Memorable tourist experiences: the role of smart tourism technologies and hotel innovations

The aim of this study is to examine a conceptual framework that investigates the role of smart tourism technologies (STTs) in creating memorable tourist experiences (MTEs) through the mediating role of hotel innovations, namely, service/product innovations, marketing innovations, process innovations, and organizational innovations. Data are gathered through on-site surveys directed to foreign and local tourists during their visit and stay at Sharm El Sheikh within the time of the study. Using Smart Partial Least Squares 3.21, a total of 612 questionnaires are investigated by Structure Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that hotel innovations play mediating roles between STTs and MTEs. The study adds to the existing literature by tying STTs to MTE through hotel innovations. The study's findings have theoretical and practical implications for destinations and hotel businesses through discussing and introducing a framework that exploratorily implies that using STTs at destinations can create MTEs through adopting hotel innovations.