A comparison of the enactment and consequences of emotional labor between frontline hotel workers in two contrasting societal cultures

ABSTRACT

Emotional labor is compared between hotel workers in the Philippines and Australia based on idiocentrism and allocentrism dimensions. Employees were surveyed using the Individualism-Collectivism Scale (INDCOL), the Emotional Labor Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Filipino employees reported significantly greater allocentrism and idiocentrism than the Australian sample, presenting a distinctive cultural pattern and highlighting dangers in making generalizations about societal culture. Idiocentrics in both countries reported using more surface acting and experiencing greater burnout than others. Therefore, coping and support mechanisms may be beneficially adapted to the Filipino sample's distinctive cultural orientation, to maximize benefits and minimize the harm of enacting emotional labor.     

An Analysis of Sexual Harassment in Korean Hotels from the Perspective of Female Employees

Abstract

Female employees in Confucian and collective societies are particularly susceptible to sexual harassment. Occupational norms can also influence sexual harassment. First, this paper introduces the legal development of the sexual harassment law in Korea. Second, it examines the prevalence of sexual harassment in Korean luxury hotels. The results of the first survey in the Korean hotel industry detail female employees' experiences, the characteristics of harassers, the reaction to harassment, effects of harassment and effective methods of prevention. The results of this paper will aid hotel practitioners, especially in Asian countries where sexual harassment laws have not been well developed, to monitor activities in workplaces where sexual harassment might occur.     

Let's hook up fast! Hotel reviews and Wi-Fi flaws

Free Wi-Fi connection is a prevalent service in the modern hotel industry. The effects of Wi-Fi services on customers' satisfaction have been investigated in existing literature. However, the attributes that lead to customers' negative reviews on hotels and the effects of these attributes on hotel ratings remain unexplored. Therefore, this article attempts to fill this gap by using a sample of 4800 reviews and estimating a Heckit model. This methodology allows us to model customers' decisions to write a negative review and rate a hotel simultaneously. The effects of Wi-Fi flaws on hotels' overall ratings are estimated and discussed. Moreover, important managerial implications are consequently derived. Reference dependence and sample selection bias also remain critical when analyzing hotel ratings.     

Hotel Employees' Perception of the Statutory Minimum Wage Policy in Hong Kong

Employee compensation is one of the largest expenses for businesses. Given the labor-intensive nature of the hotel industry, hotel employees' perceptions of the statutory minimum wage (SMW) policy have become a major concern for hotel operators since the introduction of the policy in Hong Kong. This exploratory study examines these perceptions, together with hotel employees' job and compensation satisfaction and intention to leave, since the introduction of the SMW policy. A survey of 161 hotel employees in Hong Kong was carried out. Respondents demonstrated high awareness of the SMW policy but viewed its effect on the hotel industry as limited. The largest gap between the perceived importance of, and satisfaction with, a factor related to job satisfaction was found for the benefits package. As well as making a contribution to the academic literature, this study provides practical implications of the SMW policy for the hotel industry in Hong Kong and other countries considering adopting a similar measure.     

An examination of organizational acculturation in the U.S.‐based chain hotels in Korea

Given the relatively new concept of organizational acculturation, this study has investigated the cultural convergence of the Korean hotel employees of U.S.‐based management contract chain hotels in Korea, toward the American culture. MANOVA and subsequent univariate ANOVA tests employed have resulted in the group exhibiting a significant cultural change only in the Power Distance, one of the Hofstede's four national cultural dimensions: not in other dimensions of Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, and Masculinity/Femininity. Some possible explanations for such marginal occurrence of the organizational acculturation have been provided in the discussion. Some possible methodological limitations have also been addressed in the study.     

