The effect of employee based brand equity on customer experience in multinational chain hotels

Employees in branded hotels can be more satisfied and better perform at work if they appreciate brand value, thus showcasing employee based brand equity. By interacting with hotel guests, employees can transfer some of this brand value onto customers and affect their experience. The interlinkages between employee based brand equity and customer experience are however under-explored. By surveying employees (n = 335) and customers (n = 332) of a renowned multinational hotel chain, this study demonstrates that employee based brand equity exerts significant effect on customer experience. The results suggest that hotel managers should better recognise the key role of employees as brand ambassadors.