotels seek to increase their customer consciousness and loyalty towards the brand in order to achieve profitability and competitive advantage. Contemporary brands in the lodging industry are more than just the concrete symbols that are associated with them; they add an intangible value to the company. This was demonstrated in an investigation of almost 1,100 lodging transactions over the past 15 years (ONeill and Xiao 2006). Therefore, brand perception in the marketplace is considered a major target for firms to ensure their stability and competition in the market.

The outstanding global expansion of hotel branding demonstrates how branding is a fundamental feature of the hotel industry. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is considered a major target for investors in terms of using branding to establish relationships with both religious and leisure travellers. They have used several approaches and initiatives to cultivate these relationships. The basic way is to use the international hotel company brand, which has a significant impact in attracting brand devotees as well as building new relationships with new travellers. A brand represents a snapshot of the product and services that customers expect to find in that place. Therefore, the intangible brand is a competitive advantage for many investors as they are already well-known in the market.

Although branding reflects standardisation of hotel services, it is, inevitably, variable from customer to customer. The diversity among customers in their perception of the hotels brand consciousness has created more complexity in measuring the differences between brands. This has been somewhat resolved, however, by offering different strategies for all of the different potential customers.

KSA is distinguished among Muslim countries by the existence of the Two Holy Mosques in Mecca (Makkah) and Al Madinha Al Munwarah. Brand research in these areas is essential to determine the differences between religious travellers brand consciousness for the travellers to the Two Holy Mosques and leisure travellers brand consciousness in Saudi Arabia main cities. Hence, the research will be vital to gaining new insights about how these groups perceive the brands.

1.2 THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The aim of this research is to determine whether religious travellers' hotel brand consciousness is different from leisure travellers hotel brand consciousness in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: 1- To assess brand consciousness from a consumers perspective. 2- To investigate brand loyalty proneness from religious and leisure travellers points of view. 3- To examine the relationships between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

1.3 CHAPTER STRUCTURE

This study is divided into six chapters, as follows: Chapter 1 - Introduction: This chapter represents the importance and purpose of the research.

Chapter 2 - Background: This chapter provides a background of the hotel industry in KSA, as well as information, supported with figures and tables, about hotel development in KSA.

Chapter 3 - Literature Review: This chapter contains comprehensive concepts and theories regarding the topic of branding.

Chapter 4 - Methodology: This chapter provides the design and tools that have been used to collect the research data, such as the nature of the research and methods of investigation, questionnaire style, sampling, and the data collection methods. Chapter 5 - Findings and Analysis: The prime results and figures are represented in this chapter, along with a thorough academic analysis of what has been done in the research. This will include variables, correlations, as well as comparisons between data. Chapter 6 - Conclusion: This chapter provides the primary data from the research, including brief images and a summary of the information with an emphasis on key findings and limitations that were encountered during the research. This chapter concludes with recommendations and suggestions for future research in this field.

Chapter 2 - INTRODUCION TO THE TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Hospitality has long been a prominent profession among the Arab people in the Middle East. According to O'Gorman (2009), in the 7th century AD, Middle Eastern hosts used to invite guests and provide them with food and shelter without asking for payment, even though they were strangers. For instance, some tribes used to attract travellers at night by lighting fires at the tops of mountains. The hospitality continued for three nights, based on the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammed - Peace be upon him who encourages Muslims to welcome and host guests for three days to gain charity (Ibn Anas 1999). The environment and culture at these events did not attract investors, so the hotel industry was not popular in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, until the transportation and oil revolution in the 1970s (background note on countries of the world: Saudi Arabia 2008). By 1985, the private sector was invited to invest in Saudi Arabia, which was experiencing rapid growth in the service sector, especially in bank services. Today, the government of Saudi Arabia has started to diversify its economy and has reduced its dependence on oil as a primary source of income. The best method to achieve stability is to focus on other sources of income, such as tourism, economic cities, and technology.

Finally, hotel investment has developed rapidly as a result of the increased number of pilgrims to Mecca, as well as the growing number of travellers who want to perform Umrah and visit the Two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Al Madinah Al Munwarah during the month of Ramadan.

2.2 TOURISM IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDIA ARABIA

Tourism has grown significantly over the last ten years due to the considerable attention the government has paid to this industry. One of the most important steps was the establishment of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in 2000 (SCTA 2010). This governmental sector plays a vital role in developing the Saudi Arabian tourism industry by taking several actions and initiatives that have led to more sustainable tourism. Examples of these initiatives are as follows (SCTA 2010): 1- Setting rules and laws to protect investors and historical attractions. 2- Coordinating between direct and indirect sectors that are related to tourism. 3- Promoting several activities in different periods to encourage domestic and outbound tourists to contribute in the Saudi Tourism. 4- SCTA is responsible for ecotourism and other visitor attractions.

In addition, tourism in KSA has shown new signs of development, which are provided below:

1- According to the SCTA (2010), Saudi Arabia is ranked second among the Middle Eastern countries in income from tourism ($10 billion), and hotel occupancy (more than 60% in 2009). 2- Tourism Information and Research Centre (MAS) (2009) declare that inbound tourism is big business for KSA. It has generated over 26.5 billion Saudi Riyals, with 49% being spent by religious travellers and 42% by inbound travellers 3- In Table 2-1, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO 2009) states that the number of international tourism arrivals has increased from 8,620,000 in 2006 to 14,757,000 in 2008. This is a 72% increase over three years, On the other hand, domestic tourism for leisure purposes constitutes about 46%. 4- The aim of STCA is to reach 8.1 million inbound tourists in 2010 and 10.9 million by 20203 million from the non-Arab countries (Henderson 2005).

Table 2-1 International Tourism Growth in the Middle East

Source: (United Nation World Tourism Organization UNWTO. 2009, p. 9)

2.2.1 Type of Occasions

International tourists are often keen to experience the pilgrimage, which must be performed once in a lifetime in a particular month called Thu Al Hejjah by those who are physically and financial able (Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance, KSA 2010). In addition, because of the massive number of pilgrims and the small size of Mecca, there are tremendous capacity problems for hotels. In response, the Islamic Conference set a rule to accept one person among 1,000 of the total population of each country (Ministry of Hajj, KSA 2010).

In addition, there is another occasion that attracts Muslims to Mecca called Umrah. The Umrah ritual is optional and performed at any time over the year, so there are no limitations of visits.

Finally, the month of Ramadan is another holy occasion that prompts millions of people to visit Mecca and Al Madinah Al Munwarah.

2.2.2 The Impact of 9/11

The attack of September 11th, 2001, resulted in a reduction in the number of travellers to the West, which, in turn, increased domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia (Travel and Tourism Forecast Middle East and Africa 2005). This prompted the government to take action to encourage domestic and inbound tourists to vacation in Saudi Arabia.

2.2.3 Types of Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Figure 2-1 illustrates that within KSA there are three types of tourism: inbound, domestic, and outbound. Inbound tourism involves tourists coming from outside of KSA; domestic tourism involves tourists from within KSA; and outbound tourism involves KSA inhabitants leaving for other countries as tourists. This research will focus on two kinds of tourism in Saudi Arabia: domestic and inbound.

Figure 2-1 Statistical Summary For 2008

Source: (SCTA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 10)

2.2.4 Domestic Tourism

Domestic trips are when a person travels within his home country (Lawton and Weaver 2006).
Figure 2-2 Main City Destination Visited by Month (000)

Source: (SCTA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 38)

The graph above illustrates domestic tourism trips within different cities by month. It covers five cities: Jaddah, Al Riyadh, Mecca, Al Madinah, and Al Dammam. The graph illustrates that Jaddah is the most visited city within KSA.
Figure 2-3 Percentages of Domestic Tourism Trips by Purpose of Visit

Source: (STCA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 39)

The pie chart above shows the percentages of domestic tourism trips by purpose of visit. The highest percentage of domestic tourism trips by purpose of visit is covered by Leisure at 46.1%. The second most favoured domestic tourist trip is to visit friends and relatives (VFR) at 32.7%. Religious visits follow at 14.7%. Business is the fourth highest domestic tourism trip by purpose of visit at 4.5%, and Other is 2.1%.

2.2.5 Inbound Tourism:

Inbound tourism can be explained as a person travelling to another country (Lawton and Weaver 2006)
Figure 2-4 Distributions of Inbound Tourist Trips by Purpose of Visit

Source: (SCTA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 19)

The graph above highlights the different types of tourists and their percentages. The highest tourism percentage (42%) comprises religious travellers who aim to perform Hajj and Umrah, as well as to visit Mecca during the month of Ramadan. Moreover business visits encompass 25% of tourism, with VFR following at 19%. Finally, Leisure/Shopping and Other follow, encompassing 8% and 6% respectively.
Figure 2-5 Percentage Distributions of International Tourist Arrivals by Length of Stay

Source: (STCA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 29)

The figure above illustrates the percentage allocations of international tourist arrivals by length of stay. The highest percentage of international tourist arrival stay is 15-28 days, which is coloured in yellow. While 1-3 nights covered 18%, 4-7 nights covered 24%, 8-14 nights covered 15%, 29-90 nights covered 14%, and more than 91 nights covered 2% of international tourist arrivals.

Table 2-2 Percentage Distributions of Inbound Tourists by Purpose and Length of Stay

Source: (STCA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 29)

The above table indicates the percentages of the distribution of inbound tourists by purpose and length of stay. The table shows that religion (49%) plays a huge part in the purpose of stay within KSA. This is because the pilgrims want to carry out the ordained Hajj and stay for long periods of time during the month of Ramadan. The second largest percentage is taken by tourists carrying out business, having a total percentage of 18% throughout the different categories of lengths of stay. Moreover, VFR is at 15%, leisure is at 9%, and other purposes is at 8%.

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2.3 HOTEL DEVELOPMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The hotel industry has increased rapidly due to the increasing number of visitors from inbound tourism and the leisure travellers from domestic tourism. According to Mintle (2006), oil countries have the fastest hotel growth among Middle Eastern countries, which are consistently announcing new upscale and luxurious mega-hotel openings. In addition, several international hotel companies have taken a considerable market share by launching new hotels and contracts.

The development of the hotel industry in KSA can be explained as follows: 1- 2009 statistics conducted by the MAS showed that hotels supply the marketplace with more than 105,434 rooms.

2- Hotels are focused in Mecca and Jeddah with more than 60,000 rooms and 51 five-star hotels (MAS 2008).

3- The SCTA (2010) states that the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia provides 5% of the national workforce, including more than 71,000 jobs in the hotels. Saudinational workers constitute only 29% of this number. In addition, there are more than 237.981 jobs in the restaurant and coffee services industry and only 13% of these workers are Saudi nationals.

4- Recently, SCTA has improved the system of developing the classification of hotels, which in turn revealed a reform of the classification system. Even though the new classification system in Saudi Arabia failed to satisfy either the customers or hotel owners, the new development is aimed to enhance the productivity of hotel services to provide the best for their customers.

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In Table 2-3, hotels are ranked based on the star system, which is conducted by SCTA to grant the hotels the level they deserve.
Table 2-3 Hotel Classification in Saudi Arabia Total Number of No City Hotels 5 Star 4 Star 3 Star 2 Star

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15

Riyadh Jeddah Al Sharqiah Tyief Tabuk Al Baha Al Ahsa Al Jouf The Northern Borders Al Qasim Asir Jazan Najran Hail Total

47 31 32 7 4 2 3 1 3 5 9 3 6 1
154

10 5 8 3 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 0
33

6 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
12

13 17 8 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
44

18 9 12 3 3 1 1 0 3 3 5 3 3 1
65

Source: (STCA. 2010. Website)

It appears that Mecca and Al Madinah Al Munwarah are not included in this classification due to the complexity of classifying the hotels in these two holy cities. In addition, MAS (2010) updated the number of five-star hotels in Jeddah to seven. Furthermore, STCA (2010) states that the new classification system assessed more than 400 hotels and 243 of them did not achieve the minimum level. In general, the government has tried to improve the hospitality industry to provide good service for all visitors.

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2.3.1 Types of Accomodations and Traveller Preferences

There are four kinds of accommodation that are targeted by religious and leisure travellers during their visits: hotel, apartment, private, and other (i.e., hostels, health centres, tents, and hospitals). Traveller segments have various desires towards the marketing mix (Ling 2002) and each customer has brand preference which means the bias a customer holds toward a particular brand (Chan and Liu. 2009, p. 1690).
Figure 2-6 Domestic Tourist Trips by Type of Accommodation Used

Source: (STCA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 51)

Figure 2-6 is a pie chart illustrating the domestic tourist trips by type of accommodation used. The different areas of accommodation are hotels, apartments, private, and other. Apartment is the highest percentage of type of accommodation at 38.4%. The second highest is private accommodation at 38%; the third is hotels at 21%; and the fourth, at 2.6%, is other, which could be youth hostels, health centres, tents, and hospitals.

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Table 2-4 Inbound Tourist Trips by Destination and Type of Accommodation (000)

Source: (SCTA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 32)

The above table illustrates inbound tourist trips by destination and type of accommodation within KSA. Mecca shows the highest number of visitors, which are pilgrims who come to carry out the annual Hajj. The total number of visitors that use all the different types of accommodation amounts to 7,666. The most used type of accommodation in Mecca is hotels. The second most visited city is Al Riyadh, with 3,018 visitors. The third most visited city is Eastern, which has 2,648 visitors, with 1,222 favouring the use of hotels.
Table 2-5 Average Length of Stay by Purpose of Visit and Type of Accommodation (Nights)

Source: (SCTA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 30)

The table explains the average length of stay by purpose of visit and type of accommodation in nights within KSA. The top average at 23.3% comprises religious travellers. With regard to the type of accommodation, the highest average is apartments at 22.5%. The second highest average of 11.6% is taken by private accommodation such as a private house, a friend's home, or a relatives home. The third highest value is 11.1% and this is taken by hotels. Finally, other types of accommodation take up 8.3%.

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Table 2-6 Tourism Expenditure by Item and Purpose of Visit (Million SR)

Source: (SCTA, MAS Centre. 2008, p. 33)

The above table shows tourism expenditures by item and purpose of visit in Millions Saudi Riyals. Most of the tourism expenditures are in accommodation at 15,162 (42% of market share). Secondly, tourism expenditures in shopping are at 7,969 (22% of market share). Thirdly, tourism expenditures in domestic transportation are at 6,650 (18% of market share). Fourthly, tourism expenditures in food and beverages are at 4201 (12% of market share). Fifth, other is at 1,540 (4% of market share). Finally, recreation falls at 928 (3% of market share). Because KSA is the centre of the Islamic world, it plays a huge part in tourism expenditure items. Therefore, the total tourism expenditure items are at 17,727 (49% of market share). While, business takes 33% of the market share at 11,325, VFR covers 11% of market share at 3,903, leisure covers 7% of market share at 2,378, and other covers 3% of market share at 1,117 million.

