Young consumers’ cool gaze on luxury hotels: Comparative analysis using SEM and fsQCA

Employing social identity theory, tourist gaze theory, and experiential marketing, this research explores the concept of coolness in luxury hotels as gazed by Chinese Generation Z consumers. Utilizes PLS-SME and fsQCA analysis, this study constructs and validates the structural multifaceted measurement of the coolness in luxury hotels, supporting a six-factor model comprising usefulness, energy, rebellion, subculture, holism, and hospitality and the casualty with Generation Z consumers’ satisfaction. These insights offer significant strategic implications for luxury hotel managers seeking to attract and engage the Gen Z market by incorporating elements of coolness into their experiential marketing strategies.