Evaluating Websites of Small-and-Medium-Sized-Hotels (SMHs): A Stages Model of E-Commerce Websites Adoption for Malaysian Hotels

Abstract

This research focuses on examining small-and-medium-sized hotels (SMHs) in Malaysia, specifically their websites,in order to study their e-commerce website stages model. The website evaluation criteria were used to study 193 websites of SMHs to identify the current stage of e-commerce websites adoption in Malaysia. The findings of the study reveal that 69.9 per cent of SMHs websites in Malaysia have online reservation facilities. In terms of social media marketing, this study highlights that 108 out of 193 websites of SMHs have social media profile links to the website. A total of 93.9 per cent of SMHs did not offer a guest loyalty program on their websites. Based on the results of this study,it can be concluded that SMHs in Malaysia from the sample are presently at stage three of the e-commerce website stages model, which is defined to be a simple interactive website.