Art hotels and value co-creation: the dynamics of the customers’ interaction A case study from Tuscany

Abstract: In tourism, hotel customers and hotel settings are changing and evolving their nature: new dynamics and new contexts create and co-create new value. Hotels integrate new elements in their offer to recreate innovative physical environments and increase the customer experience. As a result, new and specific hotel genres are now operating on the market and each one is characterized by a different and specific asset of social dynamics. The present research set out to investigate how art hotels integrate the pieces of art in their offer, in their services, and in their settings. The study aims also to discuss how customers relate to these new environmental components. Two main theories are employed: the servicescape theory and the value co-creation one. At the same time, the social dynamics have been interpreted through Goffman’s models. The opportunity to combine the theoretical frameworks with a tool of analysis such as the theatrical metaphor allowed to better discuss and investigate the phenomenon. The results suggested the importance of an art hotel more as a social setting rather than as a mere physical environment where socially given convections need to be clarified to all the participants. The opportunity to properly contextualize the value co-creation emerged as ab important aspect to discuss how customers perceive the artworks and their value co-creation. element.