2.4 CONCLUSION
Tourism and the hotel industry are a fundamental sector in the economy. Saudi Arabia is a fruitful area to find out more about the importance of branding. The considerable number of religious travellers to Mecca has created a new spot that needs to be explored. In addition, the noticeable concern about tourism in Saudi Arabia has encouraged research in this field. Nonetheless, branding has not yet been explored deeply in the context of leisure and religious travellers. Finally, hotel development has witnessed tremendous changes in the system as a result of government concern about the hotel industry.

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Chapter 3 - THE LITERATURE OF BRANDING

3.1 INTRODUCTION
Branding is a vital topic in the hospitality industry. Over the last two decades, the hotel industry expanded its market extensively through branding (Dev et al. 2009). Moreover, the strong relationship between customers and brands has created complexity in realising the different dimensions of brands. There are a number of dimensions of brands that hss been explained through different contexts and situations. This research intends to shed light on the prime dimensions that have decisive impacts on hotel brands. The topics reveal comprehensive insights and theories that might benefit academic researchers as well as hotel companies.

3.2 DEFINITION OF BRANDING

It is essential to define what branding is before explaining it any further. Several authors define branding in different ways, which makes it more complex. According to (Kotler. 2003, p. 216), a brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. Moreover, Gilbert (2003) summarises the concept of the brand as a means of delivering the message and promise of the organisation to its target. It would appear that customers determine the level of service or product through the brand. Customer perceptions of the brand should meet or exceed their expectations of fairness; if this is successful, it will gain their loyalty. The brand is not only related to the tangible product, it includes the whole experience, such as overall hospitality and the tourism destination itself (Gartner and Konecnik 2007, Tasci et al. 2007).

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3.3 THE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDS

The power of the brand depends heavily on the customers actions and initiatives to purchase the product. Branding is the key aspect that firms use to compete and hold on to their market share. Marketers and business owners realize how branding is a tool to generate a range of otherwise unattainable benefits. Therefore, several researchers have examined the profound effects of branding in the business world. For instance, Hsu and Lee (2010) have gathered a number of brand benefits that can be explained as follows: 1- Firms with strong labels are more likely to increase their status in the marketplace. 2- Branding leverages revenue and profit compared with other competitors. 3- The owner of the building can yield financial value by utilizing branding strategies. 4- Branding is a crucial method to decrease costs and risk, thereby attracting customers.

Brassington and Pettitt (2005) position the benefits of branding from three different perspectives: consumer, manufacturer, and retailer.

First, according to the consumers perspective: 1- Branding is the best method to identify the product. 2- Branding helps to communicate with the suppliers and receive daily information about the product. 3- The customer can assess the brand against the competition 4- Choosing a particular brand helps customers avoid the risks of buying new products. 5- Branding creates a product position in the crowded marketplace. 6- The customer is the producer of the product, which in turn cultivates satisfaction.

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Second, according to the manufacturers perspective: 1- Because of the customers preferences, branded companies can attract customers. 2- Firms use branding as protection against competition. 3- Different brands from one organisation can easily target different markets. 4- Customers are more likely to buy the product at a high price because of the reputation, quality, or prestige of the product. 5- It is easy to position the organisation at any location due to the previous knowledge that customers have about the brand. 6- Branding is a competitive advantage that strengthens the position of the firm. Third, according to the retailers perspective: 1- Branded products promote their goods, which also supports the retailer. 2- Well-known brands motivate customers to buy from the store. The following figure explains the benefits of branding:
Figure 3-1 The benefits of branding

Source: (Brassington and Pettitt. 2005, p. 181)

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In Table 3-1, the author of this research gathered the common benefits of branding from different scholars perspectives, and summarised the key benefits as follows:

Table 3-1 The Importance of Brand

No 1

The importance The brand is considered one of the most important intangible assets of the company

Scholars (Burmann et al. 2009, Martinez et al 2009, ONeill and Xiao 2006) (Choi and Roh 2010)

Franchisors can easily reach customers by applying branding strategies.

Brand portfolios are pivotal in the sustainability of financial growth.

(Kwun and Oh 2007)

It is a strategy to attain profit

(Persson 2010, Mattila and ONeill 2010).

Strong brands lead to loyalty.

(Aaker 1991, Gronroos 2007, Kotler and Armstrong 2009)

Branding creates a competitive advantage for firms

(Back and Lee 2010, Sangster et al. 2001, and Palmer 2009)

Source: Fieldwork

3.3.1 Service Brand Relationships

The hotel industry is very different from other businesses due to the nature of the service provided. In the lodging business, there are five key characteristics: intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity, perishability, and lack of ownership (see Berry et al. Problems and Strategies in Service Marketing 1985). As a result of the complexity of the service, Gronroos (2007) states that two circumstances should be taken into consideration: 1- In an industry that has no physical aspect such as goods, standardisation is the core concept in the service. Thus, service practice is the essence of the branding process. 2- In a tangible product, the brand refers to the production process. The service industry must imitate this idea in terms of providing a consistent, reliable productthat is, their service. Thus, branding is applicable in the service industry, even though there is no physical aspect to be referred to. 19

3.4 BRAND CONSCIOUSNESS

According to (Rausch 2002, ONeill and Mattila 2010), cross-cultural brand consciousness has not been investigated deeply, nor has the effect of age and gender towards brand consciousness. Moreover, Koll and Wallpach (2009) strongly recommend evaluating brands in terms of the various segments of customers. Religious travellers and leisure tourists in Saudi Arabia constitute a large market segment for hotel companies in Mecca and Al Madinah, as well as Jeddah. The numbers and figures cited in Chapter 2 indicate how hotel companies receive various segments of customers who have different aims and perceptions of hotel brands. For example, religious travellers might be more focused on performing the rituals of Hajj and Umrah and less likely to choose a particular brand. Therefore, brand strategies in Mecca might need reviewing to build new strategies to match these segments. The phenomenon of brand consciousness has a profound effect on consumer purchase decisions. Several researchers show how brand consciousness factors in decisionmaking behaviour.

3.4.1 Definition of Brand Consciousness

Brand consciousness means consumers orientations toward buying the more expensive, well-known and advertised brand (Sproles and Kendall. 1986, pp. 271272). Moreover, brand consciousness is the belief that well-known brands are superior to less well-known brands (Otter and Strebinger. 2001, p. 1). In addition, brand sensitivity is used to explain brand consciousness, which refers to the psychological behaviour of the customer before deciding to buy the product (Beaudoin et al. 2003). According to (Hutton. 1997 p. 430), brand sensitivity is the likelihood of buying a well-known brand instead of an unknown or generic brand of product. According to Augustenborg (2010), the consciousness is triggered by external and internal factors. Brand consciousness can be triggered by several aspects of branding, such as advertisement, value, price, reputation, and other variables.

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3.4.2 Market Segmentation and Brand Consciousness

Research into brand consciousness in different segments and cultures has revealed significant results. For instance, Fetto and Gardyn (2003) state that Asian customers are more likely to be brand conscious than Black, Hispanic, and White consumers, but their brand loyalty is the lowest. Furthermore, (Hofstede 2002, Tatzel 2002) state that East Asians are more likely to buy products than Westerners because of their collectivist culture, and Liao and Wang (2009) point out that East Asians will buy luxurious brand-names even if they live in underdeveloped countries. Thus, the Middle East, which is the destination of various essential religious trips, might have the same desire towards branding.

Other investigations show how brand consciousness is important in specific segments. For example, McLeod and Nelson (2005) state that adolescents have brand consciousness. Furthermore, (Ailawadi et al. 2001, Tanniru 1969) indicate that women are more brand conscious than men. Moreover, college students are also considered to be quite brand conscious (Marx 1995). A recent study reveals the strong relationship between materialism and high brand consciousness (Liao and Wang 2009). They state that some customers buy new products to attain a prestige position in their community. According to Ottabi and Husani (2010), emphasize the fact that people in Saudi society are more concerned with their prestigious position. This segment of customers might be referred to as being publicly self-conscious, which is defined by Bushman (1993) as the customers desire to have an impact on others by purchasing products. Moreover, they are more interested with the physical aspects and styles.

Therefore, religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia, who constitute a large segment for the hotel industry, need to be studied to find out their consciousness towards brands. Nonetheless, the segmentation of customers towards certain brands varies based on their brand knowledge (Koll and Wallpach 2009). Therefore, to interact properly with hotel customers, it is important to understand each segments behaviour and utilize the proper plan for each segment to satisfy its needs (Marx 1995, Fetto and Gardyn 2003).

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3.4.3 The Relationship between Promotions and Brand Consciousness

One of the most controversial topics in this field is whether consumer choice is affected more by conscious or unconscious inputs (Simonson 2005). The findings illustrate that the influence of conscious and unconscious inputs are based on the customers situation and feelings towards the product. In addition, the discussions raise significant results. The main key point that might benefit our research is that the diversity of the product is the most influential factor that can generate the consciousness to make a decision. Therefore, it is likely that international hotel companies that own different brands have the ability to persuade travellers to buy their product.

In addition, Hennig-Thurau et al (2001) state that brand consciousness for a new brand should be focused on segments who are seeking variety. This should be done through the right advertisements to draw their attention. They also urge marketers to understand what motivates the customers brand consciousness to buy their product (McDonald 1998). Meanwhile, their motivation (advertisements) should be clear and straightforward to avoid being misleading or misinterpreted. According to (Gartner and Konecnik 2007, Martinez et al. 2009), advertising is a decisive factor in branding.

In contrast to using wide promotions, having a limited number of researchers might be counter-productive to this strategy. For example, (Krishnamurthi and Papatla 1996, Guizani 2009) believe that promotion might have a negative effect on customers, which might lead to them become reluctant to purchase branded products. This is because they might feel that a brand is being used to persuade them to buy the product (Guizani et al 2009). Furthermore, Krishnamurthi and Papatla (1996) state that promotion can create price sensitivity, which negatively influences consumer behaviour.

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3.4.4 Categories of Brand Consciousness

In addition, Otter and Strebinger (2001) define cognitive brand consciousness (CBC) as customer confidence in that famous brands have the ability to provide consistent quality rather than brands that are not well known and do not have extensive advertising campaigns. Otter and Strebinger categorise customer brand consciousness into three situations: 1- CBC in low-risk or risk-free situations. 2- CBC to receive a minimum level of quality in decision-making situations of a moderate risk. 3- CBC to reduce risk in high-risk decision-making situations.

Another important study represents how branding is an essential aspect in creating brand consciousness. In 1978, Murphy (1978) divided branding into two categories: brand loyalty and brand proneness. (Murphy 1978, Mokhlis and Salleh 2009) showed that demographic features have an impact on increasing or decreasing the purchase of private brands. Suburban clients are prone to buy products from international companies. Therefore, the demographic features of religious leisure travellers should be taken into account.

3.4.5 Factors affecting Brand Consciousness

In early 2002, Biswas and Alford stated that customers are more concerned with what is provided in the market. They stressed that price consciousness overwhelms the customers preferences. According to Phau et al (2009), social traits and prices affect the behaviour of the customer in terms of whether or not they choose counterfeit luxury brands. Furthermore, Phau et al (2009) argued that brand-conscious customers are less likely to buy counterfeit brands. However, there is not a problem in the hotel industry with counterfeit hotel brands as there are strict rules protecting brand rights (Palmer 2009). Another key aspect is value consciousness, which is defined by (Lichtensteine et al. 1990 p. 56) as a concern for paying low prices, subject to some quality constraint.

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Moreover, word-of-mouth is a productive mechanism in increasing low brand consciousness to a high level (Persaud 2007). Based on the above, there must still be investigations into the brand consciousness of religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia. After understanding the importance of brand consciousness, it is essential to explore other important dimensions of the brand (Aaker 1991).

The next topics on branding have been investigated intensively due to the considerable impacts they can have on customers. They are ranked based on their importance and their impact on consumers.

3.5 BRAND EQUITY

The topic of brand equity can be traced back to the 1960s which the researcher has explained the general features of brand equity without focusing on its impact on the other aspects of the brand (Chang and Liu 2009). Today, the marketing industry recognizes brand equity for its effect on growth in a company's intangible assets (Burmann et al. 2009). (Keller 1993, p. 1) identified brand equity as 'the marketing effects uniquely attributable to the brand. The brand is the root of any consumer reaction to promotion and marketing activities.

(Keller 1993, Kim and Kim 2005) explain brand equity with three diverse prospective: 1- Customer-based brand equity, which is subdivided into two components: brand strength and brand value. Brand strength depends on the customers behaviour that supports the brand position in the marketplace; brand value is based on the effort that the company generates to reinforce its brand. 2- Financial perspective, which means that the brand is considered to be a core feature of the company assets. The financial value of the brand increases with the brand strength. 3- Finally, the two previous components constitute a comprehensive knowledge of the brand.

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According to (Keller 1993, Koll and Wallpach 2009), brand equity involves both brand knowledge features (i.e., content and properties of brand knowledge) and the clients brand reaction, which is identified in terms of manner and performance. Whereas brand knowledge features are associated with brand perception, the clients reaction refers to the customers processing of those perceptions to form subsequent comparative evaluations, preferences, behavioural intentions, or behaviour (Hartman and Spiro. 2005, p, 1116). Kim and Kim (2005) demonstrate that brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand image are fundamental elements of brand equity in luxury hotels and chain restaurants. In their recent research, they also stress that brand equity can also be positively affected by trust, customer satisfaction, relationship commitment, brand loyalty, and brand awareness (Kang et al. 2008).

Recent studies by (Burmann et al. 2009, Martinez et al. 2009) reveal that stable brand equity is based on a strong image and awareness of the hotel brand. These results reinforce the importance of strengthening brand image, brand awareness, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty.

(Kang et al. 2008, Mattila and ONeill 2010) point out some advantages of brand equity for firms, such as consumer satisfaction, intention to buy the product more than one time, and an increase in loyalty. In addition, brand equity contributes to the growth of companies and to the shareholders' value (Mattila and O'Neill, 2010).

Therefore, the following discussion will focus on the prime components and dimensions of brands. The first topic will be brand knowledge, as this is considered the essence of brand image and brand awareness (Keller 1993). The second topic will be brand image, as this study will help to clarify the influence of the brand on customers. After that, this study will explain the main attributes of brand awareness and how it encourages clients to be loyal. Next, this study will investigate the important topic of brand strategy and, finally, it will explain the strong relationship that customer satisfaction and loyalty have with branding.

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3.5.1 Brand Knowledege

As is shown in Figure 3-2, brand knowledge has two dimensions (Keller 1993): brand awareness, which is customer reaction to brand promotion; and brand image, which is customer perception of the brand.
Figure 3-2 Dimensions of Brand Knowledge

Source: (Keller. 1993, p. 7)

Brand awareness depends heavily on what marketers send to their customers through channel distributions. This component is subdivided into two further branches: brand recall, which is how the customer remembers the product from clues such as design, colour, and style; and brand recognition, which is the clients ability to recognize the product at first glance.

