Population aging is an inevitable phenomenon. According to the United Nations [1], the number of seniors (people aged 60 years or older) has increased dramatically over the last two decades. Seniors constituted 9% of the population in 1994 and accounted for 12% in 2014. The proportion is expected to show an upward trend and ultimately reach 21% in 2050. Scholars emphasized that seniors have greater purchasing power than other age groups such as teenagers and middle-aged people [2-5]. In particular, Hudson [6] stated that seniors are an influential consumption group, accounting for more than half of consumer spending in the US. In a hospitality and tourism research, Van den Berg, Arentze, and Timmermans [7] suggested that seniors more actively participated in tourism activities (e.g., enjoying entertainment, going on a package tour) because of their affluent financial status and because they have more time than younger age groups. Similarly, Sun and Morrison [8] and Sund and Boksberger [9] found that seniors tended to adjust their lifestyles through hedonicoriented ways. Chen, Liu, and Chang [10] indicated that population aging will positively contribute to the senior tourism sector. Chen et al. [10] also had an optimistic view with regard to senior tourism and stated that this sector is the growth engine of tourism. Leisure travel has a critical role in the life of seniors after retirement [11].

The behavior of seniors is linked to the continuity theory of normal aging. According to the continuity theory as suggested by Atchley [12], seniors have a tendency to maintain the same behaviors, attitudes, activities, and personalities they had in the earlier years of their lives. Seniors exert considerable effort to maintain the same approach toward life and continuity of lifestyle based on their previous experiences. The behavior of seniors mirrors or reflects images of their past. Hence, the behavior of pre-seniors can be an indicator of their future lifestyles. Pre-seniors are individuals undergoing the middle age and are about to enter the senior age phase. They are usually employed and actively participate in economic activities. Hence, focusing on pre-seniors along with seniors is necessary.

Despite the importance of pre-seniors and seniors, scholars have mainly investigated the seniors in the tourism industry by segmenting the senior group into heterogeneous groups [2,13,14], identifying their motivation and examining the relationship between motivation and its antecedent/behavior intention [5,15-19], investigating the perceptions of seniors on the service features of an outbound group package tour [20] and perceptions of travel experience [21], describing the sociodemographic information and trip characteristics of the senior group [22], and others [3,4,23-26]. Although several studies have been conducted from the hospitality perspective [8,9,27-34] limited focus has been given to investigating senior tourists in the hotel industry. In particular, no attempt has been made to compare the attitudes of presenior and senior tourists toward casino hotel facilities. As discussed above, seniors have more opportunities to enjoy their leisure travels and stay in tourist destinations. With their stable financial status and abundant time, they are likely to spend their time and money using hotel facilities (e.g., entertainment program, shopping arcade, and so on) that contribute directly to hotel revenues.

Another research gap identified was related to target sample. Studies on the growing market of Chinese senior tourists are scarce. China has become an aging society because of improvements in medical care and health [16]. Chinese seniors are expected to constitute 11.8% (approximately 169 million) of the entire population in 2020 [1]. In other words, the Chinese senior market is one of the most promising sectors for academics and practitioners. Therefore, this study aims to investigate Chinese senior tourists by comparing the attitudes of two senior groups toward a casino hotel and its facilities. The specific objectives are (1) to identify Chinese pre-senior and senior tourists, (2) explore the general travel patterns of the two groups, (3) compare the perceptions of the two groups on casino hotel facilities, (4) investigate the time and spending patterns of the two groups toward a hotel facility, and (5) to examine the relationship between satisfaction with the hotel facility and overall satisfaction and recommendation, as well as revisit the intention of the two groups. The findings are expected to provide practitioners with rich insights into the pre-senior and senior tourist perceptions toward a hotel in meeting customer needs by establishing tailored marketing and sales strategies and ultimately contributing to hotel revenues.

Chinese senior market

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China [35], the population of mainland China reached 1.36 billion, indicating an increase of 7.1 million over that of the previous year. The labor force (i.e., people with ages between 16 and 59) considerably decreased to 915 million in 2014, whereas the number of seniors (i.e., people with ages 60 years or above) gradually increased and constituted 15.5% of the entire population. The trends in population aging are expected to persist until at least 2050 [35]. As the population ages, relevant industries also flourish [36]. According to the “China Report on the Development of the Silver Hair Industry” [36], the senior market contributed US$652 billion in 2014, accounting for 8% of the GDP. The senior market is expected to flourish continuously until2050 and generating US$17 trillion or a third of the Chinese economy [36]. CNCA [36] emphasized that the Chinese senior market will be the largest market.

