Hotel Chains Research Articles

Development of the St. Petersburg Tourism Cluster in the Framework of Creating New Attractiveness Factors for the Hotel Chain Through Mid-Range Apartments

The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristic features of the process in which the tourism industry of St. Petersburg is becoming more popular due to the spread of middle-class apartments. The article considers the problems of the tourism industry associated with the consequences of the pandemic, as well as with the political and economic pressure of other countries. Possible solutions are proposed due to concessional lending for the construction of hotels and apart-hotels. As a result, the reasons why apartments are in high demand in the Russian Federation were revealed. We believe that the analysis carried out indicates the expediency of investing in the construction of apartments and bringing the lease into an official type of activity. In the future, this will lead to an increase in the quality of service to tourists, an increase in the level of satisfaction and an increase in the income of the industry. It is also necessary to introduce concessional lending programs, which in the long term will lead to the stimulation of the tourism industry, as well as related industries, including construction. The latter, in turn, is a driver of economic processes taking place in the Russian Federation.

A Location-allocation Model for Bio-waste Management in the Hospitality Sector

Tourism generates huge amounts of waste. It has been estimated that about half of the waste generated by hotels is food and garden bio-waste. This bio-waste can be used to make compost and pellets. In turn, pellets can be used as an absorbent material in composters and as an energy source. In this paper, we consider the problem of locating composting and pellet-making facilities so that the bio-waste generated by a chain of hotels can be managed at or close to the generation points. The general objective is twofold: i) to avoid waste transportation from generation to treatment points and product transportation from production to demand points, and ii) to implement a circular model in which the hotels themselves become the suppliers of the products they need (compost and pellets) by transforming the bio-waste that they generate. Any bio-waste not processed by the hotels has to be treated at private or state-run plants. A mathematical optimization model is presented to locate the facilities and allocate the waste and products. The application of the proposed location-allocation model is illustrated with an example.

NEGATIVE IMPACT AND EFFORTS TO RESPOND TO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA, ESPECIALLY IN BINTAN ISLAND, RIAU ISLANDS PROVINCE

From the above evidence in carrying out development, it can be concluded that Indonesian tourism in general and Bintan Island in particular has experienced There are indications of an imbalance of power relations between the countries of origin of tourists (developed countries) and developing countries as hosts. Tourist dissatisfaction is often seen as the fault of the host country. Like a new model of Imperialism (John A Hobson's Theory of Addiction). The imbalance in the inflow of various multinational companies into the development of Indonesia's tourism sector is flowing so swiftly. There are too many foreign investors so that Indonesia has been flooded with various international star hotel chains, from Jakarta to Irian Jaya. Meanwhile, national products have weak competitiveness. do not have high bargaining power, even in the domestic market causing a new model of Imperialism (John A Hobson's Dependency theory). The occurrence of damage to the environment and traditional culture. The relationship between hosts and tourists as guests, is more like slaves with their masters. The host, due to economic considerations, sacrifices everything for the satisfaction of his guests. (Theory of Sustainable Development). There are indications that tourism is a new/covert form of imperialism, there is dependence on the receiving country/region to comply with the wishes of tourists because they want to reach the international market/for economic benefits. Meanwhile, the host country is unable to compete in entering the international market mechanism. Governments and business people in countries/regions receiving tourists are subject to the interests of tourists, for the sake of foreign exchange. Various policies in the field of tourism and tourism products are designed to set aside people's rights.

Visual strategies of sustainability communication on corporate webpages. A critical multimodal discourse analysis in the hospitality sector

Anchored in the methodology of digital corporate communication, multimodal discourse analysis, legitimation and relevance theories, the research focuses on the contribution of images – photographs and logos– to sustainability meanings conveyed by the websites to the different stakeholders. The corpus analysis includes 330 images coming from the five hotel chains most sustainable according to the Sustainability Yearbook 2022. These images were downloaded manually from the English corporate websites and particularly from the sites with the header and sub-header related to sustainability. The research procedure was organized in three phases from a quantitative and qualitative perspective by answering the questions: “what do you see?”, “what should the images represent regarding sustainability issues?” and “how visual elements are utilized to convey the different dimensions of sustainability on web pages?”. The results obtained show that, on the one hand, the hotel chains preferred photographs of people in order to elicit people's dimension and humanize their image and, on the other hand, the photographs of nature that depict planet dimension and would be the expected, are in the third position. With sustainability communication as a complex area of investigation, the aim of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it aims at contributing to the studies of sustainability communication from a multimodal perspective. On the other hand, it aims at strengthening and furthering a methodological tool to critically analyse the sustainability discourse as a multimodal digital discursive practice.

