Harmonizing Digital Promotion and Sensory Experience is Key to Building Hotel Guest Trust

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Recent research explores how the alignment between digital spaces and actual physical experiences influences the formation of hotel brand experiences. This study was conducted by Suprapto, Wening Patmi Rahayu, and Agus Hermawan from the State University of Malang in June 2026. The findings of this research are crucial as they provide a guide for the hospitality industry to focus not only on enticing promises on social media but also to prove those promises through services that can be directly felt by the customers' five senses.

Competition in the modern hospitality industry is no longer simply about competing on price or the completeness of physical facilities. Today, a prospective guest's decision always begins with digital stimulation, such as looking at room photos, reading reviews, or checking facilities on an application. The biggest challenge arises when the high expectations built in the virtual world do not match the reality experienced by guests upon arrival.

To dissect this phenomenon, the researchers conducted a conceptual study using an exploratory multi-case approach. This analysis dissects the marketing strategies of three hotels in Malang City that hold specific market positions: Grand Mercure Malang Mirama, The Alana Malang, and Bobobox Malang. The methodology reviews literature related to digital promotion, guest reviews, and sensory experiences to find the optimal formula for the hospitality industry.

The results of the analysis yielded several important facts regarding the interaction patterns between consumers and hotel brands:

• Digital promotion serves as the main gateway that shapes the initial expectations of prospective guests through websites, applications, photos, videos, and online reviews before they book a room.
• Sensory marketing, which includes visual elements, sounds, lobby scents, the tactile comfort of linens, and the taste of food, is concrete proof of the promises offered by the hotel brand.
• The congruence between digital promises and actual sensory experiences is a crucial mechanism that bridges initial expectations with actual customer satisfaction.
• The application of this congruence must be tailored to the specific profile of the hotel, such as a large-scale premium impression for Grand Mercure, local cultural warmth for The Alana, and technology-based privacy for Bobobox.

These findings carry strategic impacts for the hospitality business, advising them not to merely position the digital space as a promotional medium, but rather as a continuous experience-shaping system. Hotel management is recommended to implement measurable operational standards in sensory aspects, such as ensuring room scents, lighting quality, and the smoothness of the check-in application run perfectly without burdening the customer.

Suprapto and the team of academics from the State University of Malang emphasized that when the digital content displayed is too ideal but lacks accuracy with the reality of the existing facilities, it triggers an experiential dissonance. This mismatch ultimately amplifies the risk of guest disappointment and directly impacts the hotel's reputation through negative online reviews.

Author Profile: This research was authored by Suprapto (Corresponding Author), Wening Patmi Rahayu, and Agus Hermawan. The three are academics affiliated with the Faculty of Economics and Business, State University of Malang, Indonesia.

Research Source:

• Article Title: Digital-Sensory Confluence in Hotel Brand Experience Formation: a Multi-Case Study on Grand Mercure Malang Mirama, the Alana Malang, and Bobobox Malang
• Journal Name/Volume: Indonesian Journal of Business Analytics (IJBA), Vol. 6, No. 3
• Publication Date: June 2026
• Official Link (DOI): https://doi.org/10.55927/ijba.v6i3.16563