What certifications are important in the hospitality industry?

The purpose of this study was to explore the need for certification in hospitality; and specifically to see if professional certifications are valued when earned at the college level and brought to the workplace when hired. There were 79 online surveys completed by hospitality industry professionals at the level of hiring manager. The results of the study showed that there is value in completing certificates while in college, before entering the hospitality workforce. Such certifications as ServSafe, Alcohol Awareness, and Guest Service Professional, were found important when applying to hospitality industry related positions after earning a 4-year degree.     

Do regional factors matter? Determinants of hotel industry performance in China

The hotel industry is deeply embedded in local regional conditions, though the influence of regional factors is seldom investigated. Three key hotel industry metrics, Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR), Average Room Rate (ARR), and rooms rented, were examined for their determinants using ordinary least squares and negative binomial regression models on key endogenous and exogenous (regional) factors, including Destination Attractiveness and Capacity, Business and Commercial Environment, Image and Openness, and Tourism Professional Specialization. Using China as a case study, and at different hotel star designations (2- to 5-star hotels), the results show that RevPAR is determined mainly by labor quality and Tourism Professional Specialization. Particularly, regional factors significantly affect ARR and rooms rented. The influence and sophistication of regional factors increases with higher star designations. This paper highlights links between the hospitality industry and regional economic development, which should be considered by both the hotel industry and tourism policy makers.     

Determinants of hotel guests’ satisfaction and repeat patronage in the Hong Kong hotel industry

This study examined the relative importance of hotel factors in relation to travelers’ overall satisfaction levels with their hotel stays in Hong Kong and the likelihood of returning to the same hotels in their subsequent trips. Using a factor analysis technique, the study identified seven hotel factors that were likely to influence customers’ choice intentions: ‘Staff Service Quality’, ‘Room Qualities’, ‘General Amenities’, ‘Business Services’, ‘Value’, ‘Security’ and ‘IDD Facilities’. Multiple regression analysis technique was then applied to examine the relative importance of each of these hotel factors in determining travelers’ overall satisfaction levels and their likelihood of returning to the same hotels. In order of importance, ‘Staff Service Quality’, ‘Room Qualities’ and ‘Value’ were the three most influential factors in determining travelers’ overall satisfaction levels and their likelihood of returning to the same hotels.     

What are guests scared of? Crime-related hotel experiences and fear of crime

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the typology of hotel crime and how it is related to guests’ fear of crime based on a cause-and-consequence model. A total of 873 TripAdvisor reviews were content-analyzed to develop a typology of hotel crime. High-class hotels experienced more theft, fraud, and burglary while low-class hotels encountered more prostitution and drug-related activities. Hotel guests generated a higher fear of crime when crime occurred inside guest rooms, especially in cases of burglary, theft, or fraud. Reviews mentioning crimes were perceived to be more helpful. Managerial implications and best practices of crime prevention are provided for hotel practitioners.     

What caused the rise of Airbnb? An examination of key macroeconomic factors

The social and economic implications of the Airbnb phenomenon have been the subject of much research. Yet, the academic literature on Airbnb is nascent. Specifically, the issue of whether major macroeconomic conditions affect the supply of Airbnb has not been investigated. To address this gap, we propose a conceptual model that explains the determinants of Airbnb supply and examine the extent to which major macroeconomic factors affect the supply of Airbnb. Specifically, we analyze the effects of hotel room rates (ADR), hotel demand, tourism demand, house prices, gross domestic product (GDP), wages and unemployment on the supply of Airbnb in 50 U.S. states. Results show that increases in hotel ADR, house prices, and GDP have contributed to an increase in the supply of Airbnb, whereas increases in unemployment rates and wages have adverse effects on Airbnb supply. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed within realms of macroeconomic theory.     

Corporate brand strategy: Drivers and outcomes of hotel industry’s brand orientation

The MNC resellers are vastly competitive and capital-intensive. Based on the corporate brand orientation, the objective is to investigate how the individual dimensions of hotel industry’s brand orientation can improve a corporate experience and subsequently create superior hotel performance and retailer preferences. A model of the integration of the hotel industry’s brand orientation was tested in a survey conducted among MNC resellers from hospitality industry. Structural equation modelling was applied to gain insight into the various influences and relationships. The research makes two main contributions. It makes a theoretical contribution by classifying the integration of the hotel industry’s brand orientation for hospitality industry and from this extrapolate key suggestions for further study. The continuous evolution and economic influence of the hospitality industry require the application of innovative marketing practices.     

What contributes to the success of Home Inns in china?

This study examines the critical success factors of budget hotels in China, taking Home Inns as the study case. Six CSFs, with a total of 26 sub-factors, are identified from data collected through triple sources – site visits, in-depth interviews, and documents and websites analysis. These critical success factors are people, timing/contextual factors, strategic choices, managerial and operational efficiency, performance/product, and Home Inns’ culture. The result also indicates that different factors contributed to Home Inns’ success at different developing stages. Furthermore, the implications of Home Inns’ successful development are also suggested.     