Analyzing The Dimensions of Strategic Intelligence in Hotel Chains in Egypt

Analyzing The Dimensions of Strategic Intelligence in Hotel Chains in Egypt

The Application of Green Accounting Hotel Management: Are Local and International Chains Different?

The purpose of the study is to identify whether there is any different point of local and international chain hotel management in Bali in terms of environmental awareness, responsibility, involvement, accounting reporting, as well as audit. There are 45 questionnaires’ item to obtain primary data while documentation method was also applied in order to get the secondary one. The study revealed that in Bali there is no difference of environmental awareness between the local and international one. However, differences are found in the points of environmental responsibility, involvement in protecting it, its accounting reporting as well as its audit. It is further suggested that their similarities and differences for hotel chain management both local and international ones can be applicable for business of hospitality in Indonesia.

Hotel management schemes: liminal protean pathways derived from acting as lifeguards in Gulf luxury resorts

PurposeThis paper examines why individuals start their hospitality careers by becoming temporary lifeguards while aspiring to later promotion. It reports data from young people working in one major upmarket hotel chain that operates in the Gulf but has a global reach. This study aims to address issues regarding this often-overlooked career path for young staff.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative questionnaire was distributed to lifeguards working in a luxury hotel chain in a Gulf country to explore their reasons for working as a lifeguard and their experiences in this role. Data were analysed using QDA Miner and WordStat to generate coherence and similarity indices.FindingsIt is found that the attractions include good training with a well-established company operating in an upmarket location, but other important factors include career prospects, skill enhancement, self-development, monetary savings and experience working in one of the world’s most exciting tourist locations.Practical implicationsThe results offer implications for management looking to recruit expatriate labour without considering long-term employment or residence. Nonetheless, while this offers opportunities to assess many potential long-term employees, there are costs to the practice.Originality/valueLittle research has been conducted on lifeguards and how employment in such roles can develop careers in hospitality. The study contributes to understanding motives and career development and conceptually suggests that liminal status complements those drawn to protean career development. The results shed light on how new employees, including management trainees, undertake liminal, protean careers, to care for family, develop their careers and enter markets that may otherwise be difficult to enter.

Preparing for a future crisis: using DEA-based performance analysis to assess initial pandemic responses in the Taiwanese hotel industry

PurposeTaiwan’s hotel industry was adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine the effect of strategic choices by Taiwanese international tourist hotels before and during the pandemic environments.Design/methodology/approachA data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based Malmquist methodology is used in this study to provide a mechanism to assess Taiwanese hotel strategy performance. Changes in the productivity and performance of Taiwanese international tourist hotels were analyzed in the periods before and during the pandemic to uncover insights useful should a similar crisis occur in the future. Panel data were obtained from the annual report of international tourist hotels published by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau from 2017–2020. Two groups of hotels were analyzed in this study: city hotels and scenic hotels.FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that chain hotels tended to perform better than independent hotels in both city and scenic areas during the global pandemic. Specifically, the crisis caused a substantial decline in productivity and profitability for international tourist hotels in Taipei City during the COVID-19 period. Compared to city hotels, findings also indicate that most international tourist hotels in scenic areas were able to maintain better productivity, including larger-sized scenic hotels.Originality/valueThe DEA-based analysis provides unique and valuable insights for hotel firm leaders on how to better identify and make strategic choices when responding to future crises.

