Choice Of Accommodation Research Articles

Sustainable accommodation choice in tourism and emotional intelligence connected: An exploratory study looking for evidence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is considered an advantage in everyday life, starting from the area of work relationships to intimacy, from stress tolerance to the general well-being of an individual. ...

Where Do Tourists Stay Overnight in Macau?

Recently, diverse accommodation choices such as clubs have become an extremely important topic for hotel guests, imposing an unprecedented challenge to hoteliers. Examples of other accommodation choices are clubs, karaoke bars, casinos and saunas. It is well-known that tourists’ accommodation choice is an important issue for destinations. The present study thus tried to understand the tourists’ characteristics such as demographics, geographic region, psychographic factors, and behavioral patterns, among different accommodation choice, and provided managerial implications for hotel and tourism practitioners. Since Macau is an entertainment-oriented tourist destination with a variety of accommodation choices, findings are expected to help hotels in Macau to gain competitive advantages over other types of accommodation, find out their most profitable customers, with the ultimate goal of contributing to revenue, and to boost tourism growth of a destination.

Comparison of characteristics of Asian and non-Asian tourists visiting eco-lodges in Sri Lanka

As the demand for ecotourism and nature-based tourism increases, eco-lodges are becoming a popular alternative accommodation choice. Consequently, the development of an ecolodge industry has wider implications for countries such as Sri Lanka, especially when considering the country’s high potential for ecotourism and the need to provide alternative forms of accommodation for increasing tourist arrivals. In the Sri Lankan context, the eco-lodge industry still remains relatively undeveloped and the understanding of characteristics of visitors who seek accommodation in eco-lodges is limited. In this study, the author distinguished Asian and non-Asian ecotourist market segments visiting ecolodges in Sri Lanka, to enable ecotourism operators and policy makers to better tailor their products to target groups. A survey of 362 ecolodge occupants in 16 selected ecolodges found that the Asian and non-Asian visitor segments differ in terms of travel motivations, their perceptions on various ecolodge attributes, trip characteristics and demographics. However, both age and level of education were found to be strongly related in other studies. The study found that non-Asian ecotourists stay for longer periods by comparison with Asian ecotourists. Seeking novel experiences appeared to be the main motivation of Asian ecolodge occupants, and they typically demanded physically challenging activities. Non-Asians’ motivation was friendliness of the people of the host country, followed by visiting nature and learning local customs. The management implications of distinguishing the Asian and non-Asian market segments are discussed.

Active adult lives for persons with learning disabilities—The perspectives of professionals

Accessible Summary The government says that all adults should have the opportunity to live active adult lives. Many people with learning disabilities need support from professionals to realise living active adult lives. We asked some professionals what active adult living means and they believed it is about self‐determination and making healthy choices. Some of those we talked to said it was necessary to have more time to support active adult living in people with learning disabilities. AbstractBackgroundLiving active adult lives is both a value and a right, but the right to do so is associated with restrictions among adults with learning disabilities. This research aimed to capture professionals’ understanding and perception of active adult living for people with learning disabilities living in clustered housing in a Norwegian community.Materials and MethodsField notes and transcripts of interviews were analysed by systematic text condensation based on Giorgi's psychological phenomenological analysis, with focus on the professionals’ own expressions about their experiences and not an exploration of deeper meanings.Results and DiscussionThe analysis identified four main themes: (i) active adult life as independent living and self‐determination, (ii) choice of lifestyle, (iii) accommodation and privacy and (iv) the role of professionals. Results are discussed against concepts like dependence, independence and interdependence.ConclusionThe role of professionals and structural conditions for support and care is crucial for how active adult living is realised for people with learning disabilities. The results highlight the need for further discussions of conditions for active adult living in people with learning disabilities.