A fad or the future? Examining the effectiveness of virtual reality advertising in the hotel industry

New virtual reality technology presents hotels with wide-ranging marketing, training, and customer service opportunities. The purpose of this study was to explore both the immediate and delayed effects of hotel VR commercials as compared to traditional video commercials. Based on the perceptual load theory and elaboration likelihood model, this study designed and conducted a 2 × 2 laboratory experiment with two stages of data collection. The study demonstrated that VR commercials produced better immediate effects than the traditional commercials, especially for participants with high elaboration likelihood levels. However, the findings also revealed significant decreases in purchase intention among participants watching VR commercials and a significant improvement in attitudes among participants watching traditional commercials. Both theoretical and practical implications were discussed to leverage the power of VR in marketing.     

Environment management in the hotel industry: does institutional environment matter?

Limited theoretical attention has been paid to understand the underlying drivers of hotels’ engagement in environment management (EM). By using institutional theory, this study provides an integrated model that captures various social drivers of hotels’ engagement in EM. The associations between the three dimensions of institutional environment and hotel environmental practices were empirically tested, as well as the moderating role of hotel characteristics. A total of 414 usable surveys representing 414 hotels were collected from hotel managers in China. The results demonstrate positive associations of hotel EM practices with supportive state regulations, shared industry standards, competitors’ EM practices and expectations from various stakeholders such as employees, local community, and investors. Particularity, the strength of positive relationships between specific institutional pressures vary across hotel sizes and scales. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed     

From tertiary education to innovating at work: What is really important for hotel managers?

The goal of the present study was to examine the link between hotel managers’ post-secondary education and the extent to which they used knowledge acquired from such education to solve problems and innovate at work. One hundred and sixty-one hotel managers in Jamaica were surveyed. Stepwise regression analysis was performed. The study found that variety of academic specializations and recency of academic qualifications were more important to hotel managers’ use of knowledge from education to solve problems and innovate at work than years of post-secondary education and the relatedness of such education to their current jobs. Leaders in the lodging sector should take the findings into consideration when recruiting and developing hotel managers. One hundred and sixty-one hotel managers in Jamaica were surveyed and stepwise regression analysis performed. The study found that variety of academic specializations and recency of academic qualifications were more important to the hotel managers' use of knowledge from education to solve problems and innovate at work than their years of post-secondary education and the relatedness of such education to their current jobs. The study's findings could have implications for how hotel managers are selected and developed in the future.     

Ethics and corporate social responsibility – An analysis of the views of Chinese hotel managers

Based on a sample of 257 Chinese hotel managers, this paper examines the ethical principles to which these managers adhered. The premise is that any application of the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) will be facilitated or inhibited by the degree to which management holds to a strong ethical stance. Developing a questionnaire derived from different sources such as the Forsyth Ethics Position Questionnaire and the 12 golden standards of Tao Zhugong developed in the 5th century BCE, a principal components analysis of the scores on a 35 item scale indicated five components to ethical perspectives: namely respect for individuals, tolerance of degree of relativity in moral standards, the role of corporations in current society, expediency in business and adherence to CSR.     

Age stereotypes and the job suitability of older workers from hotel managers’ perspectives

This study explored hotel managers’ views of older workers and the underlying mechanism of their appraisal of older workers’ job suitability. A qualitative research approach was adopted: in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 hotel managers in Hong Kong. Analysis of the hotel managers’ responses revealed that age stereotypes influenced their perceptions of the suitability of certain jobs for older workers. The study contributes to the hospitality literature by developing a novel version of the cognitive framework of prototype matching to examine hotel managers’ perceptions of job suitability according to age. It offers examples of age-typed jobs in the hotel industry and suggests human resource practices to reduce age stereotypes and age-related discrimination in the hotel workplace.     

Does cultural value exacerbate or mitigate the effect of perceived compensation gap between locals and expatriates in hotel industry?

Within the expatriation system in the hospitality industry, a large compensation gap exists between expatriates and local employees. Drawing upon equity and social exchange theories, this paper examines the relationship between the perceived reasonableness of the expatriate–local compensation gap and workplace deviance behaviors (organizational and interpersonal). Moreover, the paper discusses the moderating effect of power distance and traditionality as important cultural boundaries in this relationship. Results of a survey among 46 expatriates and 297 local employees in the Chinese hotel industry indicated that the perceived compensation gap is positively related to the organizational and interpersonal deviance of local subordinates. High traditionality mitigates the effect of the compensation gap on deviance. However, contrary to our expectation, high power distance exacerbates such effect. The paper likewise discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.     

Political connections,guanxi and adoption of CSR policies in the Chinese hotel industry: Is there a link?

