Ways to evaluate the ability to be hospitable through behavioral preferences and empathy

Abstract

Tourism and hospitality are associated with the execution of services that require an intense relationship between the participants. The human factor is one of the most important ingredients in order to promote the perception of a positive experience. The ability to be hospitable is a social and psychological phenomenon, but studies have focused more on procedural and conceptual aspects. This study assumes that, as the hospitality is an interpersonal relationship, the ability to be hospitable could be conceptualized and evaluated by the behavioral characteristics and, in particular, empathy. In a first analysis, we imagined to measure the ability to be hospitable by the characteristics of the individual. In conclusion, it was found that there is a close relationship between empathy and behavioral dominances with the ability to be hospitable, which allows them to be used as a medium to evaluate and predict one’s ability to be more hospitable. Meanwhile, the conclusion also helps us think about investigating the situation in which the meeting happens, and in which the emotional disposition, factors that may interfere with the behavior and empathy.