Managing Change of Hotel Brand Name: Managerial Roles and Employees' Concerns

Abstract

With the re-branding and renaming, the two hotels at the heart of Raffles City are now known as STS and RTP. The new names are not as recognized as the old Westin name, thus posing a problem for employees, customers, suppliers, travel agents, taxi drivers and the local community. Several studies showed that the change process involved three distinct phases and also emphasized the involvement of employees. The re-branding and re-positioning in the hospitality industry highlighted the importance of the management–employees' involvement in building a positive global brand image of the corporation. This study aims first to examine the roles of management and their approaches undertaken in managing the change of hotel brand; and second, to investigate the employees' concerns and perceptions consequential to the brand changing process.