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.     

An examination of the progressive effects of hotel frontline employees’ brand perceptions on desirable service outcomes

The present study scrutinizes how hospitality firms’ internal branding influences the service performance of frontline employees in a progressive way. More specifically, based on social influence and social exchange theories, this study examines if organizational commitment mediates the link between hospitality frontline employees’ perceptions of brand authenticity (BA) and brand-value fit (BVF) and their service-related behaviors such as generating ideas for service improvement (GISI) and service-oriented citizenship behavior. With a matched sample of 286 customer-contact frontline employees and 33 of their supervisors from five-star hotels in South Korea, this study found that the higher employees’ perceptions of BA and BVF, the more likely they were to generate ideas for service improvement and engage in service-oriented citizenship behavior, as they were more likely to be committed to the firm. Based on the findings, implications are discussed for hospitality practitioners and researchers alike in terms of internal branding with frontline employees.     

What contributes to convention attendee satisfaction and loyalty? A meta-analysis

The significant economic contribution and other positive impacts of the convention industry make it imperative to understand the factors that influence attendees' satisfaction and generate repeat attendance, which is loyalty. A meta-analysis of the convention literature revealed that networking and education are the top contributors to attendee satisfaction. Interestingly, the findings suggest that convention environment is more important for loyalty than satisfaction, whereas destination image is relatively unimportant for either outcome. Perception of service quality is more important than value for both satisfaction and loyalty. The meta-analysis confirmed that there is a strong relationship between attendee satisfaction and loyalty.     

An examination of organisational culture — the Regent Hotel,Sydney

The traditional approaches to strategy that are adopted by managers do not recognise the importance and power of culture as an integrating and unifying “driver” of action within organisations. Culture and its main elements can be defined using Johnson's (Long Range Planning 25 (1) (1992) 28) cultural web as a framework. The cultural web has been applied to The Regent Hotel, Sydney in order to explain how cultural influences on behaviour within an organisation come about and their impact on the organisation. Conclusions are drawn regarding the use of culture to increase organisational performance, and particular reference is made to the web's usefulness in respect of strategic analysis of hospitality organisations.     

Are you for real? An evaluation of the relationship between emotional labour and visitor outcomes

Emotional labour is the management of emotional display to satisfy organisational expectations and can be performed by faking emotions (surface acting) or by managing felt emotion to be ‘authentic’ (deep acting). Despite an assumed positive relationship between deep acting and a range of organisationally-desired visitor outcomes, no previous research has examined the relationship between the types of acting and those outcomes. The present study assessed this relationship in contrast to the effectiveness of surface acting. Drawing upon a sample of 688 visitors and 66 guided tours, the results of hierarchical linear modelling found no statistically significant relationship between guide-reported acting and visitor perceptions of acting. Visitor perceptions of deep and surface acting were related to visitor outcomes in the expected direction. Implications of the findings suggest tourism organisations should focus on managing perceptions of emotional authenticity to enhance visitor outcomes.     

Do you dare to travel to China? An examination of China's destination image amid the COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 on destination image is critical for international tourism recovery. This study is conducted focusing on China, the first epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with mixed methods. Drawing on survey data collected from 500 US travelers, the study first examines China's destination image perceptions and travel intention. The results reveal that (1) US respondents have low travel intentions to China amid the pandemic; (2) Destination safety and security is the most influential image factor that leads to the low travel intentions to China. News media is proposed to have significant influence on China's image formation due to the COVID-19. A simple content analysis is conducted on CNN's news and China is found to be tied closely with COVID-19 and most news articles are emotionally negative. Those respondents who follow news outlet websites for COVID-19 view China more negatively and have lower travel intentions.     

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.     

