Consumer Distrust in Luxury Hotels: Antecedents, Behavioral Consequences, and the Moderating Role of Trust Repair

Abstract

This article investigates consumer distrust and outcomes through a model incorporating mediation and moderation in five-star luxury hotels. Relying on signaling theory, service-dominant logic, and institutional trust theory, this model theorizes six precursors of consumer distrust (pricing opacity, service inconsistency, AI and automation anxiety, review manipulation, data privacy concerns, and post-pandemic expectations) and four outcomes: non-return behavior, negative electronic word-of-mouth, brand avoidance, and defection intentions. Trust repair is examined as a moderator. PLS-SEM on a sample of 640 hotel guests supports the hypothesized relationships. Pricing opacity was identified as the leading driver of consumer distrust, while consumer distrust strongly influenced negative electronic word-of-mouth. Trust repair significantly moderated the relationships between consumer distrust and all four adverse behavioral outcomes, with the interaction patterns indicating that higher levels of trust repair strengthen the positive association between consumer distrust and these outcomes. These findings collectively advance a novel, theoretically integrated account of relationship erosion in luxury hospitality, offering actionable guidance for hotel managers, brand strategists, and policymakers operating in comparable emerging market destinations.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Tourism and Hospitality, 2026 · DOI ↗