Brand image represents four dimensions and several components, which hints at how profoundly image affects the whole brand. The first dimension is brand association, which, in turn, can be divided into three fundamental aspects: the attributes, which are the descriptive, potentially external, non-product related traits of the product (such as price, packaging, and image); the benefits of buying the product (such as the products functionality, the experience or feelings the customer has towards the product, and the symbolic benefits of the product, such as prestige); and brand attitude, which is the customers beliefs about the brand.

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3.5.2 Brand Image

Brand image is a simple method to recognise the company among its competitors. It is considered to be a major topic in marketing because of the huge impact it can have on customer behaviour. According to (Kwun and Oh 2007, Martinez et al. 2009), brand growth is based on the customers perspectives, beginning with brand image, product value, and brand awareness. Gronroos (2007) emphasises that customers are the builders of the brand image. Chang and Liu (2009) argue that brand attitude is more likely to affect brand equity than brand image.

In general, hotel management must concentrate on attracting customers by building strong relationships between the hotel brand and the customer. Hsu and Lin (2009) advise decision-makers in the hotel industry to employ the right marketing strategy based on their position in the competitive market.

3.5.2.1 Definition of Brand Image According to Keller (1993), brand image is customer knowledge of the brand and the data and principles that are deployed by the brand in the marketplace. Based on the definition above, branding can be an advantage for attracting customers or a weakness that causes the company to lose potential clients. Persson (2010) states that a brand is a valuable point in creating the perception of the product in the customers mind regardless of whether it relates to tangible or intangible assets. (Gronroos. 2007, p. 330) defines brand image as the image of the good or service that is formed in the customers mind. Chang and Liu (2009) describe brand image as the consumers sensitivity towards a brand. However, image is not the only dimension that can affect the companys position. Brand awareness, loyalty, and quality are also contributing pillars of the company (Gartner and Konecnik 2007).

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3.5.2.2 The Process of Forming a Brand Image Two areas of this process are linked: first, the branded company struggles to make its image dominant in the customers mind; second, the customer reacts to the message, which is crucial for the relationship between product and behaviour to thrive. Both insights are brought into this research from different perspectives to evolve the discussion about the relationship between customers and brand image.

Gronroos (2007) explains how management can lead customers in their brand image perception, as shown in Figure 3-3. Companies should first analyse the factors that they want to deliver to the audience, whether internal or external. This is referred to as brand identity, which includes all brand associations described in the brand knowledge (Figure 3-2). After identifying the brand identity, marketers have two mechanisms to reach their customers. First, hotel marketers try to trigger customer awareness of the brand. This is a supportive method to draw the customers attention by utilizing advertising tools. Secondly, marketers make direct contact with customers by reinforcing their positive, fulfilling experience with the hotels services. Thus, brand fulfilment is directly linked to reinforcing the brand image, whereas brand awareness is facilitating the relationship with the brand.

Figure 3-3 The Service Branding Process

Source: (Gronroos. 2007, p. 336)

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Secondly, Hsu and Lee (2010) point out that customers go through several processes when choosing a brand. Initially, the customers recall previous experiences or knowledge to constitute features that comply with what the brand has promoted. Then, the client compares these features with other brand attributes through a snapshot of image and awareness of the brands competitors. After that, the customer makes a decision based on the brands competitive set. Finally, customers harmonise with the brand image and become fully assured to proceed with transactions and loyalty.

3.5.3 Brand Awareness

Hotel management must manage their brands carefully to cultivate their position in the customers mind. Marketers take into account the vital role of brand awareness in attracting customers and going further to attain customer loyalty (Kotler and Armstrong 2009). For example, Verizon was ranked at the top of all companies, spending more than $1.7 billion yearly to endorse its brand. In the service industry, McDonalds is the most prominent company, spending $742 million to acquire brand awareness in the marketplace. Surprisingly, there were no hotel brands among the top 25 companies (Megabrands, 2006) (see Appendix II). Moreover, (Mela et al, Neslin, and Srinivasan et al. cited by Guizani. 2009, p. 1) indicate that marketing expenditures are shrinking in terms of brand building and increasing in terms of durable goods.

Macdonald and Sharp (2003) published one of most useful papers, introducing a rich source of information about brand awareness. They identified the following two significant roles of brand awareness:

1- It is a decisive mechanism in making communications between the product and the customer, and without brand awareness there is no reaction. 2- It is the first step to accepting other packages and promotions from the brand. Thus, it deals with the memory and the acceptance of the message.

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3.5.3.1 Factors affecting Brand Awareness

Based on the above, brand awareness is a primary stage of the consumers decisionmaking process. Therefore, several research studies have recommended that hotel marketers utilize proper strategies in their promotions and advertisements. (Back and Lee 2010, Kim and Kim 2005, Martinez et al. 2009) state that companies should use all advertising tools, such as TV, websites, T-shirts, and other devices. Furthermore, Guizani et al (2009) emphasise that promotions play a vital role in enhancing brand equity because advertisements stimulate brand awareness of the products.

Kim and Kim (2005) argue that brand awareness in luxury hotels is not enough. It is essential to provide a high quality of service that, in turn, generates profitability for the company. Daun and Klinger (2006) confirm that prices should not be underestimated, as they might cause the customers to have doubts. (Ha and Perks 2005, Muthukrishnan et al. 2009) state that some customers who stick with a particular brand are much more concerned with quality than with low prices.

Moreover, according to Delphine (2004), less promotion might cause brand detachment, which has a significant impact on the dissolution of the relationship between the customer and the brand. Hence, the absence of hotel companies in the top 25 might indicate that hotel marketers are not concerned with the pivotal role of advertising in enhancing brand awareness (Muthukrishnan et al. 2009). Ambiguity has a significant impact on customer decision-making towards a brand. Despite the fact that some product suppliers offer low prices for their new products, customers are not willing to shift from well-known brands.

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3.5.4 Brand Strategy

Brand strategy remains a decisive component in an industrys successful operation. According to Sangster et al (2001), the majority of hotel operators assure that one of the fundamental competitive advantages of properties is choosing the right brand. Mattila and ONeill (2010) agree that a bright brand personality must cultivate its image in the minds of customers for the long term. In turn, this will increase the profitability of the firm. For example, the expansion of renowned international hotel companies such as the Hilton, Hyatt, and Intercontinental Hotel Group is attributed to their effective brand strategies (Mattila and ONeill 2010). However, Chung et al (2005) stress that branding is not enough to achieve growth in the cash flow for the interest of customers and stakeholders. Firms need to deliver the message of the brand in an efficient way. Another important attribute of branding is the ability to operate more than one brand in the same building so the owner is able to shift from one brand to another.

O'Neill and Xiao (2006) assure that hotel brands have a significant effect on market values, particularly in the four segments of hotels located between luxury hotels and economy hotels. Luxury and economy hotel brands, however, have no influence on market value. Therefore, branding can be a proper strategy for owners as well as hotel companies because of the benefits represented in market value. Firstly, owners take advantage of the good reputation of the branded company whereas the company can reduce the cost of purchasing a property. In addition, (Aaker 1991, Gronroos 2007) confirm that customer loyalty increases are based on the brand value. Moreover, (Aaker 1991, Hem and Iversen 2003) state that brand loyalty is an important construct for brand equity and also an important determinant of brand extension evaluation.

Angotti (2010) encourages international companies to review their position in the marketplace by focusing on several issues. Firstly, benchmarking the competition and measuring the current situation of the company against its competitors. Another crucial issue is using technology to enhance the current and future position. Finally, hotel brands should focus their benchmarking on all aspects of the company, such as financial accounts and staff performance.

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Dev et al (2007) point out another crucial branding strategythat is, integrating codified and tacit knowledge to the potential market. They demonstrate that the physical environment of some locations does not comply with changing cultures, based on employee and customer perceptions. For instance, expanding in a new area before researching its local culture leads to a lack of available labour skills. This is what happened in China (AsiaNews 2006).

(Dipietro 2005, Enz 2005) posited the topic of co-branding as a strategy for growth. Furthermore, multi-branding is a strategy for expanding a companys consumer base by competing with new and innovative brands, and by emphasising the companys existing image and services (Hotel Online 2005). However, applying this approach to hotel companies is complex unless it is applied in particular areas within the hotel, such as with cleaning products or software systems.

Buckley and Casson (1998) have posited a key insight that international hotel companies should not apply standardisation to all situations. They state that it is advisable to be flexible and to use new strategies in order to absorb certain segments of customers. Furthermore, Altinay (2007) agrees that heterogeneous requirements might prevent companies from adapting their products to the needs of the market segments.

Therefore, in conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia, the perception of religious and leisure travellers towards brands might be different, and there may need to be some alterations to branding strategies in order to comply with what this segment wants.

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3.5.4.1 Brand Name Selection

The brand name is an essential part of the brand because of its impact on customer behaviour. The hotel must build a sustainable meaning for the brand to efficiently link the customer with the hotel. It is a component of brand knowledge that links the firm with its clients. Therefore, Armstrong et al (2008) assure that marketing strategies should take into account a number of features, such as the following: 1- The brand should indicate the value of the product. 2- The name, logo, and symbol should be easy to be positioned in the customers mind. 3- The identity of the brand should be unique. 4- The brand should be flexible and should be able to grow. 5- It should not threaten other cultures, and it should be easy to translate. 6- The brand should be clear so it can be legally protected.

3.5.4.2 Brand Positioning

Brand positioning is an essential part of improving the brand in the marketplace. Because of increased competition between companies, companies should benchmark the environment to determine their position in the customers mind.

According to (Wind 1982, cited by Palmer 2009, p. 250), there are six basic dimensions in which all products can be categorized. This research applies these dimensions to a hotel in Mecca to determine its positioning chances.

1- Positioning by benefits or needs satisfied: The hotel could be positioned in the Holy City where religious visitors can perform their rituals peacefully. 2- Positioning by a specific product feature: In a Holy City such as Mecca, the hotel could promote a free tour of historical attractions. 3- Positioning by usage occasions: Saudi Arabia is a Muslim travel focal point as they come to perform Hajj, Umrah, as well as visit Mecca during Ramadan. These are considered the fundamental stimulus, so the hotel could position itself for religious travellers.

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4- Positioning by user categories: The hotel tends to be targeted largely by groups. Mediators can be tour travel agents or individuals. 5- Positioning against another product: The hotel could persuade visitors about the competitive advantage of its location. For example, the hotel is close to the Holy Mosque. 6- Positioning by product class: Marketers could position the hotel as a luxurious brand, thereby attracting high-class visitors and encouraging mid-scale hotels to host price-sensitive travellers.

Davis (2002) suggests four other brand positioning strategies that can support markets. It would be better to apply these brand strategy decisions to leisure travellers in Jeddah to obtain a comprehensive understanding of both segments in this study.

1- Attributes: The hotel in Jeddah could promote its spacious rooms and suites and advertise its facilities. 2- Benefits. The company should use the name that fits for the benefit it has. For example, the hotel could promote the benefits of being in its membership loyalty programme.

3- Beliefs and Values: The hotel could promote having an environmentally friendly building or that it is supporting local societies. 4- Personality: According to (Aaker. 1997, p. 347), brand personality is defined as the set of human characteristics associated with a brand. Hotel marketers in Jeddah could position their image as a luxurious resort or as an airport hotel. Meanwhile, leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia can determine which places satisfy their desires.

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3.5.4.3 Managing Brands

The brand is the first element of the product that customers face in the marketplace. If the company treats a brand weakly, the customers reaction will be poor. As a result, the company will lose market share and deteriorate.

In order to remain stable in the market, Armstrong et al (2008) point out a number of key strategies that could help hotel marketers make their companies survive. First, the relationship between the company and the customer should be continually reinforced. This can happen by activating brand awareness and building loyalty programmes (Kotler and Armstrong 2009). In addition, employees of the company are at the heart of this process, and they are considered the link between the customer and the company. For that reason, organisations should implement an internal brand programme for their workers to enhance their performance (Herington et al. 2010).

Furthermore, managers of the company are strongly recommended to establish plans for long-term rather than short-term results. This can be applied by establishing a management team that is concerned with all aspects of the brand. Finally, the company should continuously measure its position and strategies to determine its weaknesses and strengths. Weaknesses should be turned into opportunities, and the strengths should be maintained (Parker et al. 2009).

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3.6 DEFINITION OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

It is widely believed that customer satisfaction is the key feature in increasing profitability and going further to cultivate loyalty (Anderson et al. 1994, and Biemans et al. 2010). Customer satisfaction and loyalty are defensive strategies to keep customers aware of the product (Sarmaniotis and Stefanou 2003). According to Hunt (1977), customer satisfaction is used by firms seeking to make their products and services meet or exceed the customer's needs and wants. Furthermore, it is the response and reaction after experiencing the performance (Cervera-Taulet et al. 2009). The importance of customer satisfaction has led hotels to provide their guests with guest comment cards (GCC) to measure guest perceptions. However, some hotels do not gather the right data as a result of the low validity of some of the criteria of their questionnaires (Su 2004).

3.6.1 Customer Satisfaction as a Global Perspective

Increasing competition in open markets has led organisations to take into account how to satisfy their customers. According to the Scientific Committee of the Montpellier Graduate Business School (1999), satisfaction has become a universal perspective. The following points highlight the importance of customer satisfaction: 1- Satisfaction is a general assessment based on a short experience. 2- Service satisfaction emerges from dealing with different scales in an entity. 3- Satisfaction is a hidden component integrated within different features in the environment.
Figure 3-4 Business Customer Satisfaction

Source: (Biemans et al. 2010, p. 699)

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3.6.2 Customer Loyalty and Brand Loyalty

Another important aspect of brand perception is loyalty, which is defined by (Herington et al. 2010, p. 3) as an intention to repurchase the same product or service at the next purchase occasion without undertaking further search activities. The majority of researchers, such as (Bidmon et al. 2008, Herington et al. 2010, Palmer 2008, and Shoemaker and Lewis 1999), demonstrate that loyalty is attributable to behavioural factors.

Brand loyalty can be explained as the biased behavioural response expressed over time by some decision-making unit with respect to one or more alternative brands out of a set of such brands (Jacoby and Chestnut. 1978, p. 80).

Moreover, (Aaker 1991, Hem and Iversen 2003) state that brand loyalty is an important construct for brand equity, and an important determinant of brand extension evaluation. Moreover, Aaker (1991) defines brand equity as a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand. Hem and Iversen (2003) state that several researchers agree that brand equity can be described as the value a brand name adds to a product. In addition, (Aaker 1991, Gronroos 2007) confirm that customer loyalty increases based on brand value.