Connecting Big Data and Service Quality Evaluation – Developing a Service Quality Map of the Austrian Hospitality Industry through the Application of Big Data

The impact of online reviews on guests, hotel owners and other parties is growing in importance. In reference to online reviews, service quality plays a crucial role in hotel diff erentiation and influencing the choice of accommodation made by travellers. Thus, online reviews represent a valuable source of information about perceived service, that has not been fully exploited yet. This research paper attempts to look more closely at this extensive body of data. The authors have conceptualized a tool that assists governmental institutions, DMOs and investors in decision making. This tool accumulates intelligent data and provides a comprehensive overview of the Austrian hospitality industry and its service quality standards. It allows the user to conduct specific queries on how a certain dimension of service quality is perceived. The results can be either visualized on a density map or extracted as a structured .csv file for further analysis.The GAZE Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Vol. 8, 2017, page: 40-54

Location and neighbourhood conditions for housing choice and its rental value

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to understand the relative impacts of structural characteristics of house, its locational attributes and neighbourhood characteristics on the choice of house and the rent paid by the individual tenants. The micro level study helps in understanding the issues of urban housing and help in policy formulation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper tried to identify the socio-economic, locational and neighbourhood factors that influence tenant households in determining their residential choices in an urban area of North-east India. Also, the extent of impacts of those characteristics on the monthly rent for housing is analysed. The analysis is based on the primary data collected from the sample residents of Dimapur Town in Nagaland. The sample units are selected by cluster sampling technique from all the wards. Regression technique is used under hedonic pricing technique to examine the impacts of various potential factors on the rent.FindingsThe analysis reveals that family size, income, education of the head of family, water availability, security, convenience to access workplace, road conditions, etc. have significant positive impacts on the monthly rent. However, the impacts of some locational and neighbourhood variables vary across social and economic groups.Research limitations/implicationsTime series data on the growth of house price are not available, so that the authors could examine the escalation of house price and rising scarcity of houses in the selected town.Practical implicationsRental housing accounts for a significant percentage of housing in many urban centres. It is particularly important for the migrants and urban poor for whom it is the only source of accommodation. Location choice depending on capability, availability, requirement and neighbourhood conditions are integral parts of selection of accommodation in a city. Hence the present study has its relevant practical implications.Social implicationsHousing choice in a hilly urban area like Dimapur assumes a special significance for the presence of heterogeneous ethnic, social and cultural groups with majority of Tribal inhabitants with varied requirements and lifestyle.Originality/valueNo study on housing choice or pricing of residential accommodation has been done in North-East India. Here along with the socio-economic characteristics of the individuals, structural characteristics of house, neighbourhood and locational characteristics are used simultaneously to find out the impact of various factors on the total prices through hedonic pricing method.

Influencia social online: nuevas tecnologías en la comunicación del sector turístico

Internet ha revolucionado el sector turístico desde el punto de vista del consumidor y la empresa. La información actualmente es abundante y accesible y el viajero, cada vez más tecnológico, se ha convertido en prescriptor. Así, evaluaciones y comentarios hechos por usuarios anónimos en los sites de alojamientos representan una forma de influencia de gran impacto en la toma de decisiones que ha transformado los tradicionales modelos de comunicación de las empresas. Este trabajo estudia la influencia social que ejercen las valoraciones numéricas y los comentarios en el proceso de elección de alojamientos turísticos, teniendo en cuenta la susceptibilidad del propio usuario a la información que procede de otras personas. Para ello se ha realizado un experimento cuyas conclusiones revelan que las evaluaciones constituyen un factor crítico en la decisión, pero están supeditadas al volumen de comentarios y que la susceptibilidad del usuario a la influencia social modera este proceso

