Exploring emotional traces in families' recollection of experiences A study based on luxury hotel reviews

Purpose From experiences recollections, this study aims to explore the place of emotions in the souvenir's step of the family consumption process of luxury hotels stays. Design/methodology/approach To explore the emotional dimension, this exploratory research is based on a triple qualitative approach (software, manual and a psychology-based approach). In total, 1,055 e-reviews, following a family stay in four- and five-star hotels, were collected. Findings The findings highlight an omnipresent emotional dimension in the recollections of experiences of consumers who have travelled with their families. These emotional traces differ according to the hotel's positioning. Overall, positive emotions are much more prominent in the most luxurious hotels, while negative emotions are more related to the four-star hotels. Moreover, the four-star hotels reviews mainly associate emotions with the tangible aspects of the offer. Those in five-star hotels are more structured through intangible aspects. Originality/value This study considers the family unit in a new way, that of its emotional memories' traces of luxury hotels experiences. The post-consumer stage of the purchase process based on many spontaneous online reviews analysis is investigated.