Gounaris and Stathakopoulos (2004) state that brand loyalty consists of four types: no loyalty, inertia loyalty, premium loyalty, and covetous loyalty. Marketing hotel managers should take into account the different features of each type in order to apply the appropriate strategy. As branding is all about creating differences, marketers agree on the importance of the role of the brand in marketing strategies.

Many researchers, such as (Altinay 2007, Bowie et al. 2009, Gounaris and Stathakopoulos 2004, Grover and Srinivas 1992) assure that the diversification of promotions has a positive impact on brand loyalty, which, in turn, leads to growth. There are different segments of customers who have various desires and different purchasing power. Therefore, hotel management should use different strategies to target these segments. Daun and Klinger (2006) agree that hotel managers should know what their customers' wants and needs are.

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For example, if a chain hotel owns upper-scale, mid-scale, economical, and budget hotels, it is able to offer various levels of service with different prices. It is then in a position to penetrate the market because it has a competitive advantage.

Hem and Iversen (2003) state that hierarchical order can be used to evaluate the relationship between brand loyalty and brand extensions. Consumers should first experience the original brand, consume it, and then prefer it over the competitors brands. Next, consumers have to be so content with the original brand that they recommend it to others. Finally, customer expenditure on the product is an indication of their willingness to buy the same product if they find it in other location. They also assure that a high similarity in the features of a chain hotel can reduce the costs of advertising. Customer loyalty has generated numerous economic benefits, which are described by Shoemaker and Lewis (1999) as follows. Firstly, they generate significant revenues for the hotel for long periods of time. In addition, loyalty is considered a prime source of word-of-mouth advertising. Furthermore, a loyal customer tends to pay for the other facilities and products in the brand. Finally, it encourages them to inform the firm about the potential obstacles. 3.6.2.1 Factors Affecting Brand Loyalty There are a number of influences that underpin the relationship between brand loyalty and the customer. Herington et al (2010) assure that customer satisfaction is one of the fundamental factors that link the customer directly to the product. On the other hand, Gummesson (2002) argues that satisfaction is not enough to gain loyalty. Han and Ryu (2009) state that brand trust generates an indirect desire to purchase the same product continually, whereas brand attitude has a direct influence on behavioural loyalty.

In addition, service quality appears to be a decisive factor in retaining customers. (Lee and Park 2005, Tepeci 1999) stress that marketing efforts should focus on gaining brand loyalty by satisfying clients who have high-involvement products by performing high levels of service.

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Hu and Kandampully (2007) state that corporate images influence the customers desire through two components: the functional component, which is associated with the elements that can be measured and seen around the hotel (standardisation and the employees are the core elements in this process); and the emotional trait, which is what customers feel in regards to the services and the operational process.

In addition to what was mentioned above, Han and Ryu (2009) emphasise that the physical environment has a significant influence on loyalty, whether directly or indirectly. They also suggest that firms construct their buildings depending on specific strategies, namely ''loyalty theory building'' (Han and Ryu. 2009, p. 503).

Bowie et al (2009) agree that dcor and standardisation in services are an essential aspect of strengthening loyalty, particularly in a hotel chain. They also mention that even though hotels prefer dealing with customers on the basis of a relationship, a transactional approach seems to be the preeminent way to increase guest loyalty, in particular for celebrities and businesses. In other words, these segments of customers seek privacy rather than relationships with employees.

Furthermore, Herington et al (2010) assure that brand attitude is an essential component of loyalty, which can be achieved by enhancing service performance. Therefore, managers are the key factor in firms as they stimulate employees to exert more effort and achieve greater efficiency.

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3.6.2.2 Brand Loyalty Programmes Aaker (2002) assures that loyalty-building programmes have a significant impact on enhancing brand equity. Many hotels struggle to gain brand loyalty by using reward programs. A recent study revealed valuable insights into the importance of timing rewards. Chen et al (2009) focus on rewards from different dimensions that can be illustrated as a delayed reward. This helps increase the number of customers who are eager to attain the reward, and this, in turn, creates loyalty. On the other hand, delaying specific rewards might be counterproductive. Furthermore, the reward should be valuable enough that it motivates the customer to join the programme. Hence, marketers should build suitable programmes that match all segments and set an appropriate time for the rewards.

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3.7 CONCLUSION
Brands are commonly considered a fundamental factor for success in the hospitality industry, and hotel management exerts tremendous effort to convey their message to customers. Branding literature has discussed several crucial issues and shed light on key topics that have revealed interesting insights. This research is an attempt to help academic readers, hotel management, and particularly marketers to gain a thorough understanding of hotel branding. Several scholars demonstrate the fundamental advantages of branding for both owners and customers. It would appear that the brand is a competitive advantage that generates profit, brand loyalty, and value to the investors. In addition, brand consciousness, brand equity, and customer satisfaction present a comprehensive understanding about their meaning and dimensions. Essentially, brand consciousness is a prominent feature in Asian customers.

However, the investigation into branding needs to differentiate between different segments and cultures (ONeill and Mattila 2010), precisely for leisure and religious travellers in Saudi Arabia. Another important aspect is brand equity, which enriches the topic of branding through its dimensions such as brand image, brand personality, brand awareness, and loyalty. Finally, customer satisfaction is the prime aspect in terms of making guests satisfied in hotels, which, in turn, attains profitability and sustainable advantages.

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Chapter 4 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4.1 INTRODUCTION
The previous chapter provided intensive information about branding and its dimensions. This chapter aims to clarify the methodology of this research by investigating and determining the appropriate hypothesis. Furthermore, in order to provide a clear image of the investigation, the reliability and validity of the data analysis are explained. Moreover, the strategy of data collection, sampling, research methods, and questionnaire design are described carefully for the purpose of the study. Thus, the research takes into consideration all factors and influences related to the investigation to present a comprehensive knowledge of the study.

4.2 OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY

Branding is a pivotal topic because of its significant impacts on organisation as well as customers. Customer behaviour towards brands varies based on their knowledge and experiences. Therefore, hotel management and marketers are keen to know what customers believe about brands to assess their position in the marketplace. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether or not religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia have brand consciousness. Furthermore, this study will investigate the brand loyalty pronouns from a customer perspective. Finally, it will determine whether there is a relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty or not.

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4.3 RELIGOUS AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS BRAND CONSCIOUSNESS

The phenomenon of brand consciousness has a deep impact on consumer purchase decisions. Several researchers have examined the importance of brand consciousness as well as the reasons behind increasing or decreasing brand consciousness. For instance, McLeod and Nelson (2005) state that parents and commercial media have a significant influence towards adolescent brand consciousness. In addition, Liao and Wang (2009) stress that materialist culture leads to brand consciousness because materialistic customers seek a prestigious position in society. In this research, the previous examples demonstrate that brand consciousness varies among different customers based on the nature of the influence. Hence, performing the rituals of Hajj and Umrah might manipulate religious travellers behaviour and intentions so they might have high brand consciousness or less brand consciousness or high brand loyalty pronouns or less brand loyalty pronouns. It appears that no research has yet investigated KSA religious and leisure travellers brand aspects, such as brand consciousness and brand loyalty proneness, in a hotel service context. In addition, (Rausch 2002, ONeill and Mattila 2010) assure that cross-cultural influences as well as age and gender have not yet been adequately examined to clarify their impact on brand consciousness. In this research, Islamic culture is the prime factor that prompts Muslims around the world to travel to Mecca and Al Madinah to perform Hajj and Umrah. Therefore, investigating whether or not religious travellers brand consciousness is different from leisure travellers brand consciousnesses is worth clarifying.

On the other hand, domestic tourists are more likely to seek leisure and tourism activities. Therefore, they might follow the materialistic culture approach, which tends to be high brand consciousness. Fetto and Gardyn (2003) assure that Asian customers are more likely to be brand conscious than Black, Hispanic, and White consumers, whereas their brand loyalty is the lowest. Ottabi and Husani (2010) assure that individuals in Saudi society are more concerned with their prestigious position. This triggered researchers to examine these statements to identify whether the above influences might indicate differences between religious and leisure travellers towards brand consciousness and brand loyalty. 43

Furthermore, Koll and Wallpach (2009) strongly recommend evaluating brands by various segments of customers. In this research, Chapter 2 indicates how hotel companies in KSA receive various segments of customers who have different aims and perceptions towards hotel brands. Brand consciousness with regard to religious travellers and leisure tourists in Saudi Arabia is still ambiguous, and there needs to be more clarification whether or not they have brand consciousness.

4.4 TYPE OF RESEARCH DESIGN

Before mentioning any further knowledge, business research methods should be defined. According to (Sekaran and Bougie. 2010, p. 3), business research methods can be defined as an organized, systematic, data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a specific problem and all these steps are done for a clear purpose such as answering questions or contributing to solving a problem. Malhotra and Birks (2007) define their research methods from a marketing perspective, as the data and variables collected to address marketing issues, such as customers and firms in the marketplace, are gathered systematically and analysed before they are applied.

In addition, Saunders et al (2009) state that there is a systematic process that researchers should follow to efficiently reach the purpose of their study (see Figure 4.1). First, it should begin by choosing the topic that needs to be investigated. Then, reviewing the literature helps in assessing the value of the topic of research. After that, understanding the nature of the knowledge the researcher collects, which means the philosophy of the research. Another crucial point is formulating the research design, which is related to the purpose of the research and strategies that will be used during the research. After embarking on this process, it is time to negotiate access and collect data from the target segment. Moreover, selecting samples is an essential step in collecting data to facilitate in decision-making, whether or not they generalise the results. Finally, it is important to analyse the data collected, whether from quantitative or qualitative methods, to summarise the findings and results.

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Figure 4-1 The Research Process

Source: (Saunders et al. 2009, p. 1)

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4.5 TYPE OF INVESTIGATION

This research is intended to generate knowledge in order to understand a very crucial topic of interest to researchers. Therefore, the research tends to be basic, but it aims to investigate deeply the topic of branding and provide knowledge about how religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia portray branding. Despite the fact that it is called basic research, it can profoundly benefit organisations in developing their strategies towards certain situations and solving their problems (Sekaran and Bougie 2010).

4.5.1 Descriptive Study

The purpose of the study and the questions raised by the researchers are the key influence of the method of the research (Saunders et al. 2009). To apply this statement to this research, the question is formed to determine whether brand consciousness in religious travellers is different than leisure travellers. Thus, we can infer from the question that this is descriptive and exploratory research that attempts to gain new insights and assess current phenomena (Keller 2008). Therefore, Keller, suggests collecting data through a descriptive survey. Based on the above, the survey will be the proper strategy to be applied with the deductive approach to enable the researcher to collect data from a substantial population in a highly cost-effective method (Saunders et al 2009). Furthermore, the survey allows for collecting quantitative data, which, in turn, can be analysed quantitatively by employing descriptive and inferential statistics (Sekaran and Bougie 2010).

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4.5.2 HYPOTHESIS TEST

The research aims to clarify the differences between religious and leisure travellers' perceptions towards branding. The topic requires deep investigations to understand the relationship between the following three independent variables of brands: brand consciousness, brand loyalty proneness, and the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. This will be applied to the two segments, namely religious and leisure travellers. Hence, the research hypotheses are the following:

1- Brand Consciousness: The Null Hypothesis There is no significant difference between religious travellers hotel brand consciousness and leisure travellers hotel brand consciousness. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between religious travellers hotel brand consciousness and leisure travellers hotel brand consciousness. . 2- Brand Loyalty Proneness: The Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between religious travellers brand loyalty proneness and leisure travellers brand loyalty proneness. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between religious travellers brand loyalty proneness and leisure travellers brand loyalty proneness.

3- H1. Customer satisfaction positively influences brand loyalty.

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4.6 Conceptual Framework and Measurement

To formulate a measurement of brand perception features, the research listed the prime characteristics of brands identified in the literature cited.

1- Brand consciousness 2- Brand loyalty proneness 3- Brand equity 4- Brand knowledge (brand image, brand awareness)

The acknowledgment in this research is that the researcher will focus on measuring two of these characteristics (brand consciousness and brand loyalty proneness). Furthermore, there are other important aspects of branding, but the characteristics chosen are among the most prominent features of brands.

The following discussion will explain how to measure these characteristics.

4.6.1 Measurement: Brand Consciousness and Brand Loyalty Proneness

In early 1986, Kendall and Sproles developed a method to measure what is called a consumers decision-making style. They identified the consumer's decision-making style as a mental orientation characterizing a consumers approach to making choices (Kendall and Sproles. 1986, p. 268). It has been used to measure the following eight styles: brand consciousness, brand-loyal consumer which also refers to brand loyalty proneness, quality conscious, fashion conscious, recreational and hedonistic orientation, price conscious, impulsive and careless tendencies, and confused by over-choice. The scale employs a Likert-scaled rating of strongly disagree and strongly agree. It is an appropriate method in exploratory research (Mokhlis 2009). Moreover, (Hui et al. 2004, Liao and Wang 2009) use this scale in their recent research to measure brand consciousness and brand loyalty proneness, which helped them achieve useful insights. McLeod and Nelson (2005) use a measure on seven-point Likert scale between strongly agree and strongly disagree.

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Therefore, the previous measurement is applied with some changes so that it is suitable to this research for both brand consciousness and brand loyalty proneness. In addition, Chernatory (2010) advises the use of the Likert-scaled rating (strongly agree and strongly disagree) in measuring customer perception towards brands. Otter and Strebinger (2001) tested brand consciousness by using the same rating from 1 strongly agree to 7 strongly disagree, which was based on a convenience sample of 226 students. However, in this research the rating scale will be between 1 to 5 strongly agree, agree, neither Agree nor disagree, disagree and strongly disagree.

4.6.2 The Relationships among Brand Awareness, Brand Image, and Brand Loyalty
As cited in the previous chapter, Kim and Kim (2005) assure that brand awareness, brand image, and brand loyalty are decisive dimensions of brand equity. They adopted a measurement to assess these dimensions in hotel brands, such as Marriott, Hilton, and InterContinental, which work in line with the previous measurement of brand consciousness. Moreover, Aker (1991) emphasises that brand loyalty is attributed to customer satisfaction. Therefore, when explaining brand loyalty, this will lead us to clarify to which extent satisfaction influences brand loyalty. The measurement is based on a five Likert-scaled rating (strongly agree and strongly disagree). Liu (2006) adopted a scale of measuring the relationship between brand loyalty and customer satisfaction, and the hypothesis is:

3- H1. Customer satisfaction positively influences brand loyalty. Kang et al (2008) examined the same hypothesis and inferred that customer satisfaction positively affects brand loyalty. Therefore, the researcher will examine this hypothesis by analysing customer satisfaction and whether guests will visit again and recommend the branded hotel or not. Correlation test is going to be the proper tool to infer the result. This is in the section four of the questionnaires.

