Global strategies in the international hotel industry

A two stage qualitative research methodology is used to evaluate the forces driving the adoption of global strategies in the hotel industry and the strategic response of international hotel chains to those “drivers”. Information gathered from industry experts is used to develop a set of hypotheses which are then tested against evidence provided by interviews with senior executives and other data.The results indicate that global strategy is most influenced by market factors, other drivers having much less influence. Cost drivers are constrained by limited economies of scale and standardization opportunities. Globalization is most marked in the thrust for a broad geographic presence in key overseas markets, the pursuit of global branding, positioning and uniform service standards. At the same time, customers expect “responsive” policies in areas such as facilities and services provided. Opportunities for greater integration and concentration of “back-office” functions, where information-based systems allow for cost economies and enhanced coordination, often remain relatively unexploited, primarily due to institutionalized management practice and control constraints.     

Zimbabwean hospitality students’ experiences of sexual harassment in the hotel industry

This study investigates the experiences of Zimbabwean hospitality management students in relation to sexual harassment. The students were asked to draw their responses from their industrial attachment year which is part of their four-year degree program. Guided interviews were conducted with 77 final year hospitality management students who had undertaken their industrial attachment in the hotel industry. Findings reveal that sexual harassment is not uncommon in Zimbabwean hotel workplaces. Coworkers, managers and customers were identified as perpetrators. The lack of sexual harassment training in the Zimbabwean hospitality, as well as the non-response of managers to some sexual harassment cases are possible indicators of the inadequacy, or complete lack of sexual harassment policies in Zimbabwe's hotel industry. The researcher suggests that human resource managers in the hotels should formulate, in consultation with Zimbabwean law and labour relations experts, sound sexual harassment policies. Continuous educational training for all employees and managers is also necessary to encourage more employees to report cases and to deter offenders.     

The use of eLearning strategies among travel agents in the United Kingdom,India and New Zealand

ABSTRACT

This study explores the use of eLearning courses created by destination management organizations for education and certification in the travel trade. Phone interviews were conducted with travel agents based in the United Kingdom, India and New Zealand to identify knowledge upgrade strategies with regard to tourism destinations. The study evaluates the rates of current usage and awareness of eLearning courses about tourism destinations among agents in the three countries.     

Developing inter-organizational relationships with online travel agencies (OTAs) and the hotel industry

This research examines the relationship status of leading OTAs with the hotel industry in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region along with future trends in hotel distribution channels. A Delphi study was conducted with senior executives (n = 12) of leading OTAs to explore the inter-organizational relationship development between hotels and OTAs. Our results indicate that building a long-term sustainable relationship with the hotel industry requires OTAs to be innovative and capable of enhancing their value to hotels. Moreover, the future of the hotel distribution landscape in the APAC region is expected to become increasingly complex.     

Evaluating foreign market entry mode theories from a hotel industry perspective

This is a qualitative examination of the theories of new institutional economics (NIE) in the context of choosing between franchising and management contracts in the international hotel industry. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight high-level hotel executives. The primary objective of this study is to empirically examine which of the predominant theories of NIE are the most appropriate for examining the specific choice between franchising and management contracts when internationalising a hotel or hotel chain. Transaction cost economics and the resource-based view emerged as the most appropriate theories, according to the executives interviewed. Moreover, several other important considerations were suggested by the respondents, including the size of the organisation, the importance of intangible assets and the level of investment into these assets. Finally, host country factors, such as legal and political risk, as well as the availability of capable local partners, were suggested as important considerations.     

Mass tourism and water efficiency in the hotel industry: A case study

Mass tourism, which has traditionally been associated with an unsustainable use of natural resources and intensive land use, is frequently identified as a major environmental stressor in coastal regions. Nonetheless, mass tourism resorts typically have a compact and vertical urban configuration and have been shown to make more efficient use of water resources than other low-density tourist destinations. This article investigates how the main variables identified by the literature as determinants of water consumption by hotels influences water efficiency in hotels in Lloret de Mar, a well-known mass tourism destination on the Costa Brava in Spain. The results of a generalized linear mixed model show that large, high-rise hotels that attract thousands of tourists annually also benefit from economies of scale in terms of water efficiency.     

