Indian Hotel Industry Research Articles

No More the Nice Guy: Coping with Abusive Supervision through Service Sabotage Behaviours

‘Atithi Devo Bhav’, implying that guests must be treated as Gods, is the philosophical belief of Indian society indicating the importance of treating the customers with utmost respect and courtesy. The current study examines service sabotage behaviours by utilizing time-lagged method to collect data in three waves from 332 employees from Indian hotel industry. The study highlights the effects of abusive supervision on the employees who perceive disrespect, public humiliation or rude supervisory behaviours towards them as breach of psychological contract, and they retaliate by displaying deviant workplace behaviour such as service sabotage. The unique proposition of the research is to investigate the sequential mediating role of psychological contract violation and retaliation intention on the relationship between abusive supervision and service sabotage. The research utilizes psychological contract theory and frustration–aggression theory to draw logical inferences from the findings. Findings indicate that when employees perceive mistreatment or injustice, they experience psychological contract violation that instigates an urge to retaliate against the unfair treatment by engaging in negative service behaviours, for example, sabotage. Therefore, the hospitality organizations must implement practices and processes to take care of any unjust, unfair or hostile behaviour at play in the organization, as the success of the industry is dependent on the service quality and frontline employees’ encounters with the customer. The study provides some interesting and useful managerial and theoretical implications.

Employment of Specially-Abled People in the Hotel Industry—An Indian perspective

Abstract A person with a disability implies a personage with a defined impairment of not less than 40% as per the Gazzette of India. Disability is a collective term that covers (1) impairments (a body function or structure problem), (2) limitations on the operation (related to difficulties in performing a task or action), and (3) constraints on participation (an issue found in life circumstances involvement); The International Classification for Functioning (ICF) definition of disability that states “disability is caused by a complex relationship between body structures, functions and impairments, reflecting the circumstances in which a person lives” will be used. Research conducted by the American India Foundation (AIF) identified different career opportunities for specially-abled persons in India, including examples from the hotel and catering industries. The present scenario of specially-abled people in the Indian hotel industry was explored to understand the opportunities and hindrances in the process and how they can be resolved to increase their employment for a dignified life and an inclusive Indian society as a presumed national goal by the NITI Aayog. This study connects the demand for a competent workforce in the Indian hotel sector with the employment needs of specially-abled people.

Exploring the human consequences of crisis in the hospitality sector: a study from India

PurposeThe present study aimed to explore the socio-psychological linkages between perceived job insecurity, loneliness, social support, depression, and interpersonal misconduct among hotel workers during a global crisis. The primary motivation behind this research was the significant problem of increased occupational stress resulting from the negative consequences of the pandemic on all hotel employees, including frontline workers and management personnel. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic on occupational stress within the hotel sector.Design/methodology/approachThis research obtained 269 original survey data from employees in the Indian hotel industry by distributing a questionnaire and employing a convenience sampling method. Subsequently, the data were examined using (SEM).FindingsThe research findings suggest that there is a positive correlation between interpersonal deviance and depression. Additionally, this study demonstrated that social support can alleviate loneliness but has no significant association with depression.Research limitations/implicationsThis study can help hotel managers create guidelines that address the perceived insecurity and psychological issues faced by employees.Originality/valueBy understanding the psychological position of their employees, hoteliers can implement strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic on their workforces.

An Overview of the Indian Hotel Industry's Waste Management Initiatives

An Overview of the Indian Hotel Industry's Waste Management Initiatives

Service Quality Dynamics: A Study on Indian Hotel Industry

The significance of assessing service quality for business performance has been acknowledged in various service marketing studies due to its direct influence on customer satisfaction and its indirect implications for customer loyalty. Despite the recognition of service quality and its measurement, very few studies have empirically examined the precursors and consequences of service quality after Covid-19 pandemic which has had a colossal structural impact on the world and from Indian context. In this study we gauge the antecedents and consequences of service quality pre and post the Covid-19 pandemic. The present study endeavors to ascertain whether all the dimensions of SERVQUAL carry equal weight in terms of their impact on overall service quality before and after the pandemic. Additionally, the study intends to evaluate whether the ranking of the SERVQUAL dimensions remains consistent before and after the pandemic. The study further empirically determines whether there exists a disparity in the total service quality score between the pre-Covid and post-Covid periods. The empirical findings suggest that all service quality dimensions are not of equal importance and exhibit a significant difference in their impact on the total service quality score during the post-Covid period. Consequently, in the study we conclude that ranking of five dimensions remains consistent in terms of their effect on the total service quality score during pre- and post-Covid periods.

