Why some hotels get it right and others don't: Perspective of situational crisis communication theory towards crisis response strategies

Abstract As the victims of the COVID‐19 pandemic, hotels depend on effective crisis leadership to respond to the crisis. Despite its significance, limited studies have accentuated the role of crisis leadership in an organization's intention to engage in effective crisis response. To fill this gap, this study examines the hotels' crisis responses in a Victim crisis cluster based on the intention to respond using Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). The findings reveal Denial along with Bolstering strategies to be prominent. The findings offer theoretical and practical implications to tourism and hospitality research by illustrating the role of crisis leadership for an effective crisis response during an unprecedented crisis, especially during the victim type crisis.