Why is asset-light strategy necessary? An empirical analysis through the lens of cost stickiness

The widespread trend among firms in the tourism and hospitality industry to adopt an asset-light strategy has enabled the U.S. tourism industry to grow rapidly by shaving off fixed assets. Our paper explores why an asset-light strategy is necessary from the perspective of cost management. Because cost is very “sticky,” meaning it does not change proportionally with changes in revenue, and change in cost is usually lagged, higher cost stickiness leads to lower financial performance. We found that cost stickiness does exist in the tourism and hospitality industry, and an excess of assets is its main determinant. Moreover, we found that management adjusts the amount of assets to reduce the effects of cost stickiness, and these adjustments are much more significant in revenue-declining years. Contributions, limitations, and practical implications are also discussed.     

Does positive affectivity moderate the effect of burnout on job outcomes? An empirical investigation among hotel employees

A conceptual model examining positive affectivity as a moderator of the influence of burnout on extra-role performance and quitting intentions is developed and tested. Data obtained from employees in the hotel industry in Turkey were used to assess the model. As hypothesized, burnout influences extra-role performance deleteriously and exacerbates quitting intentions. The results of the Chow test also reveal that positive affectivity serves as a moderator in reducing the detrimental impact of burnout on extra-role performance and quitting intentions. The findings and their implications are discussed.     

An examination of the role of booking lead time in consumers’ reactions to online scarcity messages

Scarcity messaging is frequently employed by travel marketers to drive consumer conversion rate in the online sales environment. This study examines the effects of two types of scarcity messages, unit and option scarcity, on consumer booking intentions and explores the role of booking lead time on the scarcity messaging-booking intentions relationship in the context of the purchase of hotel accommodation. Findings suggest that when booking lead-time is long, unit scarcity messages will be more effective than option scarcity messages in influencing booking intentions as they are perceived as more credible, and induce higher perceptions of a sellout risk. When booking lead-time is short, consumers perceive no differences in the credibility of unit and option scarcity messages: both are equally effective in driving booking intentions. This research provides marketers with guidance on how and when to leverage scarcity appeals to drive consumer conversion rate.     

How is the hospitality and tourism industry different? An empirical test of some structural characteristics

Structural characteristics, such as competition, risk, leverage and capital intensity, directly impact the strategic management of firms operating within an industry. We provide an empirical test and formally compare the structural characteristics of the hospitality and tourism (HT) industry with other industries. Our results, based on a sample of firms from the S&P 1500 index over 21 years, show that the HT industry has higher leverage, higher risk, higher capital intensity and higher competitive rivalry than other industries in the U.S. economy. The formal identification and recognition of these differences provides justification for using the HT industry as a context for testing business theories, and can explain differences in decision-making and firm outcomes such as financial and social performance, as well as efficiency, growth, and survival of HT firms.     

What is Leisure Without Becoming? Assemblages of Active and Reactive Leisure

Abstract

In answering the question, “what is leisure without becoming?” this article revisits philosophical insights in Deleuze’s reading of Spinoza and Nietzsche. I investigate the relevance of these thinkers to Deleuze and Guattari’s collaboration to propose an understanding of leisure as not only becoming but also as negation of difference and possible repetition of the same in reactive leisure. Leisure as becoming is a vital realization of what a body can do that cannot entirely be conceived as a state of Being, a period of time, or necessarily an activity. Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of assemblage is used to understand becoming as a line of flight, a relational deterritorialization, that extends the capacities of a body.     

Does climate change matter to the travel trade?

This study evaluated the awareness of, attitudes toward and opinions about the ability of travel agencies in Hong Kong to help address tourism's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. The retail travel agent sector is a major player in the tourism distribution system, accounting for about 25% of travel activity, and is the primary distributor of package tours. In-depth interviews were conducted with senior managers and owners/operators of a sample of travel agencies in Hong Kong, followed by a survey of 485 front line staff. The study revealed senior managers adopted a range of neutralisation techniques to abrogate themselves from any personal or corporate responsibility in this issue. Front line staff were largely unaware and ill-informed, and mainly see their role as simply pushing products. Cluster analysis revealed five groups with diverse views: Cluster 1, the “Deeply concerned” group (11%); Cluster 2, the “Deep knowledge” group (6%); Cluster 3, the “Moderate knowledge and awareness” group (18%); Cluster 4, the “Concerned but unaware” group (31%); and Cluster 5, the “Neither concerned nor aware” group (34%). The combination of lack of leadership among managers and ignorance among front line staff means that neither feels responsible for, nor able to, address this issue.     

