Color saturation effect in hotel images : moderating roles of travel purpose and busy mindset

Abstract

Limited research investigates for whom saturated images are particularly effective in driving favorable responses. The current study examines the moderating roles of travel purpose (Study 1 & 2: leisure vs. business travel) and busy mindset (Study 3) in the color saturation effect. We find that increasing color saturation in hotel images could be helpful for leisure travelers (vs. business travelers). Moreover, for individuals with (vs. without) busy mindsets, increasing color saturation of hotel images has a stronger stimulating effect. Hotels should adjust color saturation of images based on their target market characteristics.