Investigating cross-national heterogeneity in the adoption of online hotel reviews

Increasing reliance of potential guests on online hotel reviews has given rise to trepidation among some hospitality managers recently, thus necessitating a better understanding of its adoption. Literature on multicultural studies have suggested that behavioral models do not universally hold across cultures. In view of the limited generalizability and applicability of extant cross-cultural studies to this context, this study generates cross-national insights into the antecedents of travelers’ intention to use online hotel reviews to better understand the use of consumer-generated reviews across cultures. Generally, the predictive power of the model derived from the Motivation Theory and TAM holds true for both the United States and Singapore. Nonetheless, tests for structural invariance reveals some noteworthy differences between the two countries. The results highlight the complex cognitive mechanisms determining the acceptance of online hotel reviews in each country as moderated by national culture orientations. Findings hold implications for practitioners and researchers as they navigate through social media in different cultural contexts.     

Measurement scale for eco-component of hotel service quality

Growing acknowledgement of the need to achieve more sustainable forms of development has resulted in environmentally conscious tourists who have indicated a dissatisfaction with existing hotel service quality. The objective of this study was to investigate tourists’ ecological expectations referring to the quality of spas and wellness hotel services in order to develop and test a scale for measuring the ‘eco-component,’ a new component of hotel service quality. The findings revealed four dimensions of the eco-component: hotel staff's eco-behaviour; environmentally friendly and healthy equipment; efficient use of energy and water; and bio-food. Tourists also demonstrated a hierarchy of eco-dimensions, with the most important being hotel staff's eco-behaviour and the least important being bio-food. Tourists’ expectations about the level of eco-dimensions differ significantly with respect to their income, nationality, and the hotel certification. However, no significant difference emerged in their expectations due to different educational levels.     

Bringing Hotels to Healthcare

Abstract

The field of medical tourism has grown and developed over the last ten years into a popular option for having a medical procedure done. Continuing success is expected, and becoming involved with medical tourism appears to be an excellent way for the hotel industry to differentiate their services. By integrating a medical tourism program into an existing hotel company's services, both aspects of the partnership will build off of the other's success and create a new and exciting travel experience. A joint partnership between a medical facility and a luxury hotel would enjoy abounding success in this new and exhilarating market.     

Algarve hotel price determinants: A hedonic pricing model

This study sought to assess customers' willingness to pay for a wide variety of characteristics and attributes of hotels in Portugal's Algarve region. After collecting nearly all the information available on TripAdvisor for hotels in this region, a hedonic pricing model was developed using a database of 9992 cases. The results suggest that – after standardisation – the most important variable shaping Algarve hotel room rates is the previous day's prices. When associated with a family-friendly hotel, star category and services have a greater value than beaches or golf courses do. Customers also appreciate some types of hotels, such as boutique, quaint or trendy hotels, but view others negatively, such as family-friendly or business hotels. Only the specific location of Falesia Beach adds value, although the Algarve is a desirable destination overall. Both destination and hotel managers can use the proposed method to analyse data for their region on customers' propensity to pay.     

Some social and historical perspectives on unionization in the U.K. hotel industry

The subject here is the relationship between hotel workers and trade unionism in Great Britain. The essay uses a historical and sociological perspective to explore three principal themes; these are, that historically hotel workers have been isolated from the mainstream of the labour movement; that the hotel work situation deters unionism by engendering close proximity with guests and management and finally that established unionism itself has a production orientation which is not easily compatible with the hotel worker's ethos or self-identity. The background to these arguments is the development of the British hotel industry with particular emphasis on evolution of hotel work from domestic service during the period 1890–1911. The conclusion drawn is that these themes are an explanation in part for the low union density in the U.K. hotel industry.     

Migrant workers: Challenges and opportunities in addressing tourism labour shortages

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates the number of migrant workers at 105 million worldwide, and their share within the tourism industry, particularly the hotel and restaurant (HoReCa) sector, is growing rapidly. The focus of this paper is migration in OECD member countries, specifically on official government positions with respect to the integration of migrant workers into the host society. Most countries recognise that the structural challenges and seasonal fluctuations in tourism will continue to encourage operators to resort to cheaper migrant workers, particularly for entry level positions, both legally and illegally. Until now, most OECD member countries have largely ignored the challenges and (ab)use within the industry concerning migrant workers, but will not be able to continue to do so for much longer. It is urgent that countries improve their ability to measure migration patterns by country of origin to determine training needs and other assistance required and engage employers appropriately.     

