Sexual orientation identity matters: Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-sexual customers’ perceptions of service encounters

ABSTRACT

This research focuses on Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-sexual (LGB) customers’ perceptions of hospitality service encounters in regard to sexual orientation identity. A survey is developed and 177 participants are recruited from a large LGBT event in the Unites States. The MANCOVA results show that LGB customers who are more open about their sexual orientation indicate a higher importance in being acknowledged for their sexual orientation by service employees, believe that service employees are aware of their sexual orientation, and are more likely to reveal their sexual orientation when service employees misidentify them as heterosexual, compared to those who are less open about their sexual orientation. This research contributes to hospitality research by providing a better understanding of LGB customers’ perceptions of hospitality service encounters from a sexual orientation identity perspective. This research also guides hospitality practitioners to increase sensitivity in catering for sexual minority customers through effective communication and training.

本研究主要关注女同性恋、男同性恋和双性恋（LGB）顾客对酒店服务遭遇的性取向认同感知. 开展了一项调查，从美国的一个大型LGBT活动中招募了177名参与者. MANCOVA结果显示，对性取向更开放的LGB客户表示，服务员工更重视对其性取向的认可，认为服务员工了解其性取向，并且当服务员工误认为他们是异性恋时，他们更容易暴露其性取向，与那些对性取向不那么开放的人相比.本研究通过从性取向身份的角度更好地了解LGB客户对酒店服务接触的看法，为酒店研究做出了贡献. 这项研究还指导酒店从业人员通过有效的沟通和培训，提高迎合性少数群体顾客的敏感性.

KEYWORDS:

• Bi-sexual
• gay
• hospitality marketing
• lesbian
• service encounter
• sexual orientation identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).