The original third places concept conveyed the offering of much-needed settings for social comfort, thereby complementing the absence of equal opportunities at home (1st place) or in the workplace (2nd place). 3rd place is a crucial term to connect customers’ social needs, perception of service encounters, and the service provider’s managerial operation. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, various distancing forces have impeded previously intense social interactions featuring human-human contact. The increased use of contactless services and social distancing measures has impacted these. Such measurements refer to mandatory actions to maintain a fixed physical distance from others (i.e., two meters or six feet) via seating arrangements or suggested signage. While such compliance practices successfully limited the spread of Covid-19, they were also a signal of regulated behaviors and acceptable personal boundaries. The current study addressed this question by conducting experiments in three scenarios: a café, restaurant, and sports stadium. Following Pine and Gilmore’s experience typology, the three represent a passive absorptive experience, an active absorptive experience, and an immersive experience.

The antecedents of customer loyalty have been a subject of interest to marketers and researchers alike. Few studies have investigated the moderating influence of brand image on customer satisfaction and loyalty. A framework was developed and tested to link casino service quality with satisfaction (affective and cognitive satisfaction) and loyalty (revisit intention and willingness to recommend). The influence of brand image as a moderator was also proposed. Quantitative surveys with 240 mainland Chinese tourists, who were the major source of tourists in Macau, were conducted. All the proposed hypotheses were supported. This study contribute knowledge on customers’ satisfaction and loyalty to casinos by explaining the interrelationships between casino brand image, casino service, customer satisfaction and loyalty. The research demonstrates that satisfied customers are more inclined to revisit and recommend the casino. These relations are stronger for customers who scored higher in image than those who scored lower. The study provides promotional marketing strategies for the casino industry and theoretical suggestions for future study.