From stress to success: Role of green atmospherics on employee well-being in the Indian hotel and tourism industry

The research aims to unearth the influence of major factors of Indoor(Green Spaces and Green Ambient Atmospherics) and Outdoor Green Atmospherics on employee well-being in Indian 5-star hotels. Responses were obtained from 328 employees in the Indian tourism sector using a non-probabilistic purposive sampling method. A partial least-square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied for the analysis. The findings revealed that green indoor and outdoor atmospherics have a significant positive contribution toward the well-being and enhanced work environment among the workforce with work stress being a significantly negative mediator. The findings contribute to the existing studies as it empirically verify the hypothesized relationships.

Importance of Hospitality Industry on Indian Economy

The Hotel industry in India has evolved remarkably over the decade and in effect parading quite a wide spectrum of benefits and opportunities for players of the service industry. The industry is statistically proven to have performed creditably countrywide and among its major cities. It is considered to a larger extent that the hotel industry flourishes on the wings of the tourism Industry. The Hotel and Tourism sector is considered among the top ten sectors in India. As a results of its contribution, the Hotel and Tourism sector attracted around US$ 9.2 billion of FDI between April 2000 and March 2016 as released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The demand for travel and tourism in India is expected to grow annually by 8.2% which is expected to put India third in the world. Travel and tourism in India also accounted for 49,086,000 jobs in 2010 (about 10% of total employment) and is expected to rise to 58,141,000 jobs (10.4% of total employment) by 2020. According to the Economic Survey of India the Indian Hotel industry accounts for USD 17 billion, 70% (USD 11.85 billion) which take their origin from the unorganized sector and the remaining 30% (USD 5.08 billion) from the organized sector. In 2000, India hosted only 2.6 million international visitors. By 2009, the figure had already increased to 5.13 million arrivals. Over the years, a sustained increase in the tourism industry with increase in number of foreign and domestic tourists has serve as a booster to the Hotel industry. This study makes an exploratory attempt to study the Hotel industry as it relates to India and analyses its contributory effects on the economy on the heels of the various reforms that have hit the country. The objectives of the study are to analyze and assess the performance of the Hotel Industry in India and to identify the challenges and setbacks of the industry. Data was collected primarily from secondary sources. The findings of the study revealed that there have been a substantial growth in operating performance indicators such as revenue and a decreased countrywide departmental expenses. It was therefore concluded that India's hotel sector has unequivocally entered the next up-cycle with impressive performance suggesting that players of the industry have the onerous responsibility and duty to capitalize on this and make the best out of the industry

Something to Talk About! Testing the Antecedents and Consequences of Workplace Romance in Indian Hotel industry

The present study attempts to understand and establish the interplay between workplace romance and workplace gossip through the lens o McClelland’s theory of need in the context of the Indian hospitality industry. The data were collected from 216 hotel employees using a time-lagged design. PLS-SEM was used to test the hypothesized associations. The results indicated a positive association between workplace romance and workplace gossip. The study discusses several motives for people to engage in romance, resulting in increased gossip. Workplace romance emerged as a significant mediator between the antecedents (love, loneliness, career growth, organizational politics) and the consequence (workplace gossip). There is a dearth of studies empirically studying the linkages and antecedents of workplace gossip and workplace romance, especially in the context of the Indian hospitality sector. The present study attempts to address this gap by understanding the hypothesized associations.

Going green and staying loyal: how different are generation Z travellers towards green brand loyalty of hotels

Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of collectivism, brand prestige and brand identification on green brand loyalty among Generation Z and older generation travellers in India. Loyal consumers are essential for the long-term success of hotels. Design/methodology/approach A single cross-sectional design is used in the study, with a total of 277 Generation Z and 299 Older generation travellers surveyed directly at three different tourist destinations in India. The PLS-SEM approach is used to analyse the data. Findings The study’s findings showed that among Generation Z travellers, factors such as collectivism, brand identification and brand prestige play a significant role in shaping green brand loyalty towards hotels. Furthermore, we noted that collectivism directly influences brand prestige and identification. Conversely, for the older generation, the study did not substantiate the impacts of collectivism on green brand loyalty nor the relationship between brand identification and green brand loyalty. Originality/value This study uniquely contributes to the literature by revealing generational differences in the influence of collectivism and brand factors on green brand loyalty within the Indian hotel industry.

Analyzing the efficiency of the Indian hotel industry using the Malmquist DEA approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the most efficient hotels in the Indian hotel industry, the competitive positioning of these hotels, and the factors that affect their efficiency change.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a two-stage analysis and uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Global Malmquist productivity index (MPI) approach in the first stage to calculate the managerial performance of a panel of 63 Indian hotels in 2019–2020 and their efficiency change from 2009–2010 to 2019–2020. Bootstrapped generalized least square (GLS) approach is applied in the second stage to evaluate the impact of contextual variables on efficiency change.FindingsUsing the results of the first stage analysis, the authors categorized the 63 Indian hotels into 7 distinct clusters. These clusters represent different levels of competitiveness and pace of growth. The GLS regression reveals a U-shaped relationship between hotel size and efficiency change and a negative relationship between pro social investments and efficiency.Originality/valueThis is the first study in the hotel industry that has used global MPI as a measure of efficiency change in the first stage and GLS in the second stage. In the Indian context, to the best of authors’ knowledge, no such study exists.