Proposal for the implementation of pro-environmental behaviours in the form of open eco-innovations – A perspective of consumers of hotel services

The role of eco-innovations in the contemporary hotel business is not only a marketing façade aiming at attracting the attention of a potential guest with a high environmental awareness, but more and more often it becomes a form of the operationalisation of environmental objectives inscribed in hotels’ strategies. However, these objectives cannot exist only in the minds of hotel employees and managers, but should be communicated to all stakeholders, including hotel guests. Looking at the problem of environmental degradation more broadly, it is worth noting that the need to reverse the anti-ecological tendencies of world economies is becoming not so much a regional challenge as a global one. Thus, pro-ecological solutions implemented in individual hotels and even hotel chains cannot remain the exclusive domain of such establishments, but should be popularised, or at least easily accessible to other hotel chains, which, in this respect, function as coopetitors with the same goal in mind rather than competitors. The cognitive aim of this study is to identify the characteristic features of ecological awareness and to propose recommendations for pro-ecological behaviours in the form of open eco-innovations. The achievement of this objective required the execution of a research project involving 1351 hotel guests. The research was carried out using a questionnaire method in Poland’s largest cities during the holiday months of 2021. The general willingness to incur additional financial burdens related to pro-ecological measures is declared by slightly more than one third of respondents. The vast majority of hotel guests choose to accept a variety of pro-ecological measures and restrictions.

The theory-practice research gains from big data: evidence from hospitality loyalty programs

PurposeThe hospitality industry values segmentation and loyalty programs (LPs), but there is limited research on new methods for segmenting loyalty program members, so managers often rely on conventional techniques. This study aims to use big data-driven segmentation methods to cluster customers and provide a new solution for customer segmentation in hotel LPs.Design/methodology/approachUsing the k-means algorithm, this study examined 498,655 profiles of guests enrolled in a multinational hotel chain’s loyalty program. The objective was to cluster guests according to their consumption behavior and monetary value and compare data-driven segments based on brand preferences, demographic data and monetary value with loyalty program tiers.FindingsThis study shows that current tier-based LPs lack features to improve customer segmentation, and some high-tier members generate less revenue than low-tier members. Therefore, more attention should be given to truly valuable customers.Practical implicationsHotels can segment LP members to develop targeted campaigns and uncover new insights. This will help to transform LPs to make them more valuable and profitable and use differentiated rewards and strategies.Originality/valueAs not all guests or hotel brands benefit equally from LPs, additional segmentation is required to suit varying guest behaviors. Hotel managers can use data mining techniques to develop more efficient and valuable LPs with personalized strategies and rewards.

Strengthening Brand Equity in Hotel Chains: Insights from Emerging Vs. Developed Economies

ABSTRACT Today, many consumers seek to stay in environmentally sustainable hotels. Moreover, the tourism industry is one of the most impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. In this increasingly competitive environment, companies in general, and hotels in particular, must offer unique experiences through value co-creation. The purpose of this work is to analyze the impact of “green” practices and value co-creation on brand equity, evaluating the moderating role of the consumer’s nationality in the setting of hospitality companies. From a personal survey of 309 hotel guests in Valencia (Spain) and 302 guests in Bogotá (Colombia), evidence is obtained on the existence of some differences depending on the guest’s country of origin, thus allowing hotel managers to have a better knowledge when designing their corporate strategies.

Hospitality sustainable practices, a global perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to discern the impacts of the hospitality industry on the global ecosystem and how sustainable learning can help strengthen the tourism and hospitality industry globally. Deployment of strategies such as change management is required, and in so doing, this is likely to have an impact on economic gain, society and the environment.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory study based on secondary data drawn from relevant books, articles, journals and online sources. The opinions of the key stakeholders are compiled and discussed to provide further guidance.FindingsThe results show that although there is a lot of variance in the information that hotel chains publicly disclose about their sustainability commitments and accomplishments, they are committed to a wide variety of environmental, social and economic issues. It also points to indicators that the global hotel industry is currently pursuing “weak” rather than “strong” practices of sustainability and that efficiency gains are framed within existing business models that focus on continued growth.Practical implicationsThe study provides guidance for global hospitality chains given that they are well positioned to play a leading role in promoting sustainability. Yet more can be done to broaden sustainability and reporting in the context of an external assurance framework. The study should also be helpful to hospitality managers, students and academics with an interest in hospitality industry sustainable practices.Originality/valueThe study explores the challenges that industry faces in ensuring sustainability is embedded in all aspects of learning and in equipping sustainability-sensitive individuals to make a difference.