The economy,tourism growth and corporate performance in the Taiwanese hotel industry

This study investigates the impact of economy and tourism growth on the corporate performance of tourist hotels in Taiwan. The indicators of corporate performance under consideration are occupancy rate (OPR), return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), stock return, and the overall financial performance measured by a comprehensive score (a combined measure of asset management, profitability, short-term solvency or liquidity and long-term solvency based on factor analysis). The effects of changes in the state of economy (real GDP   growth rate, ΔGDP$\Delta \mathit{GDP}$) and tourism growth (growth rate of total foreign tourist arrivals, ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$) on the corporate performance of tourist hotels are then examined via panel regression tests. Test results show that both ΔGDP$\Delta \mathit{GDP}$ and ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$ are significant explanatory factors of OPR  , but only ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$ can strongly explain ROA and ROE  . However, neither ΔGDP$\Delta \mathit{GDP}$ nor ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$ have a significant influence on hotel stock performance. Further, the economic factor (ΔGDP)$\left(\Delta \mathit{GDP}\right)$ is slightly more crucial than the industry factor (ΔTA)$\left(\Delta \mathit{TA}\right)$ in describing the overall financial performance in the Taiwanese hotel industry. Empirical findings offer valuable information for government tourism policymakers and tourist hotel owners and managers.     

The link between environmental uncertainty,organizational agility,and organizational creativity in the hotel industry

Informed by the confusion theory, this study tests the three main aspects of environmental uncertainty on organizational creativity and extends the moderating model of organizational agility in uncertain environments. The data were collected from 174 managers of five-star hotels. Construct validity and the hypotheses were tested using AMOS 26.0. The findings show that organizational agility moderates the negative impacts of competitive and technological uncertainty on organizational creativity. The results suggest that in highly dynamic and complex environments, organizations must reduce bureaucracy to manage the challenges of uncertainty. Informed by the confusion and contingency theories, this study offers new insights into the relationship between environmental uncertainty, organizational creativity, and organizational agility in the hospitality industry.     

Managing business travel: Developments and dilemmas in corporate travel management

Work organizations today often depend on communication and interaction between persons working in geographically dispersed locations. As a consequence, business travel has increased considerably over the past few decades, and large companies and public authorities often employ travel managers to implement efficient travel routines. The present paper investigates the professional practice of travel management. Using interviews, policy documents and existing literature, it examines recent developments in this field and identifies a number of dilemmas and challenges that travel managers experience in their attempts to control travel behaviour and travel costs in their organizations. These dilemmas occur in travel managers’ relations with other stakeholders in the business travel process - travellers, senior managers, suppliers, and travel agents. An additional dilemma concerns the role of ‘virtual meetings’ (via telephone, video or the Web) and their potential to serve as substitutes for or complements to travel and face-to-face meetings.     

Perceptions of workplace bullying in the New Zealand travel industry: Prevalence and management strategies

Workplace bullying is a major cause of stress and psychological harm for employees and a costly problem for organisations. Within the travel industry, little is known about the extent and nature of the workplace bullying problem. This paper reports on findings from a survey of 332 New Zealand travel industry staff and managers. The finding that more than one-in-ten respondents experienced bullying in the workplace indicates a significant problem for the sector. In comparison to those who had not experienced bullying, targets of bullying reported lower levels of constructive leadership, colleague support, and supervisor support, and lower self-rated performance. Targets also reported higher levels of stress, lower levels of emotional wellbeing, higher absenteeism, and a higher intention to leave the organisation. Organisational responses to bullying reported to be most effective were those that focused on improvements in communication and relationships. The paper discusses the importance of leadership in developing a bully-free culture within organisations.     