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.     

An alternative interpretation of attitude and extension of the value–attitude–behavior hierarchy: the destination attributes of Chiang Mai,Thailand

Thailand tourism and its attributes have not been sufficiently explored. This study attempted to identify the role of tourism attributes in Chiang Mai, Thailand, bring up-to-date advancements in attitude research, and build a comprehensive extended framework rooted in the value attitude behavior (VAB) hierarchy. A sample of 541 international tourists in Chiang Mai was used for data analysis. The results of the factor analysis presented five attribute factors. All five factors loaded strongly onto a higher order factor of destination attributes. Moreover, the attitude construct was tested in the VAB hierarchy. Our results indicated that the proposed theoretical framework and hypothesized relationships were generally supported. The emotion constructs were identified to be significant contributors for better prediction of intention to revisit Thailand. Our alternative interpretation of attitude was statistically supported. Overall, the findings of this study help destination marketers invent useful strategies to boost international travelers’ intention to repeatedly visit Thailand.     

What is professional attire today? A conjoint analysis of personal presentation attributes

Personal presentation attributes have long been understood to affect perceptions of competence and capabilities. To that end, this study investigates seven attributes associated with favorable interview presentation, including overall physical attractiveness, neatness and grooming, clothing color, conservative versus trendy attire, professional versus casual attire, and body modification (including tattoos and piercings). Participants (n = 108), including students, faculty, and hospitality industry professionals, sorted an orthogonal array of 16 full-color, laminated cards that contained photos so that respondents could see levels of clothing color, clothing conservativeness, and degree of professional attire. The remaining attributes and their corresponding levels were shown on respective analog indicators. The conjoint analysis results indicate that grooming and professional attire are the most important attributes in shaping favorable perceptions. Furthermore, faculty perceived conservative clothing to be better while students and industry professionals indicated that trendy clothing creates a more favorable presentation on the part of a job candidate.     

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.     

The economic value of Malecón 2000 in Guayaquil,Ecuador: An application of the travel cost method

Malecón 2000 is one of the most important urban parks in Ecuador. It is a recreational and ecological park that combines history, trade, culture, and entertainment. It is the most iconic and active hub for economic and touristic activities in the city of Guayaquil. Thus, it is essential to know the characteristics of visitors and the value they attribute to the site and its amenities to promote conservation and improvement policies. Even more, Malecón 2000 is a public good that does not have an explicit market and thus is not incorporated in consumers' decisions. This paper shows an application of the Individual Travel Cost Method to estimate the economic value of recreational use of Malecón 2000, which is estimated at US$ 15.72 per-person-per-visit. These results represent a useful contribution to the conservation and improvement of the site.     

An examination of green intention: the effect of environmental knowledge and educational experiences on meeting planners’ implementation of green meeting practices

Environmental sustainability has become an important concern in staging meetings and events. This paper introduces the Convention Industry Council's Green Meetings Report and goes on to investigate whether prior knowledge and educational experiences related to environmental sustainability are influential factors in planners’ commitment to engaging in ecologically friendly behavior. Using a nine-point questionnaire, 278 delegates at North America's largest one-day event for meeting planners were sampled. Regression analysis showed that the intention to implement green meeting practices is positively influenced by both prior knowledge of and educational experience with greening practices. In particular, educational experiences were found to be a strong influential factor contributing to meeting planners’ intention to implement green meeting practices. By providing operational definitions of knowledge and education, it proves that knowledge gained by an unstructured format was less effective than the impact of education on green intention. Accordingly, this study not only highlights academic discussions on environmental knowledge-building through formal education but also derives managerial implications for the meeting and event industry by outlining ways to incorporate continuing professional education in sustainable meetings and events. A range of ideas for the content of that professional education is presented, along with the possibilities for e-learning.