Continuity theory

The continuity theory, as suggested by Atchley [12], highlights the tendency of people to maintain the same behaviors, attitudes, activities, and personalities they possessed in the earlier years of their lives. According to Atchley [12], continuity theory holds that, in making adaptive choices, middle-aged and older adults attempt to preserve and maintain existing internal and external structures; and they prefer to accomplish this objective by using strategies tied to their past experiences of themselves and their social world. Change is linked to the person’s perceived past, producing continuity in inner psychological characteristics as well as in social behavior and in social circumstances. Continuity is thus a grand adaptive strategy that is promoted by both individual preference and social approval (p. 183).

The theory has been widely applied in hospitality- and tourismrelated research. For example, Scott and Willits [37] assessed the differences in leisure patterns between people in their adolescence and in their early fifties, and found no significant group difference in social activities (e.g., going to dances, parties, church socials, and parks), creative/artistic activities (e.g., drawing or painting, singing, playing the piano, writing poems), intellectual activities (e.g., reading stories, solving problems, studying history), and sports activities (e.g., playing tennis and baseball, among others). Shoemaker [38] investigated the travel-related attitudes of US senior tourists in 1986 and 1996, which included travel motivations, attitudes, and factors that affect destination selection. Shoemaker [38] concluded that little changed within the decade. The results were consistent with the findings of Lohmann and Danielsson [39]. Lohmann and Danielsson [39] studied German senior tourists for two decades and interpreted the results by adopting the continuity theory. They contended that the travel behaviors of senior tourists were considerably affected by their past travel experiences, suggesting that current travel experience can be a useful indicator for predicting future travel activities. Hsu et al. [16] developed a model of senior tourism motivations in China through the qualitative approach. Hsu et al. [16] suggested eight propositions based on the continuity theory. One of proposition is that Chinese senior tourists are motivated to travel because of improved physical and mental well-being, which enables them to maintain their pursuit of their life goals consistently. Nimrod [11] explored central themes in the perceptions of senior tourists on travel and observed that seniors tended to preserve their old travel patterns.

Senior tourists

Studies on senior tourists have been conducted mainly from the tourism rather than the hospitality perspective (Table 1). The central theme includes travel motivation, segmentation of the senior tourism market, perceptions of senior tourists toward travel and travel experiences, and others (Table 1).

Table 1. Summary of studies on senior tourism.

With regard to studies on travel motivation, most researchers [5,15-19] employed the concept of push and pull factors to examine the travel motivations and relevant behavioral intentions of senior tourists in different samples. The push and pull factors indicated similarities, including ego enhancement, self-esteem, knowledge seeking, relaxation, and socialization. In contrast to other studies, Hsu et al. [16] explored the travel motivation of senior tourists through a lens of unique Oriental culture and societal respect for the elderly. Hsu et al. [16] proposed a model of senior tourism motivation that does not adopt Western theories on motivation. Their findings suggested that external conditions (e.g., societal progress, personal finance, time, and health) and internal desires (e.g., improving well-being, escaping routines, socializing, seeking knowledge, pride and patriotism, personal rewards, and nostalgia) motivate senior tourists to visit particular destinations.

Studies on the segmentation of senior tourists yielded similar findings. Most researchers attempted to classify senior tourists into heterogeneous groups according to travel motivation. The findings exhibited similarities in the different samples and study sites. Interestingly, Carneiro et al. [2] adopted motivations to participate in social tourism programs (i.e., entertainment, culture, and socialization and novelty) to classify senior tourists. The final clusters included active, socio-cultural, and passive seniors. With regard to studies on perceptions, Batra [21] examined the travel experience (i.e., health, safety, language, itineraries, and general conditions related to travel) perceived by senior tourists who traveled to Bangkok, Thailand. Wang et al. [20] developed a scale to measure the perceptions of service features on outbound group package tours. Five factors were validated, including tour leader and tour guide with seven items, restaurant with two items, hotel with two items, coach with two items, and scenic spots with two items.