Using competing models to evaluate the role of environmental pressures in ecommerce adoption by small and medium sized travel agents in a developing country

This study investigates the factors that influence e-commerce adoption in SME travel agents in a developing country. The research is based upon a questionnaire survey of travel agents in Egypt and employs advanced statistical techniques to test a conceptual framework that extends the technology acceptance model. Using competing models the study examines the relationship between e-commerce adoption, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and environmental pressures. The results indicate that environmental pressures significantly affect the perceived benefits and barriers of e-commerce adoption, in addition to having an indirect effect on adoption behaviour. Insights are provided into the nature of relationships between the key factors that determine e-commerce adoption and the extent to which they can be used to develop effective strategies for SME travel agent re-intermediation in the global travel market. Implications are identified for practice and government policy in relation to the use of e-commerce in SME travel businesses in developing countries.     

Developing a dual-perspective low-carbon tourism evaluation index system for travel agencies

This paper presents a two-stage development model for low-carbon tourism (LCT). In study I, a qualitative questionnaire was developed using the Delphi and analytic hierarchy process methods, and this was then distributed to 19 experts, whose opinions were used to develop a complete index system for low-carbon tours. In study II, 393 tourists questionnaires administered in the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area were utilized to determine whether the index system would affect visitor purchase intentions. The findings showed that the LCT index system positively influenced tourists' purchase intentions, and their actual purchase behaviors toward low-carbon products. However, this study empirically found that there are significant differences with regard to what these two groups (experts and tourists) view as important in a low-carbon tour system. The contributions of this study include: (1) confirming the importance of the multiple perspectives obtained from the travel industry and tourists to establish the LCT system; (2) using the case study to investigate tourists' opinions to better understand whether the LCT index that was developed based on the industry perspective in stage one was appropriate; and (3) offering practical suggestions to help businesses better understand specific trends and plans for LCT.     

Impacts of the entry of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea into the Russian Federation on its tourism industry: An exploratory study

In an unique political scenario, Crimea was integrated into the Russian Federation in 2014, making the legal, political, and economic environment in which the tourism and hospitality industries in Crimea very different from what it had been. In this research, we surveyed the managers of 60 hotels and 31 travel agencies in Crimea to learn about how their businesses were impacted by the Crimea's entry into the Russian Federation and how they have responded to the changes in the macroenvironment. The findings indicate that travel agencies and hoteliers have responded differently to the crisis and have very different concerns regarding the way in which this political event has impacted upon their industries.     

Is the hotel classification system a good indicator of hotel quality?: An application in Spain

This paper analyses whether the hotel classification system is a good indicator of hotel quality, where quality is defined to be satisfying the expectations and needs of the client. We conducted our research in Spain, where a five-category system using stars is employed. To be exact, the hotel sector of one autonomous community (Cantabria, located in northern Spain) was studied, given that it is these autonomous regions that have exclusive authority to regulate and promote tourism. The results of the study confirm that even though significant quality differences are seen between the different categories, the ranking by quality does not correspond to that by categories. This supports the idea that quality is associated with the delivery of a service according to client expectations, more than it is with establishment category.     

Pushing forward high-performance work systems in the hotel industry: A procedural-justice climate to promote higher unit-level outcomes

In this study, we examine how the high-performance work system (HPWS) can be used to promote positive employee behavior leading to higher organizational service performance in the hotel industry. Specifically, we suggest that the collective organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of employees links the HPWS to organizational service performance, and a stronger procedural-justice climate of a hotel strengthens the relationship between the HPWS and the collective OCB. Using multi-source data drawn from 5290 employees across 180 independent franchise hotels in North America and customer feedback on each surveyed hotel, we found that the collective OCB mediates the relationship between the HPWS and organizational service performance, and when hotels have a stronger procedural-justice climate, the mediating effect is more salient. The implications of these findings for tourism researchers and practitioners are discussed.     

