Hotel Websites Research Articles

Effects Of Structural And Perceptual Factors On Attitudes Toward The Website

This study examined effects of structural and perceptual variables on attitude toward websites. Data were collected from 311 consumers who reviewed four hotel websites. The sites were structurally different in terms of having high versus low number of features and also in terms of informational versus transformational creative strategies. Involvement and perceived interactivity were the two perceptual variables examined in the study. Involvement with the subject of a site and the subdimension of perceived interactivity that measured level of engagement were the best predictors of attitude. Positive attitudes were also associated with sites that took advantage of web-specific features such as virtual tours and online reservations systems. A key implication of this study is the need for advertisers and researchers to reconsider advertising in the context of the web. Radio and television required advertisers to adjust to the new concepts of buying and selling time instead of space and of incorporating aural and visual appeals in messages. The web demands that advertisers adjust to a new medium that is not bound by either space or time and that has the technical capability to involve and engage the consumer.This study was funded in part by grants from the University of Tennessee Scholarly Activities Research Initiative Fund (SARIF) and the Department of Advertising and College of Communication at the University of Tennessee.

Developing a performance indicator for hotel websites

This research note presents an information quality evaluation model for measuring the performance of hotel websites. The model is developed on the basis of a conceptual framework which consists of five major hotel website dimensions, including facilities information, customer contact information, reservations information, surrounding area information, and management of websites. The dimensions and their associated attributes were obtained and modified from published articles in the hospitality and tourism literature. A preliminary study was performed with Hong Kong hotel managers to rate the level of importance of the dimensions and attributes. The model was then applied to initially measure the performance of the websites of Hong Kong hotels. The performance result of a website is expressed by the total performance score of the site. Experimental findings show significant differences in performance scores for all dimensions among the luxurious, mid-priced, and budget hotel websites. This research should be of interest to hotel practitioners and researchers as the findings shed light on the further development of quantitative measurements for hotel websites.

E‐mail customer service in the Tunisian hotel industry

This research replicates and extends Frey et al. (2003), using a typical e‐mail query to investigate e‐mail customer service by 260 Tunisian hotels. Based on the hotel responses, this study found that guests had one chance in ten of receiving a reply within a day and even less chance that hotels answered the inquiry professionally, promptly, politely and personally. Diffusion of innovations failed to explain differences in responsiveness by Tunisian hoteliers but did help explain the quality of e‐mail replies. The results suggest that reply quality differs across hotel size and hotel affiliation. Hotel affiliation as well as hotel category and website presence showed no significant differences in responsiveness. Differences aside, the results highlight that Tunisian hotels can gain an immediate competitive advantage by analysing common e‐mail queries and implementing basic e‐mail procedures.

Exploring Developments in Web Based Relationship Marketing Within the Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT This paper provides a content analysis study of the application of World Wide Web marketing by the hotel industry. There is a lack of historical perspective on industry related web marketing applications and this paper attempts to resolve this with a two-year follow-up case study of the changing use of the Web to develop different types of relationships. Specifically, the aims are: • To identify key changes in the way holds are using the Web; • To look for evidence of the adoption of a Relationship Marketing (RM) model as a strategy for (he development of hotel Web sites and the use of new technologies; and, • To investigate the use of multimedia in hotel Web sites. The development and strategic exploitation of the Internet has transformed (he basis of marketing. Using the evidence from a Web content survey this study reveals the way relationships are being created and managed within the hotel industry by its use of the Web as a marketing tool. The authors have collected evidence by means of a descriptive study on the way hotels build and create relationships with their Web presence delivering multi-media information as well as channel and interactive means of communication. In addition a strategic framework is offered as the means to describe the mechanism and orientation of Web based marketing by hotels. The study utilises a model by Gilbert (1996) as a means of developing a measurement instrument to allow a content analysis of the current approach by hotels to the development of Web sites. The results indicate hotels are aware of the new uses of Web technology and are promoting hotel products in the global electronic market in new and sophisticated ways.