TOURIST ACTIVITY OF OLDER INHABITANTS OF THE WARMIAN-MAZURIAN VOIVODESHIP

Purpose. Describing tourist behavior of people over the age of 60 = living in the countryside and cities. An attempt to indicate differences in behaviour of elderly tourists according to their place of residence. Method. The research included 380 individuals (305 women and 75 men) over the age of 60. The authors used a diagnostic survey and an anonymous questionnaire. The results were drawn up with STATISTICA v.12 using a descriptive statistic module (N and %) and the statistical hypothesis test for two indices with the significance of  = 0.05. Findings. The majority of the tested senior citizens are active tourists. They travel more than when they were younger, and a considerable group claims to have started travelling when retired. Seniors have time and money which they willingly spend on tourism, even at the expense of services or products. However, the research showed that place of residence (countryside or a city) is a factor that has a substantial influence on the participation of elderly people in tourism, their reasons for travelling, manners of travel organization and realization, choice of transport and accommodation. Senior citizens living in the countryside definitely do not opt for tourism as often as the city-dwellers. Research and conclusion limitations. The difficulty in reaching elderly people, especially those living in the countryside and those who are not members of any organizations for seniors was the limitation of the research. What is more, the research was only conducted in one Polish Voivodeship. Practical implications. The collected data may be useful for organizers of tourist events directed towards seniors and social organizations working for the elderly. Originality. The available literature on the subject does not include data connected with tourist activity of the elderly living in the countryside. Type of paper. The article presents the results of empirical research.

Students’ Accommodation and Academic Performance: The Case of Ho Technical University, Ghana

This study investigated the critical factors that influenced students’ choice of residential accommodation facilities as well as the effect of accommodation type on academic performance in Ho Technical University, Ghana. Data for the study was collected through a questionnaire survey from purposively selected 200 respondents. The IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics were employed to determine the critical factors that influenced students’ choice of residential accommodation facilities and Chi-Square Test was used to address the research hypothesis. The study revealed that proximity to lecture halls, spacious and well ventilated rooms; calm and peaceful environment, availability of study area, accommodation fee, and availability of electricity and water were the critical factors that influenced the students’ choice of residential accommodation. The chi-square test revealed that there was no significant effect of accommodation type on the academic performance of students.

Destino turístico e hospedagem: o papel das agências de viagens e dos operadores de turismo

This research had as the initial goal, to conduct a comprehensive analysis on how the travel agencies and tour operators have influenced the choice of accommodation by the guests in Santa Catarina. Many tourists use the information provided by agencies, operators and other intermediaries to plan their trips, but end up choosing to make reservations contacting with the means of accommodation directly. However, to assess this reality, we had as sample the year 2015 means of accommodation in the region whose size has limited the conclusions of the research. It allowed, however, a preliminary analysis, indicating the need for further studies on the influence of agencies and operators, through a fragmentation by the type of accommodation, as this influence appears to be related to the size of the enterprise.

Senior tourists’ preferences in the developing countries – measuring perceptions of Serbian potential senior market

Abstract Senior leisure travel became a significant part of the global tourism market, and developing countries with lower GNP, such as South-East European countries, are also part of this trend. The principal aim of the paper was to explore the senior tourists’ preferences (choice of destination, transport, and accommodation), their travel motivation, and travel limitations of this fast-growing market with immense potential in this country. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 320 senior tourists in the five biggest cities of Serbia. The results indicate spa and mountain centres as preferable travel destinations among the potential senior tourists in Serbia, while the major factors for choosing a destination showed to be travel costs, climate conditions, and destination proximity. The research findings also showed that the principal travel motives are rest and relaxation and health improvement, and in connection to this, the most preferable activities on the destination are engagement in spa and medical treatments and spending time in unspoiled nature. Moreover, the study indicates financial difficulties and health concerns as the major travel barriers of potential senior market in Serbia. The research findings can be used as a framework for all tourism stakeholders involved in tailoring a specific tourism product for Serbian senior travel market.

