The Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction in the Relationship Between Service Quality, Digital Experience, and Customer Loyalty at Kambaniru Beach Hotel & Resort, Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara

Meru Ardi Wardoyo; I Made Bayu Wisnawa; I Ketut Sutapa

doi:10.63922/ijebir.v5i05.5827

Meru Ardi Wardoyo Master of Management Program, Faculty of Business, Tourism, and Education, Universitas Triatma Mulya, Badung, Bali, Indonesia
I Made Bayu Wisnawa Master of Management Program, Faculty of Business, Tourism, and Education, Universitas Triatma Mulya, Badung, Bali, Indonesia
I Ketut Sutapa Master of Management Program, Faculty of Business, Tourism, and Education, Universitas Triatma Mulya, Badung, Bali, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijebir.v5i05.5827

Keywords: quality of service, digital experience, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, hotel and hospitality industry

Abstract

This study investigates the role of customer satisfaction in mediating the effects of service quality and digital experience on customer loyalty at Kambaniru Beach Hotel & Resort, Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara. The study was motivated by the discrepancy between the increasing number of tourist arrivals in East Sumba and the hotel's relatively low occupancy and repeat-guest rates. A quantitative approach was employed using survey data collected from hotel guests, and the relationships among variables were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that service quality and digital experience each have positive and significant effects on both customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Customer satisfaction also has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty and represents the strongest predictor of loyalty. Furthermore, customer satisfaction acts as a partial mediator in the relationships between service quality and customer loyalty, and between digital experience and customer loyalty. These findings indicate that improving service quality and digital experience enhances customer loyalty is enhanced through both direct effects and indirect effects mediated by increased customer satisfaction. The study highlights the importance of integrating high-quality hospitality services with effective digital customer experiences to strengthen customer retention and sustainable competitiveness in emerging tourism destinations. The results provide practical implications for hotel managers in improving service consistency, digital service quality, and customer satisfaction to encourage repeat visits and positive electronic word-of-mouth.

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