Quality and customer service, variables that affect compliance with luxury standards in international chain hotels in Bogotá, Colombia

Quality and customer service, variables that affect compliance with luxury standards in international chain hotels in Bogotá, Colombia

Quality and customer service, variables that affect compliance with luxury standards in international chain hotels in Bogotá, Colombia

Quality and customer service, variables that affect compliance with luxury standards in international chain hotels in Bogotá, Colombia

GRAMMAR MASTERY FOR HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM STUDENTS: TO WHAT EXTENT DOES IT MATTER FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREER?

There have been pros and cons to learning grammar concerning Second Language Acquisition. This paper aims to investigate Hospitality and Tourism (HT) students’ and workers’ perceptions of the significance of English grammar which has not been widely discussed. This article reports a mixed-method study that was conducted using an online survey and involving 50 HT students and 50 HT workers across Indonesia. Interviews with 2 Human Resource Managers of international hotel chains were also performed to provide stronger validation. The findings revealed that HT students and workers do not hold a positive perception of learning grammar and should not comprehensively learn English rules since grammar mastery will insignificantly impact employability and career performance for most positions in that sector. However, it is suggested that those in higher positions learn the 6 most commonly used tenses to avoid misunderstandings that, to some degree, link to job promotions. Results also suggest that teachers of ESP for Hospitality prioritize students’ speaking fluency, listening, and vocabulary comprehension using the CLT and PBL teaching approaches. The research results are expected to build a more positive attitude toward English learning, thus fostering a better quality of human resources in the hospitality industry.

Sustainable luxury: from an oxymoron to a tautology – the case of the Indian luxury hospitality industry

PurposeIn the context of heightened awareness and understanding of responsible tourism, it has become increasingly imperative for luxury hotels to introspect on the impact of their operations on environmental and social sustainability. This study aims at examining the prevalence and growth of sustainability practices in the Indian luxury hotel segment as it increasingly competes on a global platform.Design/methodology/approachThe research approach adopted in this paper is qualitative and emic. Primary data is gathered for the study through semi-structured interviews with select luxury hotel general managers from four hotel chains of Indian origin – ITC Luxury Hotels, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, Taj Hotels and Palaces and The Leela – to gain an insight into sustainability initiatives adopted in the Indian hospitality industry. Secondary research data regarding the eco-friendly, green measures implemented in these hotels is collected primarily from the websites of the respective hotel chains and supplemented by review of academic literature, media articles, industry reports and company press releases.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal that Indian luxury hotel brands are increasingly adopting green products and integrating innovative sustainability practices in their day-to-day operations. However, several of these initiatives are in the non-customer-facing domains such as the engineering and back-of-the-house operations. Very few Indian hotel chains are building these sustainability initiatives into their core philosophy and embedding it in the front-line customer service experience at their properties to reinforce the green image of the hotels.Originality/valueThe paper also proposes the 6Cs Framework of Sustainability that can be utilised to categorise the green sustainable practices adopted in responsible hotels in a simplistic manner under six broad verticals. Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry would find the implications of this study useful in the context of a post-pandemic world where sustainability is influencing consumer choices across industries in today’s eco-conscious and enlightened business and marketing environment.

Peculiarities of Marketing Communication Strategies in the Chain Entertainment Business (Hotel, Cinema, Gaming, Restaurant Chains)