Career paths of hotel general managers in Turkey

This article investigates the career paths of hotel general managers (HGMs) in a developing country, namely Turkey. Based on an in-depth literature review, a questionnaire was developed and data were collected from 168 HGMs in Turkey. Compared to previous studies, this study found a higher percentage of female HGMs working in hotels. According to the research findings, almost half of the respondents received formal education in hospitality and tourism. The participating respondents most frequently reached the HGM position through working in the front office department and the food and beverage department. Honesty, interpersonal skills, and loyalty were found to be the top three characteristics that helped the participants become HGMs. In terms of required skills, communication, human relations, taking initiatives, and the ability to formulate plans were the top four skills for the participants in their career development. Finally, learning a foreign language, having a college degree, and developing long-term career goals were the top three personal development strategies. This is one of the first studies investigating HGMs career paths in a developing country and it offers specific theoretical and practical implications on this important topic.     

Foodstagramming in the travel encounter

This research investigates a new phenomenon – foodstagramming, in which tourists embark on capturing and sharing food photos – using a mixed-methods approach in three studies. Study 1 assesses how foodstagramming experiences are phenomenologically constructed in a field inquiry. Studies 2 and 3 undergo a rigorous scale development process by setting forth a foodstagramming benefit scale, which measures tourist perceived value in capturing and sharing of food photos in social media. These two studies further test its nomological network via a relationship leading from impression management to travel satisfaction through foodstagramming benefits. Results address the conundrum in the literature, which conjectures why self-expression, enrichment of dining experience, social connection, virtual community engagement, and special occasion memory underpin the foodstragramming phenomenon and how they could reap favorable travel outcomes. This research further contributes to the hospitality and tourism industry with insights on technology mediated dining and travel experiences.     

Innovation in tourism: Re-conceptualising and measuring the absorptive capacity of the hotel sector

Recent reviews of research on innovation in tourism have highlighted a number of weaknesses in the literature. Among these is the limited theorising and empirical investigation of innovative practices by tourism organisations. This paper responds to these concerns by examining one important dimension of innovation within commercial tourism organisations, namely their ability to acquire, assimilate and utilise external knowledge (absorptive capacity) for competitive advantage. The topic is pertinent because there is evidence to suggest that tourism organisations are particularly dependent on external sources of knowledge when compared with businesses in other sectors. Following a discussion of the conceptual antecedents of absorptive capacity and its dimensions, a validated instrument for its measurement is developed and used to measure the absorptive capacity of the British hotel sector. The results suggest that current conceptions of absorptive capacity have limitations when applied to tourism enterprises. Absorptive capacity is re-conceptualised to overcome these deficiencies. The research and policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

Going beyond the curve: Strategic measures to recover hotel activity in times of COVID-19

Hospitality firms are facing unprecedented challenges on a global scale. The catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its multiple devastating global consequences have initiated a profoundly disruptive transformation in the hospitality sector, as firms attempt to adapt their activity to the current uncertain scenario. This study draws on the crisis management literature to identify the key drivers of hotel recovery in the event of a disaster or an external crisis, like current pandemic. A sample of 237 Spanish hotel managers evaluated and ranked the strategic measures. Based on this evidence, measures were statistically examined to identify which ranked as most significant in helping hospitality managers. The results yield valuable theoretical and practical insights to guide hospitality managers towards business adaptation and recovery by highlighting key strategic measures for implementation in the short term.     

Examining key drivers of customer delight in a hotel experience: A cross-cultural perspective

Welcoming all guests is the calling shared by those who work in the hotel industry. Everyday hoteliers strive to provide a service of excellence to all of those who visit. This can be somewhat of a complex endeavor, as hotels receive guests from different nationalities and cultures. Previous research in the area of customer delight has revealed some of the factors that define and drive the customer delight experience. Despite the emerging literature on the subject, the question remains: are guest from different cultures likely to be delighted by different things? In the present study, the researchers conducted extensive semi-structured interviews (n = 228) with guests from different nationalities visiting the Central Florida area. The guests interviewed came predominantly from the United States, Brazil, Germany, and Canada. Using a process of content analysis, the researchers analyzed the drivers of customer delight and concluded that while some universal service elements exists, guests from different cultures can also be delighted by different services and amenities.