How Customer Technology Readiness Sparks Hotel Brand Evangelism: The Roles of Empathy, Admiration, and Technological Empowerment

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29036/8b8gxs70

Keywords:

Customer Technology Readiness, Brand Evangelism, Perceived Empathy and Brand Admiration, Perceived technological empowerment, Hospitality businesses.

Abstract

This study investigates how Customer Technology Readiness drives Brand Evangelism in the context of five-star hotels in Egypt, integrating Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) Theory. The research proposes a moderated–mediated model in which Perceived Empathy and Brand Admiration sequentially mediate the relationship between technology readiness and brand evangelism, while Perceived Technological Empowerment moderates the effect of admiration on evangelism. Data were collected from 432 hotel customers and analyzed using PLS-SEM with WarpPLS. Findings reveal that technology-ready customers are more likely to experience empathy and admiration toward hotel brands, which in turn fosters brand evangelism. Sequential mediation analyses confirm that customer technology readiness influences evangelism indirectly through empathy and admiration. Moreover, the positive effect of brand admiration on evangelism is stronger when perceived technological empowerment is high. These results highlight the critical role of technology-driven emotional and empowerment mechanisms in promoting hotel brand advocacy.

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Author Biographies

  • Hazem Ahmed Khairy, Hotel Management Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt

    Prof. Dr. Hazem Ahmed Khairy is a Professor in the Hotel Management Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, University of Sadat City, Egypt. His research focuses on hospitality management, consumer behavior, service technology, brand relationships, and technology-driven innovation in tourism and hotel contexts. He is a former visiting scholar at Auburn University (USA) and a Certified Professional in HRM from the American University in Egypt.

  • Wagih M. E. Salama, Department of Social Studies, College of Arts, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.

    Dr. Wagih M. E. Salama is a faculty member in the Department of Social Studies, College of Arts, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. His research interests focus on social behavior, consumer psychology, cultural studies, and the social dimensions of technology adoption and service experiences.

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Published

2026-06-01

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 32 (2026): Journal of Tourism and Services

Section

Scientific Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Tourism and Services

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Journal of Tourism and Services (ISSN 1804-5650) is published by the Center for International Scientific Research of VŠO and VŠPP in cooperation with the following partners:

  • Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Faculty of Economics and Tourism, Croatia
  • School of Business and Administration of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal
  • Szent István University, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Hungary
  • Pan-European University, Faculty of Business, Prague, Czech Republic
  • Pan-European University, Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Law, Prague, Czech Republic
  • University of Debrecen Faculty of Economics and Business, Hungary
  • University of Zilina, Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications, Slovakia

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How to Cite

Khairy, H. A., & Salama, W. M. E. (2026). How Customer Technology Readiness Sparks Hotel Brand Evangelism: The Roles of Empathy, Admiration, and Technological Empowerment. Journal of Tourism and Services, 17(32), 314-339. https://doi.org/10.29036/8b8gxs70