Several studies focused on senior tourists in a hospitality area, such as a hotel/resort, restaurant, and others. Abundant studies have also been conducted in the restaurant industry. Hu et al. [28] investigated the perceived service levels of seniors according to the types of restaurant, including quick service, casual dining, and fine dining restaurants in the US. Restaurant services were measured according to (1) food quality, (2) nutrition quality, (3) front-of-house (FOH) service quality, and (4) entertainment quality perceived by customers. The findings indicated significant differences in the service levels among three restaurants at a 5% confidence level. For FOH service quality, seniors perceived a higher service level in fine dining restaurants than in quick service and casual dining restaurants. Similarly, nutrition quality in fine dining restaurants was ranked the highest among the three restaurants. With regard to food quality, seniors perceived better food quality in fine dining restaurants than in quick service restaurants. No significant differences were found in terms of entertainment quality. Lee et al. [31] also identified service quality and compared the differences between younger and senior customers. Service quality was measured using the SERVQUAL instrument (i.e., tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy). In general, senior customers perceived higher service quality than younger customers, indicating a higher mean score of four out of five dimensions. However, statistical difference was found in one dimension, tangibility, between the two groups at a 1% confidence level. The remaining dimensions remained insignificant.

Kim and Jang [30] investigated the psychological aspects, age cognitive decline, and emotional regulation of senior consumers. Specifically, they examined the pre-decision information processing in a casual dining restaurant by comparing young and senior groups. The findings showed that senior consumers tended to choose more familiar restaurants compared with younger consumers. Senior consumers also tended to recover from negative emotions during dining more quickly than younger consumers. Kim and Jang [30] contended that senior consumers are the most promising target in the restaurant industry. Sun and Morrison [8] examined the restaurant patronage behaviors of senior consumers. Two groups (i.e., group 1: frequent and convenience restaurant patrons, group 2: occasional and family restaurant patrons) were segmented according to their frequencies. Five types of restaurants, namely, street food stall, cafeteria, fast food restaurant/café, family restaurant, and fine dining restaurant, were suggested for independent t-test. Group 1 showed stronger patronage behaviors toward street food stall, cafeteria, and fine dining restaurant than group 2 at a 1% significance level, whereas group 2 displayed stronger patronage behavior toward family restaurant than group 1 at a 1% significance level. No difference in terms of fast food restaurant/café was observed. Jang et al. [29] explored the foodaway- from-home (FAFH) expenditure of US seniors by applying a double-hurdle approach. The study revealed that socio-demographic characteristics and financial resources were the most significant factors of FAFH expenditures. In the casino industry, Wu and Wortman [34] conducted a critical review of studies on senior consumer gaming and uncovered the motivational factors that affect the patronage behavior of senior consumers. The findings suggested that senior consumers are highly motivated by social interaction. Wu and Wortman [34] further asserted that senior consumers were willing to socialize and connect with others.

Two studies were conducted in the hotel industry. Using international senior tourists who visited Thailand as a sample, Vieregge et al. [33] identified their preferences and attributes toward hotel selection. A total of 64 attributes drawn from the literature were provided. The top five attributes for hotel selection included cleanliness, good value for money, easy access to beach, location, and personnel on duty. These attributes received high mean scores among remaining attributes. Regional differences in hotel services (i.e., concierge services, legible large signs, large beds, quiet lounge bar, and good value for money) were also compared. The results revealed that senior tourists from Asia indicated the highest mean scores for concierge services, legible and large signs, large beds, quiet lounge bar, whereas good value for money was the highest among tourists from Oceania. The findings were meaningful because they empirically identified attributes toward hotel selection in a popular holiday destination. However, the study had limitations because of a biased target sample toward European tourists (e.g., 72.29% European and 27.71% for others). Moreover, the mean difference was not statistically verified.

