Busy stays: how the sense of busyness shapes customer relationship norm orientation toward hotels

Purpose This study aims to explore how different types of busyness – proactive and forced – affect customers’ relationship norm orientations (exchange vs communal) toward hotels, thereby providing new insights for customer relationship management in the hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach Three online experiments examined the impact of busyness type (proactive vs forced) on relationship norm orientations (exchange vs communal). These studies also revealed the underlying processes involving status and affiliation motives, along with the moderating role of power distance beliefs (PDBs). Findings The results of this study indicate that customers experiencing proactive busyness prefer establishing exchange relationships with hotels, whereas those experiencing forced busyness favor communal relationships (Study 1). Status motives and affiliation motives mediate this effect (Study 2). Additionally, PDBs strengthen the influence of busyness on relationship norm orientations (Study 3). Research limitations/implications Hotels can enhance customer acquisition and satisfaction by diagnosing busyness types (proactive vs forced) via direct inquiry or behavioral/demographic proxies, then deploying relationship-norm-congruent strategies (exchange vs communal). Originality/value This research offers an in-depth exploration of the drivers of customer relationship norm orientation from the perspective of individual busyness. This study deepens understanding of how busyness influences decision-making by validating the mediating effects of status and affiliation motives, as well as the moderating role of PDBs.