Triad theory of hotel managerial leadership, employee brand building behavior, and guest images of luxury hotel brands
Purpose This paper aims to investigate the brand building behavior in the luxury hotel industry from the perspective of frontline employees. In particular, this study addresses the importance and relevance of supportive leadership, brand building behavior and customers' perceived brand image in the hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach The research uses data from four luxury class (4 and 5 star) hotels in the Pearl River Delta of China. Contact with frontline employees yielded employee and customer data, with 243 of 369 employee questionnaires having one or more matches with 1,158 customer questionnaires. Hierarchical linear modeling was adopted to test the research model. Findings Luxury hotels benefit from managers who provide supportive leadership that encourages employee brand building behavior. In turn, employee brand building behavior influences customers' positive perception of brand image. Practical implications Brand building behavior is a top to bottom process. Luxury hotels need to pay attention to internal brand building orientation, while managers should reinforce the organization's cultural orientation and provide appropriate job skills training to improve employees' willingness and ability to build the company's brand. Originality/value Findings of this study contribute to the brand management literature and the hotel management literature by addressing important matters affecting the frontline employees' brand building behavior.