Impacto económico del Campeonato del Mundo de Escalada. Gijón 8-14 de Septiembre del 2014

Purpose: This study aims to assess the economic impact for the economy of the Principality of Asturias, of the World Climbing Championship held in Gijon in 2014.Design/methodology/approach: Various instruments are available to assess the economic impact of a sporting event in a city or region. Among them is the Input-Output (I-O) analysis, which is used in this study.Findings: We analyse the economic impacts of the expenditure by non-residents in the Principality of Asturias in a comprehensive study that categorises the individuals attending the Championship according to their accommodation choice and to different visitor categories (i.e. athletes, technicians, managers, etc.). The study also takes into account the expenditure on infrastructure and organization incurred by the organizer of the competition: the City Council of Gijon. The economic impact on the economy of Asturias of the 2014 World Climbing Championship held in Gijón is calculated in terms of the Gross Value Added (GVA).Originality/value: When a public institution organizes an activity, an assessment of whether the expenditure has an economic return or leads to an unjustifiable expenditure of public money, is required.

Assessment Of The Factors Influencing Students’ Choice Of Residence In Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

Housing is a residential structure where people live in. Students’ housing otherwise known as hostel is an essential component of tertiary institutions which complements living and learning thereby contributing to the growth and development of academic pursuit. Students’ living options during academic sessions include on-campus hostels, off-campus apartments, privatized housing (rental), or commuting from home and the choice of accommodation made can have its influence on the students’ academic performance. This therefore, requires a careful selection of students’ residence. This study aims at examining the factors influencing students’ choice of residence in Nigerian tertiary institutions using the Federal University of Technology Akure as a representative case. Structured questionnaires were administered through a simple random sampling technique to 470 final year students and 376 questionnaires were eventually retrieved. Data collected were analyzed using the weighted mean score and discriminant function analysis. Findings revealed that proximity to campus, rental value of property and type of dwelling are the important factors that influences students choice, while neighbourhood attributes does not influence the decision making. The Federal Government of Nigeria with the support of the University management and private real estate investors/developers should invest more in students housing in order to reach a win-win situation where investors make a profit from the investment and the students enjoy a pleasant stay during academic sessions. The factors identified will guide both public and private real estate investors in student housing on the effective planning of student housing provision in Nigeria.

Social differentiation in the consumption of a pastoral idyll through tourist accommodation: Two Portuguese cases

Whilst it is widely recognised in the scholarly literature that idyllic representations of the countryside are an integral part of its consumption through tourism in the contemporary, global world, little empirical research has been conducted on the role that social differentiation plays in shaping the corresponding tourist experience. The purpose of this article is to bridge that knowledge gap while studying the demand for two of the most well-known tourist accommodation products in the Portuguese countryside, namely, TER and the Pousadas. Drawing on a range of sources of material, it shows that the pastoral idyll sought by tourists is experienced differently through the lens of social class representations. In addition, there is evidence here that the choice of accommodation at a destination may well be regarded as a means of social differentiation through tourism.

Eco-lodge Patrons in Sri Lanka A Comparison of Asian and Non-Asian Markets

Tourists around the world have become more environmentally conscious, and the demand for green holidays and green accommodation has experienced a rapid growth. In this background, the form of accommodation known as “eco-lodges” have gained a huge popularity, especially among those who are seeking environment friendly wilderness experiences. Extensive studies on characterisation of visitors seeking accommodation in ecolodges have been documented in the tourism literature. However, empirical studies conducted on understanding attitudes, perceptions, preferences and characteristics of visitors staying in eco-lodges in the Asian destinations are lacking. With Asian tourists gaining a greater share of Sri Lanka‟s tourism market, a better understanding of such information on tourists is vital in ecotourism planning and development. This study aimed to develop and compare visitor profiles of Asian and non-Asian eco-lodge patrons in Sri Lanka‟s eco-lodges. Visitors stayed one or multiple nights in 13 eco-lodges comprised the sampling framework for the study. Out of 450 questionnaires, there were 362 valid responses which accounted for 69.0% response rate. Both Asian and non-Asian ecolodge patrons were well-educated. However, they differed in terms of age (χ2=3.639, p=0.048) with more that 50% of the non-Asian segment belonging to age groups over 35 years. In terms of trip characteristics, both groups showed fairly similar length-of-stays. Non-Asian segment seems to prefer travelling with family, spouse or a partner (χ2=5.682, p=0.021). Some key differences were observed between the two groups in terms of travel motives and eco-lodge attributes that influenced their accommodation choice. Key differences in demographic characteristics, attitudes, perceptions, and preferences between the two visitor profiles are discussed along with implications for management. Keywords: Eco-lodge patrons, Visitor profiles, Demographics, Attitudes, Perceptions