Exploring the Factors Affecting Hotel Outsourcing in Taiwan

Two studies were conducted to examine factors affecting hotel outsourcing in Taiwan. In study 1, interviews with senior hotel managers were analyzed to explore the factors determining a hotel's outsourcing of different services. The results of the questionnaire survey used in study 2 indicated that the current and desired percentages of outsourcing for international tourist hotels in Taiwan were very low, indicating that strategic outsourcing has not received much attention in that part of the Taiwanese hospitality sector. The hotel departments that were most often outsourced were housekeeping, security, maintenance and information systems. Study 2 also showed outsourcing decisions were based only on a hotel's resources. The effect of predicting outsourcing was not significant for transaction costs. The results of this study provide both hotel management and outsourcing service providers with insights into hotel outsourcing in Taiwan.     

An exploratory analysis of hotel selection factors: A comprehensive survey of Tehran hotels

The selection of residence location in different countries is of high priority and significance for tourists. The selection of the most appropriate hotel entails a rather complicated decision-making process. A comprehensive hotel selection model can empower the hotel managers, the tourists, and the tourism industry to make decisions based on more effective indicators of high quality services for a higher rate of satisfaction. The purpose of this research is to deeply explore the broad literature and to identify the most significant hotel selection indicators and factors in Tehran hotels and to present a comprehensive model through an exploratory factor analysis of the extracted indicators so as to provide the managers and tourists with a firm ground for making better decisions regarding the indicators of hotel selection. Promenade and comfort, security and protection, network services, pleasure, staff and their services, news and recreational information, cleanliness and room comfort, expenditure, room facilities and car parking were identified as the main hotel selection factors of Tehran hotels. Afterwards, another factor analysis has been done in order to extract the next hidden set of factors within the aforementioned factors which return two main factors of “Hotel Comfort Factors” and “Hotel Compensatory Factors”. Following the creation of the final model and based on the intrinsic vagueness of decision making in the process of selection, a set of fuzzy membership functions for the extracted factors has been provided. The intention has been to provide the expert system and decision support system developers and users with a set of practical indicators in order to help them design and implement realistic systems based on the deeply studied indicators and factors of hotel selection. Such supportive systems can be directly presented to the tourists requesting a mechanism for selecting the most appropriate hotel but lacking enough information about the important indicators and factors and also to the managers of hotels who are trying to make strategic decisions regarding the most optimized investments on the indicators of selecting a hotel. Considering the priorities of tourists, hotel managers, entrepreneurs and investors in the hotel industry require deep investigations and studies for which this paper provides a firm basis.     

Does better service induce higher profitability? Evidence from Taiwanese Hospitality Industry

We adopt Wang et al. (2006) service quality measure to examine how the qualities of various hotel services affect hotel's profitability using panel data in the Taiwanese international tourist hotel sector. The empirical results indicate that there is a non-linear relationship between food and beverage service quality and hotel profitability, while the effect of room service quality on hotel profitability is not significant.     

Representation of Destination Cultural Factors on Hotel Websites: Content Analysis of Beijing Hotel Websites

The extant tourism literature contains virtually no studies examining the issue of destination culture in the context of hotel website evaluations. The research presented herein examined 168 Beijing hotel websites. Content analysis of these websites was carried out using 12 destination cultural factors identified by the researchers. The aim was to examine whether the performance of the hotel websites under investigation differed in terms of these factors by hotel category. The results indicate that the majority of Beijing hotels do not include destination cultural factors on their websites. Although the websites of privately owned, chain, and international hotels, as well as those with higher star ratings were found to feature more of these factors, the differences were not statistically significant. Among the 12 destination cultural factors identified, Forbidden City was the most commonly included on the hotel websites, and Temple Fair and Pet Birds were completely absent.     