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4.6.3 Brand Image and Brand Awareness

Based on previous research, collecting data about brand image and brand awareness from customers points of view inside hotels is very complex. This led researchers to alter the location to airports (Kim and Kim 2005). Therefore, the research findings might be unreliable and lack validity. Furthermore, examining all dimensions of a brand is complex and might incur high costs and research time. This should be taken into account when undertaking research (Saunders et al. 2009). Hence, the research will focus on investigating three vital variables of branding: brand consciousness, brand loyalty proneness and the relatioinship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. It is very important to examine these variables because it will help to evaluate two large segments of customers who were outlined in Chapter 2: domestic tourists and inbound tourists in Saudi Arabia. To begin investigating the three attributes of branding in Saudi Arabia, hotel management as well as academics will be encouraged by the investigation into the other dimensions of brands. After explaining the strong relationships between the dimensions of branding, it would be best to explain how questionnaires can be adopted to achieve the purpose of this research.

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4.7 QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN

In this investigation, several measurement items were utilized to assess customers' perceptions of brands. They can be classified as follows:

4.7.1 Dependent Variables:

A- To measure brand consciousness, the researcher adopted a consumers decision-making style (Kendall and Sproles. 1986, p. 272, Liao and Wang 2009, Hennig-Thurau 2001) and the measurement is a five-point Likert scale between strongly agree and strongly disagree that includes: 1. The well-known national brands are best for me. 2. The more expensive brands are usually my choices. 3. The higher the price of a product, the better its quality 4. Nice hotels and specialty items offer me the best product 5. I prefer buying the best-selling brands. 6. The most advertised brands are usually very good choices. 7. A product does not have to be perfect or the best to satisfy me. Furthermore, the researcher added a scale that can enrich the research with more valuable data about brand consciousness (McLeod and Nelson. 2005, p. 528). 8. I pay attention to the brand names of the hotels I buy. 9. Brand names tell me something about the quality of the hotel. 10. Brand names tell me something about how cool the hotel is. 11. Sometimes I am willing to pay more money for a hotel because of its brand name. 12. Brand-name hotels that cost a lot of money are good quality. 13. I pay attention to the brand names of most of the products I buy. B- To measure brand loyalty proneness, (Kendall and Sproles. 1986, p. 273) have recommended the following scale: 14. I have favourite brands I buy over and over. 15. Once I find a product or brand I like, I stick with it. 16. I go to the same hotel each time I shop. 17. I change the brands I buy regularly.

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To measure both brand consciousness and brand loyalty proneness, the measurement will be a five-point Likert scale between strongly agree and strongly disagree. For example:

Table 4-1 Example of the Likert Scale

The more expensive brands are usually my choices Strongly Agree Agree Source: Fieldwork Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

4.7.2 Independent Variable

Independent variable refers to whether the respondents are religious travellers or leisure travellers. Brand perception varies by the purpose of travelwhether it is religious or leisure. It can be identified by using list questions (Saunders et al. 2009). For example: What is your main purpose for travelling? Religious Leisure Religious and leisure Business Other (Please Say)..

4.7.3 Structure of Questionnaire

Based on the above, there are three sections in the questionnaire. First, section A aims to collect general data about the traveller and to identify the purpose of travelling. Section B includes 10 questions to measure brand consciousness. Section C involves four questions that are designed to determine whether or not religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia have brand loyalty proneness. Finally, section D aims to understand the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Moreover, the questionnaires are translated into Arabic to facilitate collecting data from respondents.

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4.8 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

There are, generally speaking, two fundamental types of market research. Some prefer qualitative research, which is based on observation; others prefer quantitative research, which relies heavily on the analysis of numbers. Each is seen to be mutually supportive because they help researchers understand the problem and analyse the data collected to provide the proper solution. The following outlines in more detail the two types of research.

4.8.1 Qualitative Research

According to Bell and Bryman (2007), qualitative research is an approach to gathering data based on words instead of quantification methods. (Kinnear and Taylor. 1996, p. 305) point out that qualitative research has five characteristics that can be explained as follows: 1. Small convenience or quota samples are used 2. The information sought relates to the respondents motivation, beliefs, feelings, and attitudes. 3. An intuitive, subjective approach is used in gathering the data. 4. The data collection format is open-ended. 5. The approach is not intended to provide statistically or scientifically accurate data.

4.8.2 Quantitative Research

Chisnall (2005) states that quantitative data is the consequence of structured, systematic measurement. According to (Burns and Bush. 2010, p. 235), quantitative research can be defined as research involving the use of structured questions in which the response options have been predetermined and a large number of respondents are involved. Quantitative research is a cost-effective way of gathering data from a large segment by utilizing quantitative surveys, such as questionnaires where respondents reply via post, computer, or fax (Crimp and Wright 2000). Thus, the quantitative approach has been used in this research to undertake this investigation.

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4.8.3 Qualitative Research vs. Quantitative Research

Crimp and Wright (2000) state the major differences between qualitative research and quantitative research. First, quantitative research applies measurement and number, whereas qualitative research uses word and picture descriptions. Another important difference is that quantitative research has clear parameters of what is suitable for the research while qualitative research is more likely to depend on the researcher to interpret the findings. One of the most important issues is that quantitative research is conducted within the framework. It has clear criteria that should be used in the research to make it more systematic and reliable. For example, it uses standard questionnaires, which are ultimately analysed in a numerical design. On the other hand, because qualitative research is derived from interviews and observation, the researcher must illustrate what customers would like to say as correctly as possible. Finally, findings in quantitative research are difficult to change or manipulate due to the rigorous procedures of collecting data, while qualitative research depends on the honesty of the researchers who gather the data and analyse it according to their perspective.

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4.9 DATA COLLECTION

Having explained the two prime types of research, the next topics will discuss the various sources of data that can be used by the researcher. According to Sekaran and Bougie (2010), there are two sources of data: primary data and secondary data. Each will be explained separately due to the important impact of each on the research.

4.9.1 Primary Data Collection

Birks and Malhotra (2007) point out that primary data are collected by a researcher for his own purposes in order to solve current problems or add new insights. Moreover, they stress that this approach consumes a lot of time and money compared with ready data. Primary data refers to information obtained first-hand by the researcher on the variables of interest for the specific purpose of the study (Sekaran and Bougie 2010).

4.9.2 Secondary Data Collection

Secondary data can be defined as information gathered by someone other than the researcher (Sekaran and Bougie 2010). Blumberg et al (2008) state that there are advantages and disadvantages to using secondary data.

Advantages: 1- The cost of data in some sources is comparable to the hard work of a highly qualified researcher in collecting, analysing, and providing findings. 2- The time that is consumed to gather some secondary data is negligible. 3- Analysing data is straightforward because the information is ready. 4- Peer-reviewed articles and other reliable data add value to the current research.

Disadvantages: 1- The data collected do not precisely match the needs of the current research. 2- Some data have gaps, which forces the researcher to investigate other sources. 3- The reliability and validity of some data might affect the current research.

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4.10 SAMPLING
Sampling is the process of selecting a sufficient number of the right elements from the population (Sekaran and Bougie 2010). There are five prime steps in sampling:

4.10.1 Population
The researcher should precisely define the populationthat is, the target population that is going to supply the researcher with all data he/she needs. In this research, the target population is the religious travellers from all countries, as well as leisure travellers from all various segments.

4.10.2 Sample Frame

Sample frame is a physical representation of all the elements in the population from which the sample is drawn. Even though the researcher tries to determine the sampling frame carefully, it may not be entirely correct or complete.

4.10.3 Sampling Design

There are two kinds of sampling design: probability sampling and non-probability sampling. They will be explained in more detail in stage 1.9.

4.10.4 Sample Size

(Sekaran and Bougie. 2010, p. 268) state that the most prominent factors that influence decisions on sample size are: 1- The research objective 2- The extent of precision desired (the confidence interval) 3- The acceptable risk in predicting that level of precision (confidence level) 4- The amount of variability in the population itself 5- The cost and time constraints 6- In some cases, the size of the population itself

4.10.5 Executing the Sampling Process

This refers to all procedures that are used to gather data from participants. After determining the sample frame, sampling design, and the appropriate sample size, the researcher starts to collect data from the segments.

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4.11 Non-Probability Sampling and Probability Sampling

Sample designs fall into one of two prime classifications: probability and nonprobability. Because of the decisive role of these two classifications, each part will be outlined separately to provide comprehensive knowledge about probability sampling and non-probability sampling.

4.11.1.1 Probability Sampling

According to (Burns and Bush. 2010, p. 368), probability sampling can be explained as those in which members of the population have a known chance (probability) of being selected into the sample. Within probability samples, there are two kinds of sampling (Sekaran and Bougie 2010).

4.11.1.2 Non-Probability Sampling

(Burn and Bush. 2010, p 368) state that non-probability sampling is the opposite of probability sampling, which means the chances (probability) of selecting members from the population into the sample are unknown. Therefore, in this study the nonprobability sampling is considered the suitable method to collect data by applying convenience sampling.

4.12 PILOT RESEARCH

Pilot research is a decisive stage in collecting data. Blumberg et al (2008) indicate that this stage has a significant impact on assessing the instruments of collecting data, whether they be questionnaires or observation. Briks and Malhotra (2007) assure that the questionnaire should be tested from different aspects, such as vocabularies, progression of the questions, designing and organising the content, and how the respondent answered the question correctly.

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4.13 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY

Credibility of research findings is essential to provide the right data for readers. Scientific methodology is based on strong and systematic processes that integrate with each other to constitute what is called reliability and validity.

4.13.1 Reliability
Saunders et al (2009) state that reliability is associated with the procedures of collecting data, and whether or not those procedures will provide consistent findings. To find out more about the stability of the findings, (Saunders et al. 2009, p. 156) suggest using some questions that could better clarify reliability: Will the measures yield the same results on other occasions? Will similar observations be reached by other observers? Is there transparency in how sense was made from the raw data? Answers to these questions might indicate the stability of the findings.

4.13.2 Validity
Validity is concerned with the truthfulness of responses to the measurement being used (Burns and Bush. 2010, p. 319). Ghauri and Grkonhaug (2005) classify validity into different forms. First, there is internal validity, which is associated with the correlation between two or more variables and whether it is true or not. Another important aspect is statistical conclusion validity. This is more crucial because it deals with the sufficient research based on the sample size and the relationships between variables. Finally, it refers to the external validity, which is related to whether or not the findings deserve to be generalised.

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4.14 Data Collection and Sampling in the Current Research

A largely descriptive quantitative methodology will be adopted for primary data collection. The survey will be conducted by distributing questionnaires, which will be the main tool of the research since they are by far the most common instrument due to their flexibility and practicability in terms of administration and cost. Moreover, this method can direct the respondents to express their views directly (Sekaran 2003). The study aims to use questionnaires and target domestic tourists (who represent leisure travellers) and inbound tourists (who represent religious travellers) inside hotels in Saudi Arabia.

Based on the subject above, convenience sampling will be the prime method to collect information from the units of population who are suitable to enrich the study (Saunders et al. 2009). In addition, the sampling frame in this research is religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia who are considered to be the best representatives of the population.

Leisure travellers will be targeted by distributing questionnaires to our sample in hotels within Saudi cities whose purpose is for leisure. Conducting this research in this period will benefit our investigation because it will be the summer holiday season and approaching the month of Ramadan.

Religious travellers will be targeted by distributing questionnaires to our sample in hotels in Mecca and Al Madinah Al Munwarah. Friends and trained students from the Tourism and Hotel College in Al Madinah Al Munwarah will be the mediators to reach the target sample. Questionnaires will be distributed, and 100 respondents will be collected.

4.15 DATA ANALYSIS

According to the previous data, an analysis should be conducted to test the research hypothesis. Hence, SPSS software will be a suitable device to illustrate the data. In addition, the t-test will be used to analyse the differences between the two groups of this study (Pallant 2004). Furthermore, a correlation coefficient will be utilized to describe the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables.

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4.16 CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter has explained the methodology used to conduct this research. It underpins the important sequences involved in undertaking the research. Descriptive and exploratory research is used to gain new insights and assess current phenomena. The primary data were collected by distributing questionnaires that target domestic (leisure travellers) and inbound tourists (religious travellers) in Saudi Arabia during their stay at hotels. The mediators to reach the samples are friends and trained students from the Tourism and Hotel College in Al Madinah Al Munwarah, who will be the major means of collecting the primary data. After that, SPSS software will be a suitable tool to analyse the data.

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Chapter 5 - FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

5.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter will analyse the data that have been collected from different customers to investigate three fundamental aspects of customers perception of branding. First, this research will explore brand consciousness from the perspective of religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia. In addition, it will identify whether or not brand loyalty proneness is dominant in both groups. Finally, it will clarify the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. This research involved sending out 200 questionnaires in four major cities in Saudi Arabia: Mecca and Al Madinah Al Munwarah (the two Holy Cities that attract religious travellers), and Jeddah and Riyadh (which represent leisure travellers). One hundred questionnaires were distributed, targeting each group in their potential areas. The results of the data were captured in Table 5-1.
Table 5-1 Collected Questionnaires

City Mecca and Al Madinah Jeddah Total Questionnaires

Source: Fieldwork

Number of Collected questionnaires questionnaires 100 79 100 72 200 151

Not accepted 16 8 24

Total 63 64 127

The table shows that 100 questionnaires were distributed in Mecca and Al Madinah, 79 questionnaires were collected, and 21 questionnaires were not returned. Moreover, there were 16 questionnaires that were not completed properly or did not achieve a high level of reliability. The total responses from Mecca and Al Madinah were 63, which is, in general, accepted to provide the researcher with all necessary data for this research. With regard to leisure travellers responses, the same obstacles and procedures happened in this group, which resulted in 64 qualified questionnaires. Hence, the total data collection resulted in 127 questionnaires. Riyadh is excluded because no questionnaires were completed.

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It is worth mentioning that the researcher did not receive any negative comments with regard to the clarity of the questionnaire after it was translated from English to Arabic. After checking and organising the data, the next stage involves illustrating their meaning to attain the aim of this research. Therefore, the fundamental analysis will be embarked upon through the following topics:

The demographic aspects of the responses, including their gender, age, education, and nationality, which is determined for domestic as (Saudi) and inbound tourists as (Non-Saudi).

To test brand consciousness from the religious and leisure travellers perspective, and to determine whether or not there is a significant difference.

To examine brand loyalty proneness from visitors points of view. Finally, to investigate whether or not customer satisfaction has an impact on brand loyalty.