Housing Affordability by Federal Civil Servants in Minna, Nigeria: Emerging Issues

In Nigeria, the 1999 constitution recognises housing as a fundamental human right; hence it is imperative that Nigerians have access to decent and comfortable accommodation at affordable costs. This study examined housing affordability by Federal Civil Servants in Minna by analysing the average annual emoluments of federal civil servants and the annual rental values of houses occupied by them, and subsequently established the percentage of annual income spent on rent. A total of 200 federal civil servants spread across all grade levels were sampled. Simple descriptive statistic, likert scale, relative index and pearson product moment correlation were used to analyse collected data. Findings showed that federal civil servants in the study area spend between 7.3% and 23.8% of their annual income on rents. The study also revealed that civil servants’ level of income having a relative index of 0.96 is the major factor influencing the choice of residential accommodation by federal civil servants in the study area.It further revealed a strong positive correlation between their annual income and rental values of residential properties occupied by them. The sampled respondents expressed varied levels of satisfaction with the houses they occupy, with as much as 59% being unsatisfied with their rented housing units; these were attributed to poor housing quality, small sizes of housing units and densely populated neighbourhoods, among others. Housing Affordability Index was also adopted and used to determine housing affordability levels in the study area.The study recommended a home ownership scheme to enable federal civil servants purchase or build their own houses and pay conveniently because all respondents desired to own their own houses.

Marketing and Territorial Factors: An Integrated Study of the Accommodation Choice in the Island of La Palma

Marketing and Territorial Factors: An Integrated Study of the Accommodation Choice in the Island of La Palma

Hotel disintermediation in France: perceptions of students from Generation Y

This study investigates students from Generation Y (Gen Y) perceptions of hotel disintermediation in France and also considers the influence of User Generated Content on travellers' choice of accommodation. A sample of 378 student travellers from France was used to uncover the underlying dimensions of disintermediation perceptions. T-test and cross tabulations indicated that demographics such as gender and age had a significant influence on perceptions. The results suggest that hotel managers and travel agencies should monitor Gen Y perceptions of the benefits and constraints of using the internet and travel agencies for hotel booking. Accommodation providers should create affective commitment in their young customers through online channels to maintain long-term relationships.

Accommodation preference among international volunteer tourists in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana

Generally, most studies on volunteer tourism have placed an emphasis on motivations and experiences of participants ignoring a significant component of tourism —accommodation. This paper is an attempt to unravel accommodation preference among international volunteer tourists focusing on homestay facilities in Ghana. The data are derived from a study of 151 volunteer tourists in Kumasi, Ghana. The primary reasons for the choice of homestay accommodation included a wish to better immerse themselves in the host community and to aid social interaction but differences are found on the basis of gender, level of education and other socio-demographic variables.

Congruency between instrumental background music and behavior on a website

Previous research studying the effect of background music on consumer behavior has used music associated with lyrics and failed to use a no music control condition. Instrumental music (jazz and djembe) was played or not while participants browsed the website of a well-known seaside resort and participants were instructed to select a type of accommodation. It was found that djembe music was associated more with a choice of outdoor accommodation while jazz music was associated with greater interest for hotel accommodation. Both music conditions showed a significant difference from the no music control condition. The ability of instrumental music to prime different memories and feelings is used to explain these results.