Hospitality,Tourism, and Lifestyle Concepts

ABSTRACT

This article provides an overview of the significance of the lifestyle concept for the management of service quality and customer satisfaction in the hospitality and tourism industry. It discusses aspects of its continuing evolution and outlines the contents of articles relevant to this volume, providing a brief summary of the articles collected. It concludes by identifying a number of opportunities for further research into hospitality and tourism lifestyle concepts.     

The Relationships Between Food Service Wait Staff Skills,Satisfaction, Commitment and Their Levels of Customer Orientation

Abstract

Restaurants are in an industry that seems to be one of the most competitivein the nation. The challenges of operating in this particular industry are exacerbated bythe relative similarities that exist between many food service providers. One means that may be used to achieve a degree of differentiation may be through the restaurant's customer contact personnel, i.e., its wait staff. The restaurant's wait staff is an important factor in determining customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction in turn is an important determinant of the restaurant's profitability and longevity. The purpose of this research is to assess the relationships that exist between the wait staff's levels of customer orientation and their sales skills, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The results indicate that the positive relationships exist between the wait staff's customer orientation and their skills, job satisfaction and organizational commitment.     

酒店顾客满意度评价体系研究——基于tripadvisor.cn的杭州高星级酒店评论数据

随着移动互联网的飞速发展和普及,越来越多的在线平台为了更好的满足消费者需求,为消费者提供了对产品进行自由、匿名的评价模式。基于此,各大线上平台已拥有大量的产品评价信息,对此类信息数据的研究和分析能够为企业的运营和管理服务带来新的价值。文章以tripadvisor.cn第三方平台中杭州高星级酒店的点评信息为研究数据基础,采用贝叶斯网络构建各维度和对应因素之间的相互关系,确定顾客满意度影响因素,并建立相应的杭州高星级酒店顾客满意度评价体系。研究表明,基于在线评论文本构建的顾客满意度评价体系较传统的方式更为精准、科学,更有利于酒店对顾客满意度做出准确的评价。     

The Impact of Hotel Social Events on Employee Satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Employee satisfaction is an important factor in the hospitality industry. This study offers a technique to gauge employee satisfaction and demonstrates its use in an actual setting. A case study of the Mercure Mirage Eilat Hotel evaluated employee's satisfaction, before and after organizational social event, revealing that satisfaction improved after the social event. The findings also demonstrate that the composition of satisfaction altered. Prior to the organizational activity, monetary compensation was of prime importance; following the organizational activity, social issues gained significant importance in forming employee satisfaction.     

Customer Satisfaction,Training and TQM

Abstract

Managers within the hospitality industry make frequent reference to TQM principles. The extent to which these principles are applied effectively within the human resource management area of hospitality however remains under-researched. By applying TQM principles, this paper focusses on the relationship between customer service and training drawing upon comparative data from Western and Thai hotels. The paper also examines the perceptions of staff towards of hotels' guest-orientation and the provision of quality guest services. The researchers found that guest assessments of the performance of hotel frontline staff depend on their services function (e.g., front-office, housekeeping). The service quality skills needed by frontline staff were also found to differ in the case of Western and Thai hotels. Such differences merit proper consideration on the part of managers within the major hotel chains. The various findings may assist hospitality managers to determine appropriate strategies for the enhancement of guest services particularly in cross-cultural settings.     

Analysis of Hoteliers' E-Commerce and Information Technology Applications

ABSTRACT

Numerous research studies are being conducted that are related to e-commerce and information technology (IT) applications in the hospitality industry with regard to operational, profitability, productivity, and management perspective. The focus of this study is to examine current e-commerce and IT applications in the hospitality industry and to identify the business travelers' needs relative to advanced e-commerce and IT applications to improve customer service. Hoffman and Chung (1999) stated that what customers want most is not what restaurants and hotels are necessarily implementing. This study discusses the typical problems and obstacles of implementing e-commerce and IT applications in hospitality, using the lodging e-commerce and IT applications to satisfy customers, and developing the lodging e-commerce and IT applications as a corporate competitive advantage. Moreover, this study investigated a variety of e-commerce and IT applications related to customer service, satisfaction, and retention as well as e-commerce and IT applications as a distribution channel for receiving travelers' information and accommodation booking. This study provides valuable implications for the hospitality practitioners about customer needs relative to e-commerce and IT applications.     

