Mindfulness Training and Guest Satisfaction in the Sri Lankan Hospitality Sector: The Mediating Role of Employee Engagement

Frontline employees play a central role in shaping guest experiences in the Sri Lankan hotel industry, particularly in service settings that demand sustained attention and emotional control. Against this background, this study investigates the relationship between mindfulness training, employee engagement and guest satisfaction, with particular attention to the mediating role of employee engagement. Survey data were collected from 384 employees working in four- and five-star hotels in Sri Lanka using purposive sampling. The measurement and structural models were assessed through PLS-SEM using SmartPLS 4, with bootstrapping based on 5,000 resamples. The findings show significant positive relationships between mindfulness training and employee engagement, mindfulness training and guest satisfaction, and employee engagement and guest satisfaction. Employee engagement also partially mediates the relationship between mindfulness training and guest satisfaction. These findings suggest that mindfulness may support guest-related outcomes not only through employees’ attentiveness and emotional regulation, but also through stronger engagement with their work. The study contributes to hospitality research by bringing these relationships together within the underexplored Sri Lankan context and offers practical relevance for employee development in service-intensive hotel environments.