Technological development allows expanding marketing communication tools and updating marketing approaches to promotion. Chains of hotels, cinemas, gaming business and restaurants are a part of the entertainment industry, which directs marketing efforts to create a special impression for a visitor. This approach is the key to motivate to repeat visits and to create long-term relationships with clients. The purpose of the article is to consider the existing marketing communication strategies of enterprises in the entertainment sector, to single out and systematize the methods of setting goals for the formation of effective promotion. Peculiarities of marketing communication strategies in the chain business of the entertainment services sector are studied, as well as in context of hotel, cinema, restaurant and gaming chains. The modern market of entertainment services is rapidly changing under the influence of technological and consumer trends and social and economic crisis. Therefore, issues of crisis management and interaction with consumers during crisis situations are relevant. Also the main tools of marketing communication strategies, such as advertising, public relations, social media and interactive channels are highlighted. Methods of analysis and synthesis, grouping and comparison are applied for investigation the use of digital technologies for communication with customers in marketing campaigns of enterprises in the entertainment sector. Particular attention is paid to specific aspects of marketing communications of hotel, cinema, gaming and restaurant chain business, such as brand management, personalized offers, social media marketing and outdoor advertising. The research results and recommendations can be useful for marketing and advertising managers working in the field of hotels, cinemas, gaming and hotel chain business.

A reinforcement learning approach for hotel revenue management with evidence from field experiments

AbstractWe consider a budget hotel chain's revenue management problem of deciding how to dynamically allocate capacity to multiple segments of customers. Our work solves an industrial‐sized problem faced by practitioners, with the reality of implementation motivating us to develop a tailored reinforcement learning approach. Our approach proceeds in two steps. First, a recommended average discount is computed with a reinforcement learning algorithm. Then, the recommended average discount is turned into a capacity allocation through a linear program. This approach overcomes the challenges of characterizing demand and estimating cancellations, and it facilitates hotel managers' acceptance of the revenue management system. We implement this approach in the hotel chain in a pilot study and assess its effectiveness using synthetic control methods. Our approach improves the key operational performance measure—revenue per available room—by 11.80%. There is heterogeneity in how the pilot hotels improve their revenue per available room. Some mainly increase their occupancy rate, some mainly increase the average daily room rate, while others experience significant increases in both. Further analysis shows that our approach uncovers the individual sources of suboptimal performance in pilot hotels and correspondingly improves decision‐making. Our work demonstrates that a reinforcement learning approach for hotel revenue management is promising.

Internal Branding: Role of a Cocreated Corporate Event Message

To improve the effectiveness of corporate events, organizational leaders and meeting planners are increasingly looking for new approaches to involve attendees in active participation and cocreation of desired outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine how a cocreated message delivered during the corporate event served the role of effective internal brand communication. Signaling theory and service-dominant logic were the foundation for the research framework, supporting the argument that if value was cocreated during the corporate event, it positively influences the goals established by event organizers. Research was conducted using online self-administered questionnaires collected from 235 employees of a US-based hotel chain, attendees of the annual corporate event. Results revealed that when a strong corporate message was evaluated as cocreation it positively affected attendees' internal word-of-mouth (iWOM) intention and perceptions of the brand's competitive service advantage. Message strength was influenced by attendees' views of leadership authenticity. Repeat event attendees' message evaluation was affected by leadership authenticity continuity, while first-time attendees' evaluation was influenced by leadership authenticity uniqueness. The study introduced and tested a novel framework focused on the effectiveness of event messaging based on cocreated value appraisal. It is one of the first studies to focus on annual corporate events as an effective tool for cocreated corporate communication. Managers should strategically utilize corporate event messaging delivered by authentic leaders to empower employees as ambassadors of the brand and focus on the importance of message strength to cocreate value between the organization and employees.

The chameleon effect in customer relationship management: Experiments on the spillover effects of mimicry in natural settings of a chain hotel and a chain grocery shop.

Numerous experiments have proven that mimicry is highly beneficial (mainly to the mimicker but also to the mimickee). Some studies have shown initial data suggesting the potential of applying this knowledge to business settings. In the present paper we unpack this issue in two ways. First, by presenting potential benefits stemming from mimicry for the mimicking dyad, and second for the business environment represented by the mimicker. Two consecutive studies: a Pretest and a Main Experiment run in natural settings showed great potential in improving the assessments of quality of service provided by verbally mimicking (or not). The results of both studies showed that mimicry offers benefits for the mimicker (increased employee kindness and employee evaluation), and also spillover to the organization/company represented by the mimicking employee (increased opinion of and willingness to return to the shop/hotel). Future research directions and limitations are discussed.