Mahadevan [24] investigated senior tourists in Australia, and focused in particular on the demand sensitivity of senior tourists to accommodation availability. Contingency behavior model was applied. The results showed that all changes in accommodation availability were negatively affected by travel cost per trip per day and travel activity (e.g., Outback Spectacular), and positively affected by the importance of organized social activities and future changes in the number of caravan parks and show grounds. Hartman and Qu [27] compared senior and young consumers based on service issues in the US hotel industry. Differences with regard to service issues were identified through in-depth interviews and observation. With regard to eating behavior, senior consumers ate and interacted with others longer, whereas young consumers focus on eating by themselves. During check-in and check-out processes, senior consumers have longer interactions with front office staff than young consumers. This result implied that social interaction was one of the most important issues for senior consumers. Finally, a difference in the type of requests to staff was observed between young and senior tourists. Senior tourists commonly requested room amenities, whereas young tourists asked for IT-related services, wireless Internet access, and copy and fax services.

Although researchers have attempted to investigate senior tourists in the context of the hotel industry, most studies were related to general issues of the hotel. Considerable research gaps were also identified because of the limited number and scope of the studies. As the number of Chinese senior tourists to Macau increases, the task for practitioners to provide hotel facilities that are stsatisfy the needs and meet the initial perception of tourists toward a hotel becomes critical. Identifying time and spending patterns, as well as satisfaction with hotel facilities (e.g., casino, dining, shopping, and entertainment program) is a priority that contributes to the overall satisfaction and revisit intention of tourists. From the managerial perspective, such information will allow practitioners not only to understand the preferences of tourists in hotel facilities better, but also to invest in popular facilities. Ultimately, these findings will contribute to increasing hotel revenues.

This study aims to investigate Chinese senior tourists by comparing the use of casino hotel facilities between two senior groups (i.e., presenior and senior group). A quantitative approach was selected, and a survey was used as data collection method to meet the objectives of this study. The questionnaire consisted of three parts. The first part included questions on basic travel patterns, such as purpose of travel (e.g., gambling, tour around casino, visit friends and relatives (VFR), food, shopping, business, watching shows, visit attractions, and others), travel mode (e.g., independent travel, tour group, and others), decision maker for this trip (e.g., myself, spouse, family members, friends, and others), possession of casino membership (e.g., yes or no), and previous casino experiences (i.e., yes or no). The items were adopted from the Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study (VPS) 2008 [40], VPS 2007- 2008 [41], and VPS Hendricks County 2001-2001 [42]. The second part consisted of questions on the perception of the casino hotel. The scale for the perception of the casino hotel was drawn from a study by Kralj and Solnet [43] and Suh and West [44], and consisted of five aspects, namely, high-quality conditions (e.g., room conditions as well as favorable staff), attractive casinos, high-quality restaurants, abundant entertainment programs (e.g., casino show), and convenient shopping facilities. The perceptions of the respondents on the casino hotel were captured on a five-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). The third part included questions that measured the time and spending patterns in the casino hotel facility. Hotel facility items included casino, restaurant, entertainment program, and shopping. The “high-quality conditions” item was excluded because it measured the actual time and money spent in the casino hotel. The respondents were asked to indicate the approximate amount of time and money spent during the total length of their stay. For the convenience of the respondents, the unit of measurement for time was set as hour and the currency of measurement for spending was RMB. The fourth part consisted of questions on satisfaction with the casino hotel. Similar to the questions on perception of the casino hotel, specific hotel facilities had five items, namely, high-quality conditions, attractive casinos, high-quality restaurant, abundant entertainment programs (e.g., casino show), and convenient shopping facilities. The satisfaction of the respondents with the hotel facility was captured on a five-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). Demographic information was collected through the last section of the questionnaire. Basic socio-demographic information, such as gender, age, highest education level, marriage status, occupation, and monthly personal income, were included.

The target samples were Chinese senior and pre-senior tourists. No consensus has been reached on the clear definition of seniors in hospitality and tourism research [2,23]. The age range for seniors varied depending on the scholars and the study site. Given the definition of senior (i.e., aged 60 years or older) as suggested by the UN and the retirement age in China (i.e., 60 years old for males), this study categorized senior tourists as tourists aged 60 years or older and pre-senior tourists as tourists aged 50-59 years. The respondents were asked to indicate their nationality and age group. Non-Chinese and/ or respondents with ages below 50 were excluded to suit the purposes of the study. The Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China was selected as study site. Macau, known as “the Las Vegas of Asia,” has a rich, casino-friendly environment. A total of 35 casinos are operated by casino hotels in Macau.

