The dual-path impact of early check-in convenience on traveler value: A contextualized study based on spatial-temporal behavioral intentions

Against the backdrop of the experience economy and increasing urban mobility, service convenience has become a key corporate strategy influencing traveler experience. Using hotel early check-in policies as an example, this study develops a "private convenience—spatial-temporal behavioral intention—dual value" model grounded in perceived value theory, behavioral spillover theory, and contingency theory, to examine how micro-level service convenience shapes travelers' evaluations of both commercial and public value via behavioral tendencies. A 2 × 2 scenario experiment was conducted (early check-in: present vs. absent × urban congestion: congested vs. smooth), and SEM was employed to test the hypothesized paths. The results indicate that: (1) early check-in policies significantly enhance brand stickiness and willingness to pay, reflecting their direct perceptual effect on the commercial value pathway; (2) early check-in policies indirectly influence both commercial value (brand stickiness, willingness to pay) and public value (perceived public value, support for government–business collaboration) by strengthening travelers' spatial-temporal behavioral intentions, supporting the time-flexibility-based behavioral spillover effect; and (3) urban congestion positively moderates the path from spatial-temporal behavioral intention to public value, such that travelers under high-congestion conditions are more likely to form favorable public value evaluations of the policy. This study offers new insights into how service convenience affects traveler value assessments across different contexts and provides practical implications for the design and management of convenience-oriented hotel services.