This research note examines the existence of a potential relationship between the political connections possessed by senior Chinese hotel managers and their adoption of corporate socially responsible (CSR) policies in the Chinese hotel industry. Given (a) China’s Green Hotel policy and (b) a broader context where, it is argued political connections and guanxi are a means by which the State seeks to advance desired economic reforms and counter corruption practice, it is suggested that those hotels with better political connections may show evidence of higher levels of awareness and adoption of CSR policies. The data are derived from a usable sample of 404 senior hotel managers. The findings show a positive relationship between the variables of ‘political connectedness’ and ‘CSR adoption’ in areas relating to environmental and philanthropic action, but less of a relationship in other CSR areas such as human resource management and guest relationships. The implications for future research are discussed.     

How risky are services? An empirical investigation on the antecedents and consequences of perceived risk for hotel service

Previous research does not systematically investigate the antecedents and consequences of perceived risk for services in emerging markets. The present research aims to fill this void in the literature and examines the determinants and consequences of consumer risk perceptions for an experience service, hotel service. The present research models the antecedents at both the firm (company reputation and perceived price) and individual consumer (risk aversion and face consciousness) levels, and the consequences comprise word-of-mouth communication and switching intention. Though perceived risk is a multidimensional construct, past research tends to operationalize risk narrowly as either performance or financial risk. The author overcomes this limitation by studying perceived risk at the component level, and examines psychological, social, performance and financial risks separately. The results of a survey on Chinese consumers who have purchased hotel service recently indicate that both firm-level and individual-level antecedents directly influence perceived risk. While psychological and social risks positively affect word-of-mouth, they do not have significant influence on switching intention. In addition, performance risk increases switching intention but decreases word of mouth. The author discussed the theoretical and managerial implications, and suggested future research directions.     

Negotiated exchanges in the online hospitality market: Hoteliers and hotel managers’ perceptions of Booking.com

Social exchange theory and online business-to-business (B2B) relational exchanges have been scarcely examined in the hospitality sector. Taking into consideration this research gap and the expansion of online travel agencies (OTAs), this exploratory study aims at examining hoteliers and hotel managers’ perceptions of their negotiated exchanges with Booking.com. Twenty two in-depth interviews were conducted with hoteliers and hotel managers from two Regions of Northern Greece. The results revealed that the informants considered their negotiated exchanges with Booking.com to be characterized by assurance rather than trust and admitted being dependent on it in financial and advertising terms. The hoteliers and hotel managers felt satisfied with their economic exchanges but required stronger social interactions. Additionally, hotel reputation was considered among the most important intangible outcomes of this partnership. Based on these findings relevant managerial implications are provided to improve social exchanges between Booking.com and accommodation providers.     

A review of the literature on culture in hotel management research: What is the future?

This paper aims to provide insights into the development of research on culture in the hotel industry by reviewing the existing literature. A total of 107 journal articles published between 1985 and 2010 were retrieved from 12 refereed journals, all of which could be accessed online. The papers were categorized into six major groups according to Pizam's (1993) hierarchy of cultures, and were further sorted by year of publication, source, subject area, region of focus, and the nature of the research. National culture, organizational culture, and cross-cultural comparison were found to be the most popular research topics. In contrast, few studies have investigated industry, occupational, and corporate cultures in association with hotel management studies, prompting concern for future research. In summary, this review paper offers a first and important attempt to understand the development of research on culture in the hotel management field and identifies future research opportunities.     

Generic dimensionality of hospitality in the hotel industry: A host–guest relationship perspective

The main objectives of this study are to identify the generic facets of hospitality for hotel services irrespective of their star rating, as well as to determine the impact of generic dimensionality on guest satisfaction. The responses of 305 local and foreign hotel guests in a questionnaire survey were analysed using a Structural Equation Modelling technique. The generic facets of hotel hospitality were identified as personalisation, comfort, and warm welcoming. Of the three, only personalisation and warm welcoming contributed significantly to predicting guest satisfaction. This study is aimed at adding to the body of related literature by sharing new insights on how the generic dimensionality of hospitality in its entirety differs from that of upscale hotel hospitality.     

What Does Vacation do to our Family? Contrasting the Perspectives of Parents and Children

Family has been identified as the most important consumption unit. This research builds on related theories of family system and vacation functions and empirically examines the dimensionality of family vacation functions. Through focus group interviews and survey techniques, a typology of family vacation functions was identified. Stressing both “home environment” and “destination environment,” “we” and “individual,” the functions are “Bonding and Sharing,” “Communication,” “Escape and Relaxation,” “Children’s Learning,” and “Novelty Seeking.” Fathers, mothers, and children showed significant differences in their perception of these five dimensions. Parents, especially mothers, appeared to be much more group well-being oriented, and their aspirations for vacation performing various functions were much more pronounced. Children did not demonstrate the equal amount of enthusiasm towards family vacation. Implications were discussed from both academic and applied perspectives.