This study was conducted as a large-scale longitudinal study. A pilot test was conducted to validate the questionnaire and then the main survey conducted from 2011 to 2013. A total of 2,731 valid samples (1,403 pre-senior tourist and 1,328 senior tourists) were used for data analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 20.0 was employed to analyze the data. Descriptive analysis, chi-square test, independent t-test, and multiple regressions were carried out.

Demographic profiles of the respondents

Table 2 displays the demographic information of the respondents. Gender was almost equally distributed; 54.6% (n=1,492) were male and 45.4% (n=1,239) were female. Age group was also almost equally distributed; 51.67% (n=1,403) of the respondents were in their 50s and 48.63% (n=1,328) were in their 60s or above. The majority of the respondents or 2,151 (78.8%), completed secondary education (senior level), while 24 (0.9%), 149 (5.5%), and 407 (14.9%) had no schooling/ pre-primary, primary education, and secondary education (junior level), respectively. The majority of the respondents or 87.4% (n=2,387), were married, while the rest were single (4.4%, n=121), separated, or divorced (0.8%, n=23), widowed (0.8%, n=23), or refused to answer (6.5%, n=177). As to occupation, 47.42% (n=1,295) of the respondents were retired, followed by legislators, senior officials, and managers (14.39%, n=393); homemakers (8.50%, n=232); and professionals (7.80%, n=213). Monthly personal income varied significantly. Among the respondents, with 20.91% (n=571) earning RMB9, 999 or less. The second largest group (RMB50,000 to RMB59,999) accounted for 14.65% (n=400). Given the average monthly income (RMB2,396) in China, the seniors had high household incomes (Table 2).

Table 2: Demographic profile of the respondents (N=2,731).

Senior group differences based on travel pattern

Table 3 shows the results of a chi-square test conducted to compare travel patterns among the senior groups. The results indicated a significant difference between the two groups with respect to purpose of travel (e.g., gambling, tour around casino, VFR, food, shopping, business, watch shows, visit tourist attractions, and others) at 5% significance level. In the 50s group, the respondents were highly motivated by visiting attractions at 34.5% (n=484), followed by gambling at 16.8% (n=236), and VFR at 13.1% (n=184). In the 60s group, the purpose of travel was similar to that of the 50s group, with visiting attractions at 37.3% (n=495), gambling 15.0% (n=199), and VFR at 13.3% (n=176). Both groups were least motivated by watching shows. As to travel mode, both groups mainly chose independent travel. Respondents in the 50s group tended to choose independent travel at 80.1% (n=1,124) more than the 60s group (77.0%, n=1,022). A chi-square test revealed that a significant difference in the decision maker for the trip between the two groups at 5% level. The respondents in the 50s group were influenced mainly by the group members themselves (80.8%, n=1,133), family members (7.1%, n=100), and spouses (4.8%, n=67), whereas the respondents in the 60s group were influenced mainly by the group members themselves (78.2%, n=1,039), family members (8.4%, n=111), and friends (5.6%, n=75). As to casino membership, the respondents in the 60s group were more likely to have a casino membership (87.2%, n=1,155) than the respondents in the 50s group (83.8%, n=1,158). An interesting result was observed in previous casino experience. Although majority of the respondents in both groups possessed a casino membership, less than 20% of the respondents had previous casino experience. The result was statistically significant at 5% level (Table 3).

Table 3: Senior group differences based on travel patterns (N=2,731).