Effectiveness of the hotel websites in Singapore: A perspective from Business‐to‐Business (B2B) organisations

Internet marketing in hotels allows potential users to learn about the hotels, to tour hotel facilities and to compare prices among other benefits without directly interacting with a hotel representative. For some users, Internet is the first and only channel consulted when booking hotel accommodations. In the present age, Internet is increasingly becoming both an opportunity and a challenge for hotel marketers. The opportunity lies in reaching users directly through Internet sites. The challenge is to get the guests’ attention long enough to tell the marketers’ story (Connolly, Olsen and Moore, 1998). It has always been controversial as to how effective Internet marketing can be. Both firms and researchers have indicated that the measuring of effectiveness of Internet marketing is a multidimensional question. This study sought to examine the effectiveness of business‐to‐business Internet marketing in the hotel industry in Singapore through analysing the differences between the travel agents expectations of service and hotels’ understanding of those expectations. A total of 66 hotel websites in Singapore were scanned to give the features analysis. On the basis of the perception scores of 112 inbound travel agents, the study identified the gaps between the users and the website provider (hotel industry).

The web sites of international tourist hotels and tour wholesalers in Taiwan

This study evaluates the web sites of international tourist hotels and tour wholesalers in Taiwan. The evaluation system consists of three general user criteria: user interface, variety of information and online reservation. Results show that 50 percent of the total sample of hotels and tour wholesalers have already established web sites. Among these “user interface” was rated highest among the three categories. “Variety of information” received the lowest rating. More tourist hotels provide on-line reservation systems than do tour wholesalers. Results also indicate that the use of the Internet in Taiwan's tourism/hospitality industry is primarily for advertising, not marketing. In conclusion, it is suggested that, in regard to Internet marketing, tourist hotels and tour wholesalers work closely with information industries.

Exploring Developments in Web Based Relationship Marketing Within the Hotel Industry

This paper provides a content analysis study of the application of World Wide Web marketing by the hotel industry. There is a lack of historical perspective on industry related Web marketing applications and this paper attempts to resolve this with a two-year follow-up case study of the changing use of the Web to develop different types of relationships. Specifically, the aims are: (1) To identify key changes in the way hotels are using the Web; (2) To look for evidence of the adoption of a Relationship Marketing (RM) model as a strategy for the development of hotel Web sites and the use of new technologies; and, (3) To investigate the use of multimedia in hotel Web sites. The development and strategic exploitation of the Internet has transformed the basis of marketing. Using the evidence from a Web content survey this study reveals the way relationships are being created and managed within the hotel industry by its use of the Web as a marketing tool. The authors have collected evidence by means of a descriptive study on the way hotels build and create relationships with their Web presence delivering multi-media information as well as channel and interactive means of communication. In addition a strategic framework is offered as the means to describe the mechanism and orientation of Web based marketing by hotels. The study utilizes a model by Gilbert (1996) as a means of developing a measurement instrument to allow a content analysis of the current approach by hotels to the development of Web sites. The results indicate hotels are aware of the new uses of Web technology and are promoting hotel products in the global electronic market in new and sophisticated ways.

Approaches by hotels to the use of the Internet as a relationship marketing tool

Offers a study of the current use of the Internet, as a marketing tool, by the hotel industry. Such a study is timely given that the growth rate of the World Wide Web (WWW or the “Web”) is estimated at about 50 per cent per month, with the number of sites doubling every 53 days. Seeks to present an argument for the application of the relationship marketing (RM) model as a framework for the development of hotel Web sites. The authors believe that a successful Web presence depends upon more than just the technology used and the “look and feel” of the site. Hotels need a framework which can bridge the gap between simply connecting to the Web and harnessing its power for competitive advantage.

