Retail Hospitality in the city of São Paulo

Abstract

The customer is part of the provision of services in hotels, bars and restaurants. Technological advancement, changes in buying and consumption behavior, and changes in people’s lifestyles have created a distance in social relations. The discussion about the hospitable characteristics employed in spaces for service provision tends to (re)construct social ties between host-client in hospitality commercial activities. The general objective of this study was to investigate the hospitableness and servicescape present in the act of host-client social interaction promoted within Retail in three types of establishments: food services, lodging facilities and stores in São Paulo. The intention was to propose that Hospitality is present in the retail environment as a competitive differential. A quantitative approach was used to conduct the study, through a survey among Retail clients, to identify how the hosts prepare to “welcome” their customers and how clients see the way they were received.