Perceptions of the senior group toward casino hotel facilities

Independent sample t-tests were performed to investigate whether differences in perception of the hotel (i.e., high-quality conditions, attractive casino, high-quality restaurants, abundant entertainment programs, and convenient shopping facilities) existed for different age groups. Table 4 shows significant differences in the perception of hotels (i.e., high-quality conditions, attractive casino, high-quality restaurants, abundant entertainment programs, and convenient shopping facilities) between the two groups. The senior group had a higher level of “high-quality conditions” than the pre-senior group at 1% significance level (t=-2.938, p<0.01; M_pre=3.62, M_s=3.74). By contrast, the pre-senior group had a higher level of “attractive casinos” than the senior group at 5% significance level (t=-2.013, p<0.05; M_pre=3.96, M_s=3.89). Among the five facilities used to determine the perception of hotels, the mean value of “attractive casinos” was the highest because the target hotels were casino hotels. As to “high-quality restaurants,” the senior group exhibited a higher mean value than the pre-senior group at 5% significance level (t=-2.580, p<0.05; M_pre=2.29, M_s=2.41). Regarding “abundant entertainment programs,” the presenior group had a higher level than the senior group at 1% significance level (t=-3.036, p<0.01; M_pre=2.41, M_s=2.28). The senior group also had a higher level of “convenience shopping facility” than the pre-senior group at 1% significance level (t=-2.872, p<0.01; M_pre=2.66, M_s=2.81). The findings indicated that hotel facilities had certain effects on senior tourists’ perception of the hotel (Table 4).

Table 4: Perceptions of senior tourists on hotel facilities (N=2,731).

Time and spending pattern of the senior group in a hotel

Table 5 displays the time and spending patterns of the senior group in a hotel. As the individual length of stay varied, the total amount of time spent on each facility (i.e., casino, dinner, shopping, and entertainment program) was divided by the length of stay. The mean value was then computed for each senior group. The mean value represented the time spent daily by the senior group for each facility. The pre-senior group exhibited a tendency to spend the majority of their time in the casino (6.798 hours per day), followed by dinner (5.445 hours per day), and shopping (4.196 hours per day). Among the four facilities, the pre-senior group spent the least amount of time on entertainment programs. The pre-senior group in particular, spent less than an hour each day watching free casino shows and spent approximately two hours a day watching paid casino shows. The presenior group preferred to watch paid casino shows than the free shows. Interestingly, the senior group displayed a different time pattern in a hotel. The senior group tended to spend most of their time on shopping (8.546 hours per day), followed by casino (6.430 hours per day), and dinner (3.311 hours per day). The senior group spent twice as much time on shopping than the pre-senior group. However, the senior group also spent the least amount of time on entertainment programs. They spent less than an hour per day watching either free or paid casino shows.

The spending pattern between the two groups was also investigated. As the individual length of stay varied, the total amount of money spent on each facility (i.e., casino, dinner, shopping, and entertainment program) was divided by the length of stay. The mean value was then computed for each senior group. The mean value represented the daily spending of the senior group for each facility. The pre-senior group spent large amounts of money on casino games (RMB47,972.78), followed by shopping (RMB3,059.54), and dinner (RMB1,312.40). Among the facilities, the pre-senior group spent the least amount of money on paid casino shows (RMB907.77). The senior group also displayed a similar spending pattern. The group spent large amounts of money on casino games (RMB34,979.60), similar to the pre-senior group. In contrast to the pre-senior group, the senior group spent a considerable amount of money on shopping (RMB10,604.44). The senior group spent thrice as much as the pre-senior group did on shopping. However, the senior group spent relatively less money on dinner. Regarding entertainment programs, the senior group spent the least amount of money on paid casino shows. The findings indicated that the time and spending patterns in a hotel varied between the two groups (Table 5).

Table 5: Time and spending patterns of senior groups in a hotel (N=2,731).

Satisfaction of senior group toward hotel facilities

Several independent sample t-tests were performed to investigate whether a difference in satisfaction with hotels (i.e., high-quality hotel, attractive casino, high-quality restaurant, abundant entertainment programs, and convenient shopping facility) for the different age groups could be observed. Table 6 shows a significant difference in tourist satisfaction with a hotel facility (i.e., high-quality conditions, attractive casino, high-quality restaurants, abundant entertainment programs, and convenient shopping facilities) between the two groups. The senior group had a higher level of “high-quality conditions” than the pre-senior group at 5% significance level (t=-2.085, p<0.05; M_pre=3.964, M_s=4.052). By contrast, the pre-senior group had a higher level of “attractive casinos” than the senior group at 5% significance level (t=-2.172, p<0.05; M_pre=4.05, M_s=3.96). Regarding “high-quality restaurants,” the senior group displayed a higher mean value than the pre-senior group at 1% significance level (t=-3.205, p<0.01; M_pre=2.65, M_s=2.83). Regarding “abundant entertainment programs,” the presenior group displayed higher level than the senior group at 5% significance level (t=-2.433, p<0.05; M_pre=2.81, M_s=2.66). The senior group also had a higher level of “convenience shopping facilities” than the pre-senior group at 1% significance level (t=-2.621, p<0.01; M_pre=4.22, M_s=4.34). Among the satisfaction levels in hotel facilities, the senior tourists indicated the highest mean value for “convenient shopping facilities,” and had the highest level of satisfaction with “attractive casino”. The findings indicated that the satisfaction of the two senior groups with hotel facilities had an effect on their perception of the hotel (Table 6).

