How hotel staff appearance shapes tourist engagement: the interplay of appreciation and trust in resort experiences

Purpose Grounded in the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, this study examines the impact of hotel staff appearance on tourist engagement (TE), focusing on the mediating role of customer appreciation (CA) and the moderating effect of interpersonal trust. Design/methodology/approach Appearance is conceptualised as comprising three physical attractiveness traits: professional dressing, facial attractiveness and perceived good health. A quantitative approach was employed, distributing questionnaires to 400 resort hotel guests in China. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings All appearance traits significantly enhance TE; CA partially mediates these relationships, while trust moderates the effects of facial and health, but does not moderate dressing. This suggests that trust shifts guests' attention from uniform-based credibility to interpersonal cues. Practical implications The findings position aesthetic labour as a strategic priority for resort managers. Investments should prioritise uniform standardisation and staff wellness programmes. Furthermore, establishing interpersonal trust is imperative, as it unlocks the full engagement potential of staff's facial attractiveness and perceived health, transforming visual cues into relational bonds. Originality/value This research extends the S-O-R framework by conceptualising staff appearance as a critical environmental stimulus and CA as a novel mediating variable. This approach offers fresh insights into how visual cues trigger emotional and behavioural responses. This study uniquely demonstrates how customer appreciation mediates the link between staff appearance and engagement. Furthermore, it differentiates the distinct impacts of professional dressing, facial attractiveness, and perceived health, and reveals how trust selectively amplifies certain appearance effects.