Gestão da experiência do cliente : diagnóstico das práticas e percepção dos gestores em empreendimentos hoteleiros de pequeno porte em Pipa / RN

Abstract

In highly competitive markets, customer experience (CX) has become a key differentiating factor, as it results from perceptions formed through interactions across the guest journey. In this context, the study aimed to identify the customer experience management practices adopted by small-scale accommodation establishments in Praia da Pipa, Tibau do Sul (RN), and to examine how their managers perceive and understand them. This is a qualitative, exploratory descriptive study. The population consisted of inns in the destination, with small scale defined as establishments with up to 30 accommodation units. Fourteen eligible businesses were identified, five of which agreed to participate. Data were collected through in-depth, in-person, semi-structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic analysis, organized into analytical axes and supported by cross-case comparison. The results indicate that managers understand the experience in a comprehensive way, associating it with the guest journey and, in some cases, with the destination; however, the reported practices show low formalization of strategies, with a predominance of routines and reactive adjustments, especially at touchpoints related to welcoming and reception. Experience assessment is mainly based on feedback and online reviews, while recurring challenges include operational constraints and external destination-related factors; at the same time, small scale is perceived as facilitating personalization and closeness in service delivery.