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Introduction
Throughout the course of a vacation experience, consumers will likely go through various locations, interact with multiple service providers and experience different emotions. In fact, hedonically driven consumption is regarded as an emotionally laden event (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982; Mano and Oliver, 1993). Geographers contend that emotions are intangible, yet a virtual force that will bring about bodily responses (Dewsbury, 2009; Thien, 2005). Emotions, therefore, cannot be separated from vacation experiences. Researchers have recognized the importance of affective components in predicting the future success of several services industries (Garcia et al. , 2011). In examining the literature on emotions within service settings, several trends emerge. One group of researchers has paid close attention to the various displays of emotions and how they affect both customers and employees (Grandey et al. , 2005; Groth et al. , 2009; Mattila and Enz, 2002). A second set of researchers has studied the effects of emotions on arousal, impulse decisions and emotional contagion (Bigne et al. , 2005; Miao, 2011; Pugh, 2001). A third group of research models have been presented to better explain the role of affect in obtaining desirable business outcomes such as loyalty, satisfaction, service quality perceptions and intention to repurchase (Han and Back, 2008; Van Dolen et al. , 2004). Finally, much smaller research stream has studied the effects of time in customer emotions (Nawjin et al. , 2013). In spite of the existing research on customer emotions in the service setting, more research is needed to explain the momentary effects of various service encounters in a customer's overall affective states.
An important insight into the process that triggers emotions and their possible responses can be found in the organizational literature. Seeking to better understand how various events impact employee emotions and their work experience, Weiss and Cropanzano (1996) developed the Affective Events Theory. Accordingly, discrete events can trigger specific emotional responses, which in turn generate employee responses, perceptions of job satisfaction and employee performance. If translated to a customer setting, the logic would follow that experiences in different hospitality industries (i.e. hotels, restaurants, theme parks) and the specific interactions with service providers within each of these industries would likely generate specific emotional responses, which in turn could lead to customer satisfaction, loyalty and...