5.2 PURPOSE OF TRAVELLING

Before starting any analysis, we must first shed light on the primary aspects of the data, which surprisingly revealed significant results. To begin with, the results reveal that 40% of the 63 responses in the sample of religious travellers consider their travel to be for both religious and leisure purposes. Moreover, the leisure travellers of Jeddah tend to have religious desire, which represents 19%.
Table 5-2 Purposes of Travelling (63 in Mecca, 64 in Jeddah)

City Mecca and Al Madinah Jeddah

Source: Fieldwork

Religious purposes 33% 1%

Leisure purposes 22% 54%

Religious and leisure 40% 19%

Business 3% 25%

Others 1% 0

Table 5-2 indicates a very significant issue in that travellers to Mecca and Al Madinah Al Munwarah are more likely to consider themselves leisure travellers. Therefore, the prevailing view that visitors to Mecca and Al Madinah are religious travellers might not be true for a huge segment of hotel customers. It was also unanticipated that 19% of 64 responses consider their travel to be religious and leisure travel, even though Jeddah is well-known as a leisure attraction.

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In general, Figure 5-1 explains the total responses of the travellers in all cities Mecca, Al Madinah, and Jeddahwhich constitutes 127 responses.
Figure 5-1 Purpose of Travelling

Source: Fieldwork

It appears that 39% of people among 127 are leisure travellers and 17% are religious travellers. In addition, 29% is both religious and leisure travel, and 14% are business travellers who were customers in Jeddah hotels. Finally, 8% constitutes other purposes, such as searching for a job. Nonetheless, the researcher investigates the factors behind choosing this option as a purpose of their travel, even though they are visiting the Two Holy Mosques or a leisure destination.
Figure 5-2 Tourist Distribution

Source: Fieldwork

Figure 5-2 shows that 33% of the sample are inbound tourists and almost double that number are domestic tourists.

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As 29% of responses of the total sample chose religious and leisure as the purpose for their travel, it would be interesting to know which type of tourist is more related to this purpose.
Table 5-3 Descriptive Statistics of Religious and Leisure Travellers

Sample Segment
Domestic Inbound tourist

Religious and Leisure Purpose

8% 3%

Source: Fieldwork

Table 5-3 shows the percentage of domestic and inbound tourists who consider their visit to be for both a religious and leisure purpose. Saudi citizens might consider travelling to Mecca and Al Madinah as part of their journey around Saudi cities during their summer holiday, which can integrate religious rituals with leisure activities. On the other hand, inbound travellers are more likely to be there to perform Islamic rituals rather than enjoy leisure pursuits. After investigating the overall reasons, there might be other influences that could be a fruitful field of study in the future.

However, to attain the objectives of this research, it would be helpful to determine the purpose based on the main reason for their travel. Therefore, travellers to Mecca and Al Madinah will be considered as religious travellers. Furthermore, travellers to Jeddah will be deemed as leisure travellers due to the nature of the city, which is considered one of the top leisure cities in Saudi Arabia.

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Hence, the results after altering responses will be shown as follows, considering that the SPSS is analysing the new changes according to 127 responses:
Figure 5-3 Purpose of Travelling after Alteration

Source: Fieldwork

The figure above illustrates the total results for the responses of both religious and leisure travellers. It would appear that leisure purposes is overwhelming on the sample, representing 48% or 61 respondents. Next, religious purposes ranked second at 37% or 47 participants. Then, business purposes came third, which was taken from the Jeddah sample. After that, other purposes, such as work, represents only 8% of the total sample. Finally, the third option, travelling for religious and leisure purposes, is not included as a result of alteration.

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5.3 DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

The demographic features of the sample are related to the characteristics of the responses, such as sex, age, and education.

5.3.1 Gender Distribution

First, from the output shown in Table 5.4, there is 72% male and 35% female, giving a total of 127 respondents, and indicating a non-equal gender distribution since there are more men than women contributors to this research.
Table 5-4 Gender Distribution
Gender Frequency Valid Male Female Total 92 35 127 Percent 72.4 27.6 100.0

Source: Fieldwork

5.3.2 Age Distribution

The second part of the demographic characteristic is age distribution. Figure 5.4 illustrates by utilizing a bar chart to explain the age percentage of the responses.
Figure 5-4 Age Distribution

Source: Fieldwork

First, it appears that nearly half (48%) of the participants are between the ages of 25 and 34. Next, 23% of the respondents are between 35 and 44. Then, 13% of the people have an age range of 45-54. After that, 10% of the people are between 16 and 24, and the rest (5%) is over 55.

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5.3.3 Education Distribution

The final demographic characteristic in this study is education. In Figure 5.5, the greatest numbers of respondents (46%) have bachelor degrees, while 17% and 16% have a diploma and high school, respectively. In addition, 10% of participants have a masters degree, while 5% have a Ph.D. Finally, 5% of the remaining choices represents pre-high school and other certificates.
Figure 5-5 Education Distribution

Source: Fieldwork

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5.4 Questionnaire Reliability Test

The researcher examined the reliability of the items to know the internal consistency reliability of the responses. Sekaran (2003) states that reliability of less than 0.60 is considered to be poor, results of 0.70 are acceptable, and those above 0.80 are good. In addition, Cronbachs Alpha is deemed as a beneficial mechanism to infer the outcome (Sekaran 2003).

5.4.1 Brand Consciousness Reliability Test

Table 5-5 Brand Consciousness Reliability Test
Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha .699 N of Items 10

Source: Fieldwork

Based on the table above, the internal consistency reliability of the respondents measurement shows 0.699, which is considered to be an acceptable level.

5.4.2 Brand Loyalty Proneness Reliability Test

Table 5-6 Brand Loyalty Proneness Reliability Test
Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha .421 N of Items 4

Source: fieldwork

Even though the researcher utilized the same items used by (Kendall and Sproles 1986, p. 273), the table 5.6 shows that the internal consistency reliability of the respondents measurement is .421 which means poor results.

5.4.3 Customer Satisfaction Reliability Test

Table 5-7 Customer Satisfaction Reliability Test
Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha .723 N of Items 10

Source: fieldwork

The table above illustrates that the internal consistency reliability of the respondents measurement attains 0.723, which is deemed to be an acceptable level.

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5.4.4 Mean/Standard Deviation scores of Brand Consciousness Items

In this section, the brand consciousness from customers prospective is analysed to infer their perception toward brand consciousness. Sekaran (2003) points out that the mean is a mechanism of measuring the central tendency to illustrate the general image of the data. In addition, standard deviation is a type of statistic which reveals the values around the mean in a set of data.

Figure 5-6 Mean and Standard Deviation of the Average Image

Source: fieldwork

In the figure 5-6, the mean is 3.50 which indicates that the average brand consciousness is good since customers agree most of the items of the branded hotels. Moreover, the standard deviation 0.581, indicates the variable is tightly and the dispersion is low.

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5.5 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS RESULT

The previous section discussed the demographic characteristics of the samples as well as the reliability test. The next section will focus on the results of the statistical analysis of the data collection. The aim is to illustrate the results of three main topics: brand consciousness, brand loyalty proneness, and the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

5.5.1 Brand Consciousness

One of the prime reasons for this research is to investigate brand consciousness from religious and leisure travellers perspectives to know whether or not there is a difference between these two segments. In order to test the hypothesis by comparing the brand consciousness between the two groups using Section 2 in the questionnaire, a P-value and the mean score are analysed.

To analyse the null hypothesis, researcher uses P-value test where the hypothesis will be tested at the 95% confidence level. If the P-value is higher than 0.05, this means the null hypothesis will be accepted and the result will prove that there is no significant difference between the two sample groups. However, if P_<0.05, which means there is a significant statistical difference between the two groups, the null hypothesis will be rejected.

According to Kranzler and Mourusn (1995), the prime reason for utilizing the t-test would be to determine whether the two groups score differently to a statistically significant degree. Furthermore, Pallant (2004) assures that the t-test is a powerful mechanism to detect the differences between two groups. Therefore, the t-test was used to analyse the differences between the two groups i.e., Religious travellers and Leisure travellers under brand consciousness.

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The hypothesis and the results can be explained as follows: The Null Hypothesis There is no significant difference between religious travellers hotel brand consciousness and leisure travellers hotel brand consciousness. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between religious travellers hotel brand consciousness and leisure travellers hotel brand consciousness.
Table 5-8 Hypothesis Test of Brand Consciousness (Religious travellers 47, Leisure travellers 61) No Scale Item Purpose of Travelling T-Test
.760 1.20 .913 1.26 .993 1.28 .7771 1.17 .931 1.19 .793 1.13 1.02 1.05 .832 1.11 .865 .965 .970 1.17

P-Value
0.300 0.424

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Religious Leisure The more expensive hotel brands are usually Religious my choices Leisure The higher the price of a room, the better its Religious quality Leisure Nice hotel and speciality offer me the best Religious service Leisure I pay attention to the brand names of most of Religious the products I buy Leisure The most advertised hotel brands are usually Religious very good choices Leisure A hotel does not have to be perfect or the best Religious to satisfy me Leisure Brand names tell me something about the Religious quality of the hotel Leisure Brand names tell me something about how Religious 'cool' a hotel is Leisure Sometimes I am willing to pay more money for Religious a hotel because of its brand name Leisure The well-known hotel brands are best for me

0.893 0.021 0.486 0.003 0.000 0.868 0.682 0.200

Source: Fieldwork

From the results depicted from the table above, it is clear that there is strong suggestion for accepting the null hypothesis as the P-value are greater than 0.05. Although in three questions, researcher finds that null hypothesis may be rejected because values are lower than 0.05. First, in Q4 nice hotels offer best services, in Q6 choosing the advertised hotel brands and Q7 hotel perfection is not necessary to satisfy customers respectively. However, the next table will explain deeply the significant difference between the two groups by calculating the summated score of the brand consciousness variable.

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Table 5-9 Total score of mean for the Brand Consciousness

Group Statistics Purpose of travelling Total score of mean for the Brand Consciousness Religious Leisure N 47 61 Mean 3.6106 3.5016 Std. Deviation .44244 .57431 Sig. (2-tailed .284 .268

Source: Fieldwork

As can be seen from the table above 5-9, it is concluded that groups under the brand consciousness proves the null hypothesis to be correct, as the mean score of the brand consciousness of both groups religious and leisure travellers are 3.61 and 3.50 respectively. Therefore, the mean score suggests that null hypothesis is supported in this case.
Therefore, there is no significant difference between religious travellers hotel

brand consciousness and leisure travellers hotel brand consciousness.

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5.5.2 Brand Loyalty Proneness

Brand loyalty proneness is the second important topic to be investigated in this study. Section 2 in the questionnaire is designed to examine the differences in behaviour of both religious and leisure travellers towards brand loyalty proneness. Therefore, the t-test will be the tool to identify the differences between the two groups (Pallant 2004).

The Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between religious travellers hotel brand loyalty proneness and leisure travellers hotel brand loyalty proneness. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between religious travellers hotel brand loyalty proneness and leisure travellers brand loyalty proneness
Table 5-10 Hypothesis Test of Brand Loyalty Proneness (Religious travellers 47, Leisure travellers 61)
Group Statistics

Values

purpose of travelling
Religious Leisure Religious

N
47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61

T-test
1.513 1.545 -.945 -.961 1.256 1.317 .802 .844

P-Value
.133

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Source: Fieldwork

Leisure Religious Leisure Religious Leisure

.347

.212

.424

Table 5.10 shows that a P-value for the four values higher than 0.05 means there is no significant difference between religious and leisure travellers. A closer examination of the total score which represent the current variable in the following table shows that the two groups have high brand loyalty proneness. This result underpins the loyalty behaviour (Herington et al. 2010).

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Table 5-11 Total score of mean for the Brand Loyalty Proneness
Group Statistics purpose of travelling Total score of mean for the Brand Loyalty Proneness Religious Leisure N 47 61 Mean 3.3723 3.3279 Std. D .49693 .70347 Sig. (2-tailed) .713 .701

Source: Fieldwork

In the table above 5-11, it is summarised that groups under the brand loyalty proneness demonstrate the null hypothesis to be correct, as the mean score of the brand loyalty proneness of both groups religious and leisure travellers are 3.37 and 3.32 respectively. Hence, based on the total mean score, the null hypothesis is proved in this variable. Therefore, there is no significant difference between religious travellers brand loyalty proneness and leisure travellers hotel brand loyalty proneness.

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5.5.3 Customer Satisfaction

The researcher has collected the data from the target sample by two ways: inside branded hotels and at their attractions (such as inside the Two Holy Mosques). Therefore, Figure 5.7 shows respondents who experienced branded hotels and other participants who were staying in local hotels.
Figure 5-7 Customer Stay Distribution

Source: Fieldwork

5.5.3.1 Repeat Purchase

The intention to repurchase the same product more than once was examined, revealing a significant result that can be explained by the following figure:
Figure 5-8 Respondents who Stayed at the Hotel Before

Source: Fieldwork

As Figure 5.8 depicts, only 30% did not stay at the same hotel before and they were more than twice as likely to have stayed at the same hotel (69% vs. 30%).

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5.5.4 The Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty

A correlation coefficient describes the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables; therefore, it allows the researcher to know whether or not it is statistically significant (Saunders et al. 2009). According to (Saunders et al. 2009, Pallant 2001), the correlation coefficient can only take on values between -1 to +1. A sign +1 reveals a positive correlation, which means that as one value increases, the other value will also increase. On the other hand, if a value of -1 is deduced, that means there is a perfect negative correlation and as the value of one variable increases, the other variables decrease. In addition, values between +1 and -1 represent a weak/ strong correlation. Therefore, Spearmans rank correlation coefficient will be the proper means to deduce the relationships between the variables (Saunders et al. 2009).

The hypothesis is as follows: H3. Customer satisfaction positively influences brand loyalty.
Table 5-12 Pearson Correlation between Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty.
Correlations

Brand Loyalty
Q 6 Visit Again Pearson Correlation N Q 7 Recommend Pearson Correlation N **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Customer Satisfaction .629

**

127 .717
**

127

Source: Fieldwork

Table 5.12, there are the following strong positive correlations between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty: First, there is a significant relationship between choosing the brand again and feeling satisfied with the branded hotel, which is r=0.629, p<0.01). Second, there is a statistically significant strength positive relationship between the likelihood that customers will recommend the hotel to friends and their feeling of being satisfied with the hotel (r=0.717, p<0.01). (Biemans et al. 2010, Herington et al. 2010) assure that customer satisfaction is one of the most important factors that link the customer directly to brand (for detail read chapter 3, p 36 and 38). Hence, the third hypothesis in this research is accepted.

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5.5.5 The Relationship between three variables (Customer satisfaction, brand consciouness, and brand loyalty)
In this section the researcher will examine the relationship between the three variables namely; Customer Satisfaction, Brand Consciousness and Brand Loyalty
Table 5-13 Pearson Correlation (Customer Satisfaction, Brand Consciousness and Brand Loyalty)
Brand Consciousness Pearson Correlation .361
**

Brand Loyalty proneness 1

Brand Loyalty proneness

127
**

127
**

Customer Satisfaction

Pearson Correlation N

.281

.229

127

127

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Source: Fieldwork

Correlation was positive at the 0.01 (2tailed) for the three variables. In table 5.14, reveals that there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and brand consciousness. The concurrent validities of customer satisfaction and brand consciousness is 0.281, which is in the weak range. Furthermore, the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty proneness is also in the weak level which is .229. However, the correlation between brand consciousness and brand loyalty proneness is in the moderate rage which indicates value at .361.