Table 6; Satisfaction of senior groups with hotel facility (N=2,731).

Effect of senior group satisfaction with hotel facility on overall satisfaction, recommendation intention, and revisit intention

Table 7 presents the regression analysis of the effect of senior group satisfaction with hotel facilities on the overall satisfaction, recommendation intention, and revisit intention. The senior group was transformed into a dummy variable (i.e., pre-senior group=1, senior group=0). Despite the relatively low R-square value of the regression model (R²=0.190; F=106.312, p<0.01), the findings revealed that the satisfaction of the senior group toward a hotel facility was a significant positive determinant that affected overall satisfaction (β=1.099, t=9.007, p<0.01). Senior tourists with a higher level of satisfaction with the hotel facility were more satisfied with their stay. Specifically, four out of five hotel facilities (e.g., high-quality conditions, attractive casino, abundant entertainment programs, and convenient shopping facility) had positive effects on overall satisfaction. Convenient shopping facilities was the strongest factor (β=0.339, t=13.679, p<0.01), followed by attractive casino (β=0.137, t=7.497, p<0.01), high-quality conditions (β=0.133, t=5.951, p<0.01), and abundant entertainment programs (β=0.089, t=3.669, p<0.01). However, a high-quality restaurant was not a determinant that affected overall satisfaction (β=0.026, t=0.774, p>0.05). As to age group, the senior group significantly affected overall satisfaction. The stay of the pre-senior tourists with higher level of satisfaction in the hotel facility was more satisfying than that of the senior group (Table 7).

Table 7: Regression analysis results(N=2,731).

Regarding the effect of the satisfaction of the senior group with the hotel facility on recommendation intention, the regression analysis results indicated that satisfaction positively affected recommendation intention (β=1.198, t=9.603, p<0.01). However, the explanatory power of the regression model was relatively low (R²=0.179; F=96.645, p<0.01). Senior tourists with a higher level of satisfaction with the hotel facility tended to have a strong recommendation intention. Specifically, four out of five hotel facilities (e.g., high-quality conditions, attractive casino, abundant entertainment programs, and convenient shopping facilities) had positive effects on recommendation intention. Convenient shopping facilities in particular was the most significant determinant that affected recommendation intention at 1% significance level (β=0.362, t=14.592, p<0.01), followed by attractive casino (β=0.142, t=6.243, p<0.01), and abundant entertainment programs (β=0.054, t=3.127, p<0.01). High-quality restaurants did not have a significant effect on recommendation intention (β=0.022, t=0.670, p>0.05). Regarding age group, pre-senior tourists with a higher level of satisfaction with the hotel facility had stronger recommendation intention than the senior group.

Finally, the relationship between satisfaction toward hotel facility and revisit intention of senior tourists was examined. The regression model was statistically acceptable (R²=0.177; F=97.492, p<0.01). Senior tourists with a higher level of satisfaction with the hotel facility had positive revisit intention. Specifically, four hotel facilities, with the exception of high-quality restaurants, had positive effects on revisit intention. Convenient shopping facility was the most influential factor (β=0.359, t=14.489, p<0.01), followed by high-quality conditions (β=0.140, t=6.152, p<0.01), attractive casino (β=0.078, t=3.739, p<0.01), and abundant entertainment programs (β=0.088, t=3.450, p<0.01). High-quality restaurants did not affect revisit intention (β=0.025, t=0.761, p>0.05). Regarding age group, the pre-senior group had a stronger revisit intention than the senior group (β=0.067, t=2.720, p<0.01).