Hotel Management and Marketing on the Internet

Many hotel managers and hotel-operating companies are attempting to use the internet and worldwide web as an effective management and marketing tool. An exploratory survey finds thousands of hotel-related sites. Most such sites are hotel guides, chain hotels, and individual hotels, in that order. Current WWW hotel sites vary tremendously. Available functions of a web page include: travel information, reservations and payment, special promotions, links to partners, direct consumer feedback, employment opportunities, audio and video ads, gift certificates, shareholder information, newsletters, frequently asked questions, and a list of and links to individual hotels. The costs of establishing and maintaining a web site vary considerably, depending on the site-owner's commitment and objectives. The most effective hotel sites are those that give the consumer the easiest, most rewarding access to relevant and related information. For any web site, there are five important considerations for its successful management: defining the mission, calculating the margins, addressing the mechanics, planning the marketing, and performing the maintenance.

Selecting Profitable Hotel Sites at La Quinta Motor Inns

Selecting a good site plays a crucial role in the success of a hotel, and as competition intensifies in the lodging industry, it has become increasingly important. The success of a site is based on competitive, demographic, physical, market awareness, and demand generator variables. We built a regression model for La Quinta Motor Inns, a mid-sized hotel chain headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, that predicted profitability for sites under consideration. We validated the regression model on new data and incorporated it into a spreadsheet decision model that management uses for selecting sites. The model minimizes the risk of picking an unprofitable site.

Pollen analysis and urban land use: The environs of Scottow’s Dock in 17th, 18th, and early 19th century Boston

Pollen analysis cannot be used to reconstruct the natural environment during the historical period in New England because Euroamerican land clearance and soil disturbance have biased the record. Land use is recorded among arboreal pollen counts, but the size of the affected pollen source area is difficult to ascertain. Close agreement among documentary, archaeological, and non-arboreal pollen records of land use within specific 17th through 19th century urban matrices and the contrasts between the pollen data from the contemporaneous, adjacent but functionally different Wilkinson Backlot and Bostonian Hotel Sites in Boston, Massachusetts, indicate that non-arboreal pollen spectra sensitively record vegetative response to different kinds of human activities across small horizontal and stratigraphic intervals. The minor pollen types are the most important; hence large sums must be tabulated if patterns of change are to be recognized. Pollen corrosion and concentration measures and arboreal/ non-arboreal pollen ratios contribute to the understanding of matrix deposition processes.

Strategi Komunikasi Pemasaran Dalam Meningkatkan Jumlah Penginap Di Hotel Best Skip Palembang

This study aims to determine the marketing strategy carried out by the Best Skip Hotel in increasing the number of residents. Best Skip Hotel is a 2 star Hotel located in the center of Palembang. Best Skip Hotel has complete facilities with cheap and affordable tariffs for all people. The methods used in this research is to use descriptive qualitative methods, data collection techniques conducted by researchers through interviews, documentation, and observation. Primary data sources in this study are the General Manager, Marketing Team, Hotel visitors, and Hotel staff and employees. While the secondary data source is in the form of documents, organizational structure, and books related to research. The Hotel implements several communication models such as direct and indirect communication. Direct communication conducted by this Hotel is in the form of Sales Promotion, Personal Selling, and Direct Selling. While the indirect communication made by this Hotel is by using promotions through social media such as Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram, the internet, brochures, and so on. The Best Skip Palembang Hotel adopts a strategy that is more focused on promotional activities, but the Hotel also strives to maximize the quality of its products, facilities, price, and services in order to meet customer needs. Marketing promotion activities carried out by Marketing at the Best Skip Hotel are through promotional banners and internet promotions, because these promotional activities cost relatively cheaply but can have maximum results. The internal activities of the Hotel every day hold daily meetings to monitor how the development and condition of the Hotel. The next strategic process is by analyzing the situation by Marketing and Hotel Managers such as conducting research by analyzing Income Audit reports or daily income in the form of finances and the number of guests staying. In addition, the Marketing also monitors customer feedback or responses through customer comments on the Hotel Website. Factors that influence the stay at the Best Skip Hotel is because this Hotel has a cheap price and fairly complete facilities.