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5.6 SUMMARY
Based on the previous results, the findings of this research have been deduced by utilizing an independent sample t-test. The summary of the findings is explained as follow. First, the religious and leisure travellers purpose option is dominant among the total respondents. Second, the null hypotheses i.e., there are no significant differences between religious travellers and leisure travellers under hotel brand consciousness is true and accepted by the study results. Third, there is no significant difference between religious travellers and leisure travellers under brand loyalty proneness. Lastly, the result found that customer satisfaction positively influences brand loyalty.

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Chapter 6 - CONCLUSION
6.1 INTRODUCTION
The previous chapters explain a wide range of concepts with regard to branding. The research has explained the main topics in detail, which has led to new insights that might be useful to academics and the private sector, particularly hotel management. Meanwhile, the researcher investigated the differences between religious and leisure travellers in Saudi Arabia with respect to brand consciousness. Hence, in line with this conclusion, this chapter will highlight the main findings of the research derived from the literature review as well as the data collection. In addition, it will raise recommendations for the future study. Finally, the limitations of this research will be mentioned at the end of this chapter.

6.2 SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH

The topic of branding is crucial for commercial services, particularly the hotel industry. It is the key to competing and achieving profitability in the marketplace (Hsu and Lee 2010). According to Choi and Roh (2010), branding is a strategy to draw customers attention to the product and, ultimately, to lead to loyalty (Aaker 1991, Gronroos 2007, Kotler and Armstrong 2009). Therefore, in this research, brand consciousness was the first stage to be examined to determine the differences between two substantial segments in Saudi Arabia: religious and leisure travellers. According to (Rausch 2002, ONeill and Mattila 2010), brand consciousness has not been investigated deeply in a cross-cultural context. Brand equity was investigated deeply, including the dimension of brand knowledge, the process of brand image, and the factors affecting brand awareness. The concept of brand strategy was explained and its significant impact on the success of hotel companies was emphasised. Finally, there was a special focus on the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

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6.2.1 Discussion of the Findings

The methodology was established to determine the overall design of the research in this study. Descriptive and exploratory research was undertaken to gain new insights and assess current phenomena (Keller 2008). After deciding the method of conducting the research, data collection is required to test the hypothesis. The stage of analysis is crucial due to the vital data that could lead the researcher to accept or reject hypotheses raised at the beginning of the research. Data collection was applied properly over 25 days, resulting in the collection of 151 of 200 questionnaires. There were 127 qualified respondents representing the two groups that is, 63 religious travellers and 64 leisure travellers. In order to analyse the data, the t-test was the most efficient tool to infer the findings between the two groups of travellers (Pallant 2004). In addition, coefficient correlation was used to understand the relationship between the variables of this study (Saunders et al. 2009).

This research demonstrates that performing the rituals of Hajj and Umrah has not affected religious travellers brand consciousness. In addition, brand loyalty proneness did not reveal any significant changes between the two groups. Based on the analysis, the findings of this research can be summarised as follows: The religious and leisure purpose option is dominant among total respondents. Data collection shows that 40% of the religious travellers in Mecca and Al Madinah integrate religious purpose with their leisure intention. There is 3% inbound tourist and 8% domestic tourists. For this reason, the researcher assumes that during summer holidays domestic tourists travel around Saudi cities including Mecca, Al Madinah, as well as Jeddah led them to integrate the two purposes. On the other hand, inbound tourists prefer to focus their purpose on performing religious rituals rather than tourism. However, future studies should investigate this topic in greater detail.

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There is no significant differences between religious travellers and leisure travellers under hotel brand consciousness According to the SPSS results, the independent sample t-test of ten values are high than the significant level at the P-value 0.05 except three items. Furthermore, the total mean score of the variable between the two groups did not depict major differences. Hence, the null hypotheses is accepted which states that no significant differences between the two groups. In general, the result seems to support the previous studies in the literature review. According to (Fetto and Gardyn 2003, Hofstede 2002, Liao and Wang 2009, Tatzel 2002,), Asian customers tend to have high brand consciousness than other cultures (chapter 3, p. 21). In more details, Liao and Wang (2009) state that there are some segments of East Asians customers who prefer well-appointed brand-names even though they exist in underdeveloped countries. Moreover, the reason might be related for seeking a prestigious position in public (Liao and Wang 2009) which is overwhelmingly in the Saudi society (Ottabi and Husani 2010) (chapter 3, p. 21). Another important issue is that the relationship between brand consciousness and customer satisfaction is low. (Phau et al. 2009, Lichtensteine et al. 1990) assure that social traits and value consciousness, which refers to prices impact, have a decisive role in increasing and decreasing to buy from branded product (chapter 2. p. 23). There is no significant difference between religious travellers brand loyalty proneness and leisure travellers brand loyalty proneness. Based on the finding of SPSS, religious and leisure travellers have high brand loyalty proneness. The result shows that the total score of mean for the two groups around 3.37. According to (Hofstede 2002, Tazel 2002), East Asians are more likely to stick to buying certain products than Westerners because of their collectivist culture. On the other hand, Fetto and Gardyn (2003) argue that Asian consumers are less likely to have high brand loyalty (chapter 3, p. 21). In general, this research proves that loyalty behaviour is dominated on the two groups. In addition, the repeat purchase in Figure 5.7 indicates that 69% of the customers have stayed at the same hotel more than once.

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Customer satisfaction positively influences brand loyalty. (Kang et al 2008, Biemans et al. 2010,) state that satisfying the customer is an important strategy to foster brand loyalty. Moreover, figure 3-4 demonstrates that customer satisfaction is the key to enhance loyalty which, in turn, cultivates loyalty. Meanwhile, this research proves the significant relationship between customer satisfaction and the intention to visit the hotel again and, further, to recommend the branded hotel to their friends. This resulted in .629 and .717, respectively.

6.3 RECOMMENDATION OF THE MANAGERIAL APPLICATIONS

The findings show that there is no a significant difference between religious and leisure travellers brand consciousness. Therefore, branded hotels are advised to set strategies to reinforce their position in customers mind.

6.3.1 Brand Consciusness and Brand Loyalty Proneness

(Gartner and Konecnik 2007, Martinez et al. 2009) state that advertising is a decisive factor in branding. In the context of brand consciousness, religious travellers and leisure traveller should be triggered by the advertisements of the branded hotel in all cities. First, Hsu and Lin (2009) advise decision-makers in the hotel industry to employ the right marketing strategy according to their position in the competitive market to attract customers to their brand. Therefore, branded hotels should try to maintain brand awareness among their customers by using different advertising tools to effectively compete in a cluster marketplace, particularly in Mecca and Madinah (Guizani et al. 2009). For instance, they should use TV, websites, and travel agencies to draw customers attention (Back and Lee 2010, Kim and Kim 2005, Martinez et al. 2009). Second, measuring and reviewing the strategies of the hotel are fundamental in the marketplace. For example, benchmarking the competition and monitor the trends marketing. Another important way is developing the technology to facilitate providing the services Angotti (2010) (chapter 2, P. 31).

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In addition, the findings provide a plausible rationale for local hotel owners to engage with branded hotels due to religious and leisure customers showing a high level of brand consciousness as well as repeat purchasing. Finally, branded hotel are advised to diversify their product such as promoting for, upper-scale, mid-scale, economical, and budgeted hotels, to increase customers satisfaction (Liao and Wang 2009).

6.3.2 Customer Satisfaction and brand loyalty

Hotel managers are recommended to foster customer satisfaction by providing a high level of quality and by activating marketing strategies (Lee and Park 2005, Tepeci 1999). Furthermore, hotel management and owners should measure and improve the environment around the hotel (physical environment, standardisation and the employees). Moreover, providing high level of services is the best mthod to satisfy customers which, in turn, attain brand loyalty (Lee and Park 2005, Tepeci 1999) (chapter 3, p. 38). Finally, hotels should bolster customer satisfaction because this has a tremendous impact on brand loyalty. Employing trained employees, and establishing loyaltybuilding programmes have a decisive effect on customer satisfaction (Kang et al. 2008).

6.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Even though the literature review presents a wide range of insights about branding in hotels, there is still a lack of references and studies about this topic in Saudi Arabia. Despite this limitation, the researcher employed arguments and theories that appear to be suitable for the current study.

In addition, the core idea from this research is to collect data from two main groups: religious and leisure travellers. However, one option, which was stated as a third purpose (i.e., religious and leisure purpose) was chosen by many of the respondents. This prompted the researcher to put each respondent to this option in the appropriate group based on the prime cause of travel. Thus, the results are not highly rigorous, which limits the ability to use them to generalise.

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6.5 FUTURE RESEARCH

This study examines a number of attributes of branding, and explains the differences between religious and leisure travellers in their perceptions of branded hotels.

Nonetheless, further exploratory research is needed to investigate other aspects of religious travellers. In other words, if there is a considerable segment of customers travelling to Mecca and Al Madinah for both religious and leisure purposes, it is worth investigating in more detail their reasons and the requirements they expect hotels to fulfil. Moreover, this research did not clearly compare each groups brand image with the desired hotel brand to know whether religious travellers have preferences towards particular branded hotels. Another important area is the service suppliers who are the decision-makers in branded hotels in Saudi Arabia. There is a potential area for research in targeting hotel management to clarify their brand awareness.

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6.6 CONCLUSION
The research explores the differences between religious and leisure travellers with respect to brand consciousness. The results show that religious travellers and leisure travellers have no significant differences rather have high brand consciousness which demonstrate that Asian customers are more likely to be brand conscious (Fetto and Gardyn 2003, Hofstede 2002, Tatzel 2002) (chapter 3. p. 20). Second, brand loyalty proneness are popular among both religious and leisure travellers. Moreover, repeat purchases are a prominent attribute that emphasises the loyalty behaviour. In addition, customer satisfaction is a key element to create brand loyalty. To improve the strength of a brand, hotel marketers must use the right marketing strategy for the right segment (Hsu and Lin 2009).

Utilizing advertising media such as TV, newspapers, and websites is a successful strategy to reinforce brand consciousness and brand loyalty proneness which, in turn, creates a competitive advantage. Investing in upper-scale, mid-scale, economical, and budgeted branded hotels in major cities in Saudi Arabia particularly Mecca, Al Madinah Al Munwarah and jeddah is a lucrative business (Liao and Wang 2009). Furthermore, hotel management are advised to maintain standardisation of their branded hotels, and to exert an effort to provide religious and leisure travellers with the high services they demand.

Finally, considering the fact that religious and leisure travellers reveal loyalty behaviour, loyalty programmes have a vital role in underpinning the relationships between the guests and the hotel (Aaker 2002, Chen et al. 2009).

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Appendix I 1- Questionnaires

United Kingdom

School of Management
Dear Sir/Madam, This questionnaire is part of a research project to understand customers perception about hotel brands in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Your responses are important in enabling me to obtain as full an understanding as possible of this topical issue. The questionnaires should take you about ten minutes to complete. Please answer the questions in the following pages. If you wish to add further comments, please feel free to do so. The information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence. You will notice that you are not asked to include your name or address anywhere on the questionnaire. The answers from your questionnaire and others will be used as the main data set for my research project for my degree in International Hotel Management at the University of Surrey. I hope that you will find completing the questionnaire enjoyable. Please answer the questionnaire by 30 July 2010. If you have any question please do not hesitate to email me at: sa00162@surrey.ac.uk

Thank you for your help

Your faithfully Mr. Sultan Al Saeed 97

Section 1.

About Yourself

Please complete these questions and you can remain certain that confidentiality will prevail all through.
Please tick () in the most appropriate option for you. Q1. Gender Male Female

Q2. Age 16-24 45-54 25-34 55-64 35-44 Over 64

Q3. What is your main purpose of this travelling? Religious Leisure Leisure and Religious Business Other (Please specify) .

Q4. Highest Education Level Attained PhD/Post Doctoral Diploma Master Degree Up to High School Bachelor Degree Collage

Other (please specify)

Q5. Nationality: (Please name it)..

98

Section 2.

Hotel Brand Consciousness

In this part we want to examine brand consciousness from your point of view as religious or leisure traveller. (Branded hotel such as Intercontinental, Hilton, and Marriot..etc.) Please rate the following statement by ticking () the point that best reflect your views (Please rate all statement).

Example:
The well-known hotel brands are best for me: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Please start here:

Q1. The well-known hotel brands are best for me: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q2. The more expensive hotel brands are usually my choices: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q3. The higher the price of a room, the better its quality: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q4. Nice hotel and specialty offer me the best service: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q5. I pay attention to the brand names of most of the products I buy: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

99

Q6. The most advertised hotel brands are usually very good choices: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q7. A hotel does not have to be perfect, or the best, to satisfy me: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q8. Brand names tell me something about the quality of the hotel: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q9. Brand names tell me something about how cool an item of hotel is: Strongly Neither Agree Strongly Agree Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Disagree

Q10. Sometimes I am willing to pay more money for a hotel because of its brand name: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

100

Section 3.

Brand Loyalty Proneness

This section aims to know, in general, whether you have brand-loyal consumer behaviour or not towards hotel brands. Please choose the appropriate answer: Q1. I have favourite hotel brand I rent over and over: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q2. Once I find a hotel brand I like, I stick with it: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q3. I got to the same hotel each time I travel: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q4. I change hotel brands whenever I travel: Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

101

Section 4.

Customer Satisfaction

This section aims to know particularly your perception towards the current hotel you stay in. Q1. Do you currently stay in a branded hotel? Intercontinental, Hilton, and Marriot..etc.) Yes Yes (Please continue) No No (Please go to Question 5) (Branded hotel such as

Q2. Have you ever been to this hotel before?

Q3. How long ago was your last visit to this hotel? Less than 1 month 7 to 12 moths 1 to 3 months 1 to 2 years 4 to 6 months More than 2 Years

Q4. How many times have you been to this hotel in last two years approximately? Less than twice 9 to 12 times 2 to 5 times 12 to 15 times 6 to 8 times More than 15 times

Q5. Please describe your overall feeling about this hotel you chose above by circling the appropriate number on the scale: Extremely Satisfied 5 4 3 2 1 Extremely Dissatisfied

Q6. In the Future, if you have a chance to stay in this hotel, how likely is it that you would choose this brand again? Extremely Likely 5 4 3 2 1 Extremely Unlikely

Q7. How likely is it that you would like to recommend this hotel to your friends? Extremely Likely 5 4 3 2 1 Extremely Unlikely

Q8. How would you describe the room price you Paid? Extremely Good Deal 5 4 3 2 1 Extremely Bad Deal

Q9. In General, how do you feel about the overall quality of the hotel? Excellent Quality 5 4 3 2 1 Very Poor Quality

Q10. Overall, how would you evaluate the value of your stay in this hotel for the price you paid? Extremely Good Value 5 4 3 2 1 Extremely Poor Value

End:

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation.

