Purpose – This paper aims to comprehensively and systematically review the state of custome relationship management (CRM) research on hospitality and propose future research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach – All hospitality-related CRM articles since its introduction as a concept in 1988 were collected. The retrieved articles were then chronologically and thematically analyzed.
Findings – Hospitality CRM research has rapidly grown from the initial relationship marketing concept into social CRM. Five research foci were identified, including CRM planning and implementation process, organizational support, technology and tools, customer perspectives and characteristics and outcome and impact. Three potential pitfalls were observed in the existing literature. A comprehensive research framework incorporating the five research domains and three key players was proposed.
Practical implications – Hospitality practitioners should take an integrated perspective on the five major domains of CRM and the three key players to ensure that informed decisions can be made.
Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature through its qualitative and critical assessment of existing hospitality CRM literature, which can guide future research.