This study investigated Chinese senior tourists by comparing the attitudes of two senior groups toward hotel facilities in Macau. The Chinese senior market has been receiving considerable attention because of the increasing size and growth rate of this market. Seniors have been found to have more purchasing power because they no longer provided support to their children and have a more stable income level. Practitioners and academics have expressed great interest on Chinese senior tourists as being promising targets to entice visits to various destinations. Jang et al. [17] asserted that senior tourists were keys to overcome off-season demands and recession. CNCA [36,45] stated that the senior market was an emerging and fast-growing market in China. Statistics also revealed that Chinese seniors were interested in travelling abroad and that seniors allocated 15% of their annual disposable income budget to travel. With the total income of seniors in China being approximately RMB300 to RMB400 billion (USD48 to USD64 billion), this market holds considerable potential for exploration by the hospitality and tourism industry. One of the main objectives of this study was to compare the attitudes of pre-seniors and seniors toward a hotel facility, particularly how seniors perceived a hotel facility, how much time and money were spent, and which hotel facility satisfied seniors the most.

The findings showed that senior tourists (tourists aged 60 years or above) had a more favorable perception of “high-quality conditions,” “high-quality restaurants,” and “convenient shopping facilities” compared with pre-senior tourists (tourists aged 50-59 years). In contrast, pre-senior tourists had a stronger perception of “attractive casinos” and “abundant entertainment programs,” than senior tourists. Generally, both groups indicated the strongest perception on “attractive casino,” whereas “high-quality restaurants” and “abundant entertainment programs” were the least perceived by both senior groups. Interestingly, similar results were found in the satisfaction with hotel facility between the two senior groups. Senior tourists were more satisfied with “high-quality conditions,” “high-quality restaurants,” and “convenient shopping facilities” than pre-senior tourists. By contrast, the pre-senior tourists were more satisfied with “attractive casinos,” and “abundant entertainment programs.” The results on the perceptions of hotel facilities between the two groups were exactly the same, except the most satisfactory facility for both groups was “convenient shopping facilities” and not “attractive casino”. Scholars (Bajs [46]; Chen and Chen [48]; Jin, et al. [49]) contended that favorable perception contributed to satisfaction. Although the current study did not examine the causal relationship between perception and satisfaction, the results supported the theory.

Interesting findings were found in the time and spending patterns in a hotel facility. Pre-senior tourists spent more time and money on casino, dining, and entertainment programs (i.e., watching casino shows) than senior tourists. Pre-senior tourists in particular spent twice as much time and almost thrice as much money watching paid casino shows. Pre-senior tourists also had a tendency to enjoy relaxed dining with a relatively higher budget than senior tourists. Tourism studies have focused mainly on current seniors or on comparing seniors and non-seniors. Atchley [12] asserted that people had consistent and continuous behaviors based on past experiences. By adopting the continuity theory developed by Atchley [12], scholars [11,16,39] conducted empirical studies and confirmed the theory. Given the previous and current research findings, focusing on the behavior of pre-senior tourist’s is imperative. In terms of “convenient shopping facilities,” senior tourists spent more than twice the time and approximately thrice the budget on shopping than pre-senior tourists. Biased results toward certain big spenders were a possibility. However, given the large sample size and rigorous calculation procedure, those findings were considered acceptable.

The regression analysis results indicated meaningful managerial points. Two regression tests were conducted to identify whether each of the hotel facility (i.e., high-quality conditions, attractive casino, highquality restaurants, abundant entertainment programs, convenient shopping facilities, and age groups) affected the overall satisfaction, recommendation intention, and revision intention. The results showed that all facilities, except for “high-quality restaurants,” positively affected the dependent variables. “Convenient shopping facilities” was the most influential factor that affected the behavioral intention of senior tourists. The shopping behavior of senior tourists has received significant attention from previous scholars [23,26,45]. In addition to empirical studies, casino hotels in Macau invest heavily in creating iM_pressive and convenient shopping arcades [46-49].

This study has a number of academic contributions and practical implications because both pre-senior and senior tourists were considered in the context of the hospitality industry. Given the growing market and number of Chinese senior tourists, the results can provide practitioners with meaningful suggestions. The limitations of this study are due to its specific target and sample size. Hence, further studies that explore more specific attitudes toward hotels, such as hotel selection attributes and willingness to pay for premium services for both presenior and senior tourists are recommended.