Skills and the Hospitality Sector in a Transition Economy: The Case of Front Office Employment in Kyrgyzstan

Notwithstanding the globalization of services and the migration of some service providers (call centres, financial processing) to regions of low-cost labour coupled with high levels of educational attainment, there are arguments that the skills which employees bring to the workplace in executing common tasks are substantially influenced by the economic, political and cultural context of the location where they are used. This paper is concerned with the skills set and training background of one set of hospitality workers, those in the front office, located within the transition economy of Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic.

This paper reports the findings of a survey of front office workers working in the only three international standard hotels in Kyrgyzstan, all located in the capital city of Bishkek. The findings point to relatively high levels of educational attainment among respondents and a level of commitment to a long-term career in the hotel sector, both of which contrast sharply with the situation to be found in Western Europe. The study also notes the virtual absence of in-service training opportunities for service workers in this area away from the workplace.     

The Importance of Hotel Attributes in Contributing to Travelers' Satisfaction in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

Abstract

This study surveyed 402 international travelers to explore their satisfaction levels towards service and facility quality in three Hong Kong hotel market segments, High-Tariff A, High-Tariff B and Medium Tariff. Six perception dimensions were extracted from 33 hotel attributes by a factor analysis. All six dimensions had a significant impact on the overall satisfaction of travelers with service quality and facilities in the three Hong Kong hotel market segments. Quality of Staff Performance was the most influential factor followed by Quality of Room Facilities, Value for Money, Variety and Efficient Services, Business Related Services, and Safety and Security respectively. It was found that travelers had the lowest satisfaction level towards the Medium-Tariff hotel segment. By identifying the most influential hotel dimension in influencing travelers' satisfaction levels, hoteliers will be in an advantageous position to formulate tactics to meet the changing needs and expectations of travelers. Implementing human resources training that emphasizes the fact that service quality is part of each employee's job should have a significant impact on guest re-purchase intention. The importance of value segmentation cannot be overlooked by hoteliers. Travelers will continue to expect hotels to provide more value-for-money services and facilities and they are expected to shift their purchasing decision to an economic value basis.     

Perceptions of management difficulty factors by expatriate hotel professionals in China

Successful overseas hotel operations depend on technically competent and culturally adaptable expatriate managers. This study reveals that expatriate hotel professionals from many different countries are now working in China. It examines and analyses the perceptions of six management difficulty factors by the expatriate hotel professionals. Staff attitude and lack of competence of the local managers are identified as the most difficult management factors, followed by language barriers, cultural differences and lack of local management support. Government policy change is perceived as the least difficult factor. The empirical findings of this study can be used by the Chinese tourism authority to improve the business environment for foreign investment and management; and by multinational hotel corporations to strengthen training programs in preparing expatriate managers for management assignments in China.     

Differences Between Management Philosophies Among American and Chinese Hotel Managers: A Cultural Comparison Between Las Vegas and Shanghai

The aim of this study is to ascertain, in an international tourism context, whether there are cultural discrepancies between hotel employees who have been educated and trained in a host country, and guests who have traveled to that country, given that each group is imbued with their own national culture. The findings indicate that not only do Thai frontline hotel employees have different expectations about the behavior of Japanese and Korean customers, but that the expectations of both customer groups concerning their own behavior differ from those of Thai employees. A significant gap was found in perceptions of actual behavior between the international customers and hotel staff, suggesting that cultural discrepancies are indeed present, but also vary by ethnicity. The scale of the discrepancy between Thai employees’ perceptions of Japanese tourists’ behavior, for example, was larger than in the case of the Korean customers. Comparison of the expectations of the two international customer groups also revealed strong differences.