Abstract
The increasing demand on Islamic products and services has led hoteliers in Malaysia to provide more Islamic friendly hotel services to fulfil the Muslim tourists’ needs. Therefore, this study examined the challenges on implementation of the Islamic friendly hotel at in Malaysia. Despite many attempts to study Islamic friendly hotel, previous studies focused on concept and characteristics while a limited number of studies explored how hotels deal with challenges to provide Islamic friendly services. This study used the qualitative approach via in-depth interview and expert interview at ten hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, Malacca and Johor Bahru. The findings of the interviews were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. Implementation wise, these Islamic friendly hotels faced challenges such as the short-term consequence of conversion to an Islamic friendly hotel, compliance with Halal certification standards, varied practices of Islamic friendly hotel and capacity management in peak seasons. Academically, this study provide in-depth supply views on the barriers in implementing Islamic friendly hotel. From the managerial perspective, this study raises the issues and highlights the challenges faced by Islamic friendly hotels for the benefit of other hotels intending to implement Islamic friendly hotel.
Highlights
Islamic tourism is a promising market that is in high demand, especially given the size of the world’s fastest-growing Muslim community (Walker et al, 2007, Kalesar, 2010, Mohsin, Ramli and Alkhulayfi, 2016)
This study showed that variations in Islamic Friendly Hotel (IFH) practices related to hotel policies, the monitoring of IFH practices and hotel services
In the case of international chain hotel, there are challenges to implement extensive range of IFH due to regulations set by the head offices of international chains; for example, an international chain hotel may have to adhere to its own unique hotel concept, image and service standards regardless of its location
Summary
Islamic tourism is a promising market that is in high demand, especially given the size of the world’s fastest-growing Muslim community (Walker et al, 2007, Kalesar, 2010, Mohsin, Ramli and Alkhulayfi, 2016). The fact that Islam is the second largest religion (with approximately 1.5 to 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide and the current value of the Muslim lifestyle market is estimated at US$2 trillion), Muslim tourists’ expenditure is estimated to rise to more than 13per cent of global tourism expenditure by 2020. Studies on spending pattern of tourists in Malaysia indicated that tourists spend 35 per cent of their travel budget on accommodation (Poon and Low, 2005, Zailani, Omar and Kopeng, 2011, Abdullah, Ishak and Bustamam, 2012). In relating hotel services and Muslim travelers behavior on religion practice, studies indicated that seventy per cent of the Muslims tourists would keep religious sensitivity while travelling. Studies show that 70 per cent of Muslim tourists retain their religious sensitivity while travelling (Duman, 2011). For Muslim tourists, staying at a hotel that accommodate their religious needs will probably increase their satisfaction level (Battour, Ismail and Battor, 2011)
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