102

2- Translation of Questionnaires

- . . . / -

sa00162@surrey.ac.uk

103


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104


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:

105

106

- :

107

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108

Appendix II
1- Mega Brand

109

2-1 Brand Consciousness

Group Statistics purpose of this travelling The well-known hotel brands are best form me Religious Leisure N 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 Mean 3.66 3.87 3.23 3.40 3.72 3.75 3.70 4.16 3.78 3.63 3.74 3.14 3.17 2.11 3.78 3.81 3.89 3.96 3.40 3.13 Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean .760 1.20 .913 1.26 .993 1.28 .777 1.17 .931 1.19 .793 1.13 1.02 1.05 .832 1.11 .865 .965 .970 1.175 .111 .154 .133 .162 .144 .164 .113 .150 .135 .153 .115 .145 .149 .134 .124 .143 .126 .123 .141 .150

The more expensive hotel Religious brands are usually my choices Leisure The higher the price of a room, Religious the better its quallity Leisure Nice hotel and speciality offer me the best service Religious Leisure

I pay attention to the brand Religious names of most of the products Leisure I buy The most advertised hotel brands are usually very good choices A hotel does not have to be perfect, or the best, to satisfy me Religious Leisure Religious Leisure

Brand names tell me somthing Religious about the quality of the hotel Leisure Brand names tell me somthing Religious about how 'cool' an item of Leisure hotel is Somtimes I am willing to pay more money for a hotel because of its brand name Religious Leisure

110

2-2 Brand Consciousness

Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

F The well-known hotel Equal variances 5.127 brands are best form assumed me Equal variances not assumed The more expensive Equal variances 8.901 hotel brands are assumed usually my choices Equal variances not assumed The higher the price Equal variances 6.694 of a room, the better assumed its quallity Equal variances not assumed Nice hotel and Equal variances 5.901 speciality offer me the assumed best service Equal variances not assumed I pay attention to the Equal variances 2.836 brand names of most assumed of the products I buy Equal variances not assumed The most advertised Equal variances 8.013 hotel brands are assumed usually very good Equal variances choices not assumed A hotel does not have Equal variances to be perfect, or the assumed best, to satisfy me Equal variances not assumed .597

Sig. .026

t -1.042 -1.10

df 106 102 106 105.5 106 105. 106 103.9 106 105.9 106 105.0 106 100.0 106 105.8 106 103.5 106 105.4

Sig. (2Mean Std. Error tailed) Difference Difference Lower Upper .300 .273 .424 .405 .893 .889 .021 .016 .486 .472 .003 .002 .000 .000 .868 .863 .682 .678 .200 .189 -.209 -.209 -.175 -.175 -.030 -.030 -.461 -.461 .147 .147 .597 .597 1.05 1.055 -.032 -.032 -.073 -.073 .273 .273 .201 .190 .219 .210 .226 .219 .197 .188 .211 .204 .194 .186 .202 .201 .194 .187 .179 .176 .211 .206
-.607 -.586 -.610 -.592 -.480 -.465 -.854 -.834 -.271 -.258 .211 .228 .654 .655 -.418 -.404 -.428 -.424 -.146 -.136 .189 .167 .258 .241 .418 .404 -.069 -.088 .567 .554 .983 .965 1.45 1.45 .3539 .339 .281 .27 .693 .682

.004

-.802 -.836

.011

-.135 -.140

.017

-2.3 -2.4

.095

.699 .722

.006

3.0 3.2

.441

5.2 5.2

Brand names tell me Equal variances 8.136 somthing about the assumed quality of the hotel Equal variances not assumed Brand names tell me Equal variances somthing about how assumed 'cool' an item of hotel Equal variances is not assumed .935

.005

-.16 -.17

.336

-.41 -.41

Somtimes I am willing Equal variances 2.809 to pay more money assumed for a hotel because of Equal variances its brand name not assumed

.097

1.28 1.3

111

3-1 Brand Loyalty Proneness

Group Statistics purpose of this travelling I have favourite hotel brand I rent over and over Religious Leisure N 47 61 47 61 47 61 47 61 Mean 3.89 3.59 3.36 3.57 3.48 3.22 3.25 3.08 Std. Deviation .937 1.10 1.07 1.21 .830 1.21 .846 1.28 Std. Error Mean .136 .140 .156 .155 .121 .155 .123 .164

Once I find a hotel brand I like, Religious I stick with it I got to the same hotel each time I travel I change hotel brands whenever I travel Leisure Religious Leisure Religious Leisure

3-2 Brand Loyalty Proneness

Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Sig. Mean Std. (2- Differe Error tailed) nce Difference Lower Upper .133 .125 .347 .339 .212 .191 .424 .401 .303 .303 -.212 -.212 .259 .259 .173 .173 .200 .196 .224 .220 .206 .197 .216 .205 -.094 .7011 -.086 -.657 -.649 -.150 -.131 -.255 -.23 .693 .232 .225 .670 .651 .601 .580

F I have favourite hotel brand I rent over and over Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed 1.946 4.401

Sig. .038

t 1.5 1.5

df 10 104. 10 104. 10 104. 10

Once I find a Equal variances hotel brand I assumed like, I stick with it Equal variances not assumed I got to the same Equal variances hotel each time I assumed travel Equal variances not assumed I change hotel brands whenever I travel Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed

.166

-.9 -.96

9.292

.003

1.2 1.3

10.61 0

.002

.80

.84 103.7

112

4-1 Gender Brand Consciousness

Group Statistics Gender The well-known hotel brands Male are best form me The more expensive hotel brands are usually my choices The higher the price of a room, the better its quallity Male Femal 92 35 92 35 92 35 3.57 3.88 3.80 4.14 3.48 3.91 1.206 1.20 1.15 .97 1.16 .981 .125 .204 .119 .164 .121 .165 Femal Male Femal N 92 35 92 35 Mean 3.59 3.97 3.32 3.22 Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean 1.159 .985 1.130 1.238 .121 .166 .117 .209

Nice hotel and speciality offer Male me the best service I pay attention to the brand names of most of the products I buy The most advertised hotel Male Femal Male Femal

92 35

3.27 3.42

1.09 .978

.113 .165

brands are usually very good Femal choices A hotel does not have to be Male

92 35

2.85 2.14

1.21 1.06

.127 .179

perfect, or the best, to satisfy Femal me Brand names tell me something about the quality of the hotel Brand names tell me something about how 'cool' an item of hotel is Sometimes I am willing to pay more money for a hotel because of its brand name Male Femal Male Femal Male Femal

92 35

3.73 3.68

1.14 1.07

.119 .182

92 35

3.88 3.88

1.00 .932

.104 .157

92 35

3.1 3.2

1.04 1.17

.108 .198

113

4-2 Gender Brand Consciousness

Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Sig. (2Mean Std. Error tailed) Difference Difference Lower Upper .085 .066 .673 .686 .199 .201 .126 .101 .057 .042 .458 .437 .003 .002 .812 .807 .979 .978 .774 .786 -.38 -.38 .09 .09 -.30 -.30 -.33 -.33 -.42 -.42 -.15 -.15 .715 .71 .05 .05 -.005 -.005 -.06 -.06 .221 .206 .230 .24 .23 .23 .219 .203 .221 .205 .210 .200 .233 .219 .224 .218 .195 .189 .214 .225 -.82 -.7 -.35 -.38 -.78 -.78 -.77 -.74 -.86 -.83 -.57 -.557 .252 .277 -.390 -.381 -.392 -.382 -.485 -.513 .05 .02 .553 .578 .164 .169 .096 .067 .013 -.015 .260 .243 1.17 1.15 .49 .488 .381 .372 .362 .390

F The well-known hotel brands are best form me The more expensive hotel brands are usually my choices Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed 2.0 .11 3.11

Sig.

df 125 71.8 125 56.8 125 61.4 125 72.0 125 72.2 125 68.0 125 70.0 125 65.0 125 65.8 125 55.5

.08 -1.73 0 -1.86 .73 4 .42 .40 .15 -1.29 2 -1.29

The higher the Equal variances price of a room, the assumed better its quality Equal variances not assumed Nice hotel and speciality offer me the best service I pay attention to the brand names of most of the products I buy The most advertised hotel brands are usually very good choices A hotel does not have to be perfect, or the best, to satisfy me Brand names tell me something about the quality of the hotel Brand names tell me something about how 'cool' an item of hotel is Sometimes I am willing to pay more money for a hotel because of its brand name Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed

1.2

.27 -1.54 5 -1.66

1.6

.20 -1.91 3 -2.06

.42

.51 7

-.74 -.78

4.5

.03 6

3.06 3.25

.40

.52 6

.23 .24

.30

.57 9

-.02 -.02

.43

.50 9

-.28 -.27

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5-1 Gender Brand Loyalty Proneness

Group Statistics Gender I have favourite hotel brand I Male rent over and over Once I find a hotel brand I like, I stick with it I got to the same hotel each time I travel I change hotel brands whenever I travel Femal Male Femal Male Femal Male Femal N 92 35 92 35 92 35 92 35 Mean 3.63 3.68 3.48 3.28 3.34 3.11 3.27 2.85 Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean 1.066 1.131 1.19 1.20 1.01 1.15 1.13 1.00 .111 .191 .125 .203 .105 .195 .117 .169

5-2 Gender Brand Loyalty Proneness

Independent Samples Test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of Means 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

F
I have favourite hotel brand I rent over and over Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed

Sig.

df 125 58.3 125 61.3 125 54.8 125 68.6

Sig. (2tailed) .798 .804 .395 .397 .266 .298 .059 .049

Mean Std. Error Differen Differenc ce e

Lower -.481 -.498 -.268 -.273 -.180 -.211 -.016 .002

Upper .370 .387 .675 .680 .647 .678 .845 .826

.034

.855 -.257 -.250

-.055 -.055 .203 .203 .233 .233 .414 .414

.215 .221 .238 .238 .208 .222 .217 .206

Once I find a Equal variances hotel brand I assumed like, I stick with it Equal variances not assumed

.076

.784

.853 .852

I got to the same Equal variances 1.342 hotel each time I assumed travel Equal variances not assumed I change hotel brands whenever I travel Equal variances 1.625 assumed Equal variances not assumed

.249

1.1 1.0

.205

1.9 2.0

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6- Age Brand Consciousness

ANOVA Sum of Squares The well-known hotel brands Between Groups are best form me Within Groups Total The more expensive hotel brands are usually my choices The higher the price of a room, the better its quallity Between Groups Within Groups Total Between Groups Within Groups Total Nice hotel and speciality offer Between Groups me the best service Within Groups Total I pay attention to the brand names of most of the products I buy Between Groups Within Groups Total The most advertised hotel Between Groups brands are usually very good Within Groups choices Total A hotel does not have to be Between Groups perfect, or the best, to satisfy Within Groups me Total Brand names tell me something about the quality of the hotel Brand names tell me something about how 'cool' an item of hotel is Sometimes I am willing to pay more money for a hotel because of its brand name Between Groups Within Groups Total Between Groups Within Groups Total Between Groups Within Groups Total 2.229 156.794 159.024 3.472 165.158 168.630 2.121 182.320 184.441 4.899 150.770 155.669 7.367 152.948 160.315 3.548 137.854 141.402 11.780 174.661 186.441 2.186 157.168 159.354 3.248 117.980 121.228 1.105 144.154 145.260 df 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 5 121 126 .221 1.191 .186 .968 .650 .975 .666 .650 .437 1.299 .337 .890 2.356 1.443 1.632 .157 .710 1.139 .623 .683 1.473 1.264 1.166 .330 .980 1.246 .786 .561 .424 1.507 .282 .922 .694 1.365 .509 .769 Mean Square .446 1.296 F .344 Sig. .885

116

7-1 Age Brand Loyalty Proneness (ANOVA Test)

ANOVA Sum of Squares I have favourite hotel brand I Between rent over and over Groups Within Groups Total Once I find a hotel brand I like, I stick with it Between Groups Within Groups Total I got to the same hotel each time I travel Between Groups Within Groups Total I change hotel brands whenever I travel Between Groups Within Groups Total 150.855 154.850 121 126 1.247 137.894 139.795 3.995 121 126 5 .799 .641 .669 1.140 176.343 181.181 1.901 121 126 5 .380 .334 .892 1.457 145.014 147.055 4.838 121 126 5 .968 .664 .652 1.198 2.041 df 5 Mean Square .408 F .341 Sig. .887

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7-2 Age Brand Loyalty Proneness (ANOVA Test)

Descriptive 95% Confidence Interval for Mean N I have favourite hotel brand I rent over and over 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55 and 64 65 above Total Once I find a hotel brand I like, I stick with it 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55 and 64 65 above Total I got to the same hotel each time I travel 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55 and 64 65 above Total I change hotel brands whenever I travel 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55 and 64 65 above Total Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound Mini 3.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 3.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 .00 .00 2.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 1.00 3.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 Maxi 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 5.00

13 4.0000 61 3.6230 29 3.5862 17 3.5294 4 3.7500 3 3.6667 127 3.6457 13 3.5385 61 3.4590 29 3.6207 17 3.1765 4 3.0000 3 2.6667 127 3.4331 13 3.3846 61 3.2459 29 3.3103 17 3.3529 4 2.7500 3 3.6667 127 3.2835 13 3.0000 61 3.1639 29 3.3793 17 3.0000 4 2.5000 3 3.3333 127 3.1575

.81650 .22646 3.5066 4.4934 1.19950 .15358 3.3157 3.9302 .90701 .16843 3.2412 3.9312 1.17886 .28592 2.9233 4.1355 1.25831 .62915 1.7478 5.7522 .57735 .33333 2.2324 5.1009 1.08033 .09586 3.4560 3.8354 1.26592 .35110 2.7735 4.3035 1.19127 .15253 3.1539 3.7641 1.04928 .19485 3.2216 4.0198 1.28624 .31196 2.5151 3.8378 1.15470 .57735 1.1626 4.8374 2.30940 1.33333 -3.0702 8.4035 1.19914 .10641 3.2225 3.6436 1.12090 .31088 2.7073 4.0620 1.10538 .14153 2.9628 3.5290 1.03866 .19287 2.9153 3.7054 .93148 .22592 2.8740 3.8319 1.25831 .62915 .7478 4.7522 .57735 .33333 2.2324 5.1009 1.05332 .09347 3.0985 3.4684 1.15470 .32026 2.3022 3.6978 1.05167 .13465 2.8946 3.4333 1.29322 .24014 2.8874 3.8712 1.00000 .24254 2.4858 3.5142 1.00000 .50000 1.15470 .66667 .9088 4.0912 .4649 6.2018

1.10859 .09837 2.9628 3.3522

118