Analysis of E-commerce and information technology applications in hotels: Business travelers' perceptions

Numerous research studies have been conducted that are related to e-commerce and information technology (IT) applications in the hospitality industry with regard to business operation, profit, output, and management perspective. The focus of this study is to examine current e-commerce and IT applications in the hospitality industry and to identify the business travelers' perceptions in order to improve customer service. One of the problems in the hospitality industry is that customers want advanced e-commerce and IT applications, but restaurants and hotels are not necessarily implementing them. This study discusses the typical problems and obstacles of implementing e-commerce and IT applications in hospitality, using the lodging e-commerce and IT applications to satisfy customers, and developing the lodging e-commerce and IT applications as a corporate competitive advantage. Moreover, this study investigated a variety of e-commerce and IT applications related to customer service, satisfaction, and retention as well as e-commerce and IT applications as a distribution channel for receiving travelers' information and accommodation booking. This study provides valuable implications for hospitality practitioners about customer perceptions relative to e-commerce and IT applications.     

Service Recovery Readiness in Australian Hospitality and Leisure Operations

ABSTRACT

Hospitality and leisure operations across Australia have experienced phenomenal growth over the past few decades. This growth can be attributed to globalisation, deregulation, increased household disposable income, and technological advancements. As organisations continue to strive for a competitive edge, increased attention is given to consistency and reliability of service delivery. However, given the significant human element in the production and consumption of services, mistakes are inevitable (albeit not intentional). Service recovery is therefore a central ingredient in maintaining quality of service delivery. It facilitates customer satisfaction, increases loyalty and repeat patronage, and fosters positive word-of-mouth recommendation. The present paper develops an integrated model of the key concepts of service delivery-illustrating the importance of the relationships among service quality, empowerment, and service recovery. To obtain a better understanding of the importance that organisations place on service recovery, an exploratory study is presented. This consisted of interviews and questionnaires across selected hospitality and leisure operators in Australia. The findings show that service recovery is viewed as an important component of business practices. However, there are noticeable gaps-particularly in relation to organisational readirecovery.     

Determinants of Customer Satisfaction in the Hotel Industry: An Application of Online Review Analysis

This study illustrates that determinants of customer satisfaction in hospitality venues can be identified through an analysis of online reviews. Using text mining and content analysis of 42,668 online traveler reviews covering 774 star-rated hotels, the study found that transportation convenience, food and beverage management, convenience to tourist destinations and value for money are identified as excellent factors that customers booking both luxury and budget hotels consider important and for which the performance is much satisfactory to them. Customers paid more attention to, but were less satisfied with, bed, reception services and room size and decoration. Most determinants of customer satisfaction also showed a consensus over luxury versus budget hotels, except for factors referring to lobby and sound insulation. As per its findings, the article concludes by presenting theoretical and managerial implications.     

Exploring the Relationships Between Hotel Management Courses and Industry Required Competencies

ABSTRACT

Recently, higher education in Taiwan for the hospitality industry has grown dramatically. However, hospitality education is still considered a relative newborn in comparison with other programs. To develop effective programs, it would be appropriate to investigate competencies that influence career success in the hotel industry and the courses that nurture those important competencies.

A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to collect data from 200 industry professionals. Instrument reliability and validity were reported. The results revealed the competencies relating to communication and adaptability most influenced career success. Moreover, Finance/Marketing/Personnel Management, Foreign Languages, and Communications & Quality Management curriculum dimensions were significantly related to competencies of “communication skills & adaptation to environmental changes.”     

The Effects of Local Hospitality,Commercial Hospitality and Experience Quality on Behavioral Intention in Cultural Heritage Tourism

The main aim of this study is to examine the influence of the two domains of hospitality—local hospitality and commercial hospitality—on behavioral intention in the cultural heritage tourism context. This study anticipated that the above relationships were mediated by the tourism experience quality. A total of 500 foreign tourists visiting the Malaysia’s first World Heritage City, Malacca City were surveyed using structured questionnaire. The results revealed that both local and commercial hospitality have positive relationships with experience quality, and experience quality fully mediated the relationships between each of the two domains of hospitality and behavioral intention.     

The Effect of Educational Level on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment: A Case Study in Hospitality

ABSTRACT

The hospitality industry is characterized by the close personal interaction between employees and customers. Consequently, the study of certain constructs that influence this relationship, such as organizational commitment and job satisfaction, is a key factor in ensuring business success. Furthermore, there are a number of variables that can, in theory, help to explain the levels reached by these constructs, one of the most important being educational level. Using this as our starting point, this article aims to determine the effect of educational level on the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of hotel employees in the province of Cordoba, Spain. As such, the study found that educational level does not influence job satisfaction. However, it does have an inverse effect on organizational commitment where the lower the educational level of employees, the higher their commitment. This result is consistent with the temporal component of both constructs, since job satisfaction is related to more ephemeral influences while organizational commitment is related to job security. In this respect, the study determined that employees with a lower educational level are more affected by the lack of job opportunities and more likely to express higher levels of gratitude for the job they have been able to secure and maintain. Knowledge of this relationship can be useful in designing more successful ??human resource strategies, such as employee recruitment, job profiles, and training schemes.     

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.     

