CACTUS CACTUS J Tour Bus Manag Econ CACTUS – Journal of Tourism Business, Management and Economics 2247-3297 ASE Publishing House Bucharest, Romania 10.24818/CTS/7/2025/2.07 cactus-2025-17 Research Article L83, M31, Q56, O33 Developing a value-responsive quality culture in Romanian hotel chains Malaia Cristina-Mirabela https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4245-7192 malaiacristina10@stud.ase.ro Diaconescu Vlad https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7840-5849 Mocanu Daniela-Elena https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3554-9805 Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania 15 12 2025 7 2 15122025 Copyright © 2025, The Author(s) 2025 The Author(s) This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

The hospitality sector has been profoundly reshaped by technological innovation, societal change, and the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These forces have redefined guest expectations, shifting focus from traditional service indicators to ethical conduct, personalization, and emotionally resonant experiences. This study explores how Romanian hotel chains address these evolving demands by fostering a value-responsive quality culture(VRQC). Using a qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews and content analysis, the paper identifies three key trends: (1) rising expectations for ethical, sustainable, and inclusive practices; (2) increased demand for personalization enabled by digital integration; and (3) greater emphasis on authenticity and emotional connection in guest experiences. Based on these findings, the article presents a VRQC framework that integrates these trends into a strategic model for improving service quality, providing practical guidance for hospitality managers and contributing to the academic discussion on quality culture in turbulent and rapidly changing environments.

 Keywords hospitality management quality culture consumer expectations sustainability personalization authenticity

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