The Relationships Among Brand Equity,Culinary Attraction,and Foreign Tourist Satisfaction

This study links the concepts of brand equity, culinary attraction, and tourist satisfaction from the perspective of foreign tourists at the night market. Specifically, this study posits that culinary attraction mediates the relationship between brand equity and tourist satisfaction and that the sub dimension of brand image mediates the relationship between brand awareness and utilitarian value. A survey of 456 foreign tourists who have experience with Taiwanese night market tourism is analyzed to test the hypotheses. Mediation tests procedure provides support for the hypotheses, and an extension of structural equation modeling is used to confirm the results of this study.     

Impact of Customer Relationship Management on Customer Satisfaction: The Case of a Budget Hotel Chain

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can bring many benefits to the hotel business, though there are some associated challenges. Such challenges often bring a significant risk of failure, and these risks become more significant in budget hotels. This study considers the changes that have emerged in the last decade as regards customer expectations when staying in budget hotels. We use qualitative approaches to investigate the overlaps between customer expectations and managers’ perceptions of CRM applications. The findings reveal that regardless of all changes, value for money and core products continue to play a critical role in customers’ overall satisfaction with budget hotels.     

酒店实习生工作满意度及其影响因素研究

酒店实习生作为酒店人员组成中的一个特殊部分,其工作满意度的高低对实习酒店和酒店行业来讲都有重要影响.但实习生的员工满意度与一般员工相比,有相同之处,也有不同之处.本文通过因子分析和分步多元回归分析,在控制了性别、学历、实习时间、酒店类型、实习部门、实习职位等变量的情况下,发现显著影响酒店实习生满意度的因素最主要的有三类:工作报酬、领导水平和培训机会.而被多数学者证明的对员工满意度有重要影响的"人际关系"对实习生的工作满意度没有显著影响.进一步分析表明,实习生的工作满意度及三类影响因素与其行业前景预期和留职意向显著相关.     

酒店业会议顾客满意的驱动因素及机理研究

培育和维护满意的顾客是酒店获得和保持竞争优势的重要条件,但以往对顾客满意的研究局限于对既有顾客满意模型的应用和简单修正,对驱动顾客满意的因素未作深入的探讨,特别是针对细分的会议顾客群体,尚缺乏细致的研究。本文综合考虑了酒店、会议产品以及会议顾客的需求特征等因素,构建了酒店业会议顾客满意的驱动模型,并进行了实证分析。研究表明:驱动会议顾客满意的因素包括整体形象与外部环境、酒店会议设施、其他配套设施、酒店会议服务、酒店其他服务和物有所值几个方面。这些因素均对会议顾客的整体满意度产生正向影响。其中4个对顾客整体满意度具有显著影响的因素均对顾客重复购买、推荐意识产生显著的正向作用。     

The Effect of Demographics on Job Satisfaction: A Study of Hotel Managers in Turkey

This study examined the relationship between selected demographic characteristics of middle-level hotel managers in Turkey and five selected job satisfaction dimensions (degree of satisfaction with the work, coworkers, supervision, financial compensation, and promotion opportunities). In addition, the relationship between job satisfaction dimensions and the middle-level hotel managers' overall job satisfaction level was analyzed. The study sample consists of 103 middle-level hotel managers (all Turkish nationals) in 17 rated four- and five-star hotels in Kusadasi, Turkey. Study findings indicate significant differences between managers in various demographic categories and their levels of job satisfaction. Overall, the data revealed that financial compensation, promotion opportunities, and supervision most significantly impacted middle-level hotel managers' overall job satisfaction levels.     

Locus of Control and Its Influence on Hotel Managers' Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Studies have demonstrated that internal/external locus of control impacts job satisfaction. Additionally, research indicates that locus of control relates to many other work-related perceptions. However, few studies exist that investigate the relationship between locus of control and job satisfaction for hotel managers. This study investigates hotel managers' job satisfaction (n = 68), internal/external locus tendencies, and the relationship between the two constructs. The results indicate that variables other than the locus personality construct may relate to hotel managers' perception of job satisfaction. Additionally, the results stimulate the ongoing person versus situation debate in job satisfaction research.     

An Investigation into the Perceived Importance of Service and Facility Attributes to Hotel Satisfaction

SUMMARY

In a complex service environment such as the hotel sector, assessing the perceived importance of services and facility attributes provides management with information not only to benchmark their service level provision, but also to retain and increase their customer base. The present study examines the perceived importance of the service and facilities attributes provided by a 3-star hotel. Results of the self-administered survey of 101 guests of three 3-star hotel properties in Perth (Western Australia) indicated that 13 of the 18 attributes were perceived as important. The 18 services and facility attributes were factor-analysed and three components emerged: physical facilities service experienced and services provision. These three components were found to significantly contribute to the overall importance rating of the hotel attributes. Statistically significant differences were noted for age and residence on the physical facilities and services provided components. Results were discussed and implications with further research opportunities were suggested.