Stakeholders' perception of mandatory CSR in the Indian hotel industry: scale development and validation

PurposeThis study aims to develop and validate a scale to measure stakeholders' perception of mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in the hotel industry in India.Design/methodology/approachCSR items were generated based on a qualitative approach. The underlying factorial structure of the scale is determined using exploratory factor analysis. The measurement model is verified through confirmatory factor analysis with validity checks. Additionally, the nomological and predictive validity of the proposed scale is confirmed through correlation and regression analysis.FindingsThis study proposed a three-dimensional 17-item scale comprising the environment, social and cultural domains to measure stakeholders' perception of mandatory CSR in the Indian hotel industry.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adds to the literature by providing a comprehensive approach incorporating CSR activities specified by law on CSR measurement. Validated CSR scales are recommended for future studies to measure CSR in India. This study may also serve as a blueprint for other countries to develop context-specific CSR measurement approaches.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first scale development study on mandatory CSR in India. The inclusion of CSR activities prescribed by law on the standardized CSR scale development is a novel outlook.

Employee green behavior in hotels: the role of green human resource management, green transformational leadership and value congruence

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of green human resource management (GHRM) and green transformational leadership (GTL) on employees’ green work behavior. This study also tests the mediating role of environmental value congruence (EVC) on the relationship of GHRM and GTL with employees’ green work behavior.Design/methodology/approachResponses were collected from 480 employees working in various Indian hotels using a two-wave survey design. The data was analyzed using Smart PLS 4.FindingsThe findings report significant indirect associations between GHRM and GTL on the one hand and in-role green behavior and extra-role green behavior on the other through EVC.Practical implicationsThis paper highlights leaders’ focus on creating environmentally focused HR practices in hotels. As employees are the face for customers, particularly in the hotel industry, green behavior creates a green image of the organization in consumers’ minds, which may result in long-term sustainable competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis study makes two significant contributions; one, it explores the effect of GTL and GHRM on hotel employees’ green behaviors and second, it also tests the mediating role of EVC in explaining the relationship between the focal constructs in the Indian Hotel industry which has not been studied before.

Maa Hotels: Rebranding and Digital Transformation

The Sahu family has been running the hotel business for 20 years in Odisha, India. The Indian hotel and tourism industry has drastically changed in the last few years with the introduction of the internet, online aggregators and digitally savvy young consumers. Technology has changed consumer behaviour regarding how they search for information before making a purchase decision. Sahu brothers were facing a decline in revenues and rising competition. Mr Satish, a recent MBA graduate from a premier business school, was fully aware of the changing marketing dynamics and the importance of online presence. He shared his learnings about digital marketing with the family and convinced the family to start the digital transformation of their business. The Sahu family first decided to reunite all the different hotels under one umbrella brand of Maa Hotels (the word Maa in Hindi means mother, and the family decided to use the name in reference to the famous Goddess Maa Tarini in Odisha). The family used many components of the digital marketing strategy, including search engine marketing, website creation, social media marketing and content strategy. Satish had to analyse and evaluate the first phase of digital marketing and decide on the next course of action to continue with the transformation journey. Moreover, he had to convince the family to continue investing in digital marketing, and for that, he had to prove that his continuous efforts were needed to increase revenues in the short and long term.

Demystifying the Effect of High-Performance Work Systems on Job Involvement Based on Dual-Path Mediation Model

This study investigates the links between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and job involvement (JI) via organizational justice (OJ) and employee well-being (EW) as mediators. The proposed social exchange theory-based research framework is used to demystify the role of HPWS on job involvement. The proposed framework is validated with ten five-star hotels in India through structural equation modelling. The model reliability and robustness of constructs are tested with confirmatory factor analysis. The findings indicate that organizations must pay close attention to the perceptions of organizational justice and employee wellbeing to foster greater job involvement in their workforce. The positive relationship between HPWS and job involvement was found to be partially mediated by organizational justice and employee wellbeing. Further, HPWS showed a positive relationship with job involvement that was both direct and significant. The present research contributes to the existing body of literature by examining organizational justice and employee wellbeing as mediating variables between HPWS and job involvement in the Indian hotel industry.

Prioritising the requisite skills possessed by revenue managers of the hospitality industry: an analytic hierarchy process approach

The main purpose of this study is to prioritise and identify the most required skill of a revenue manager as per the skill set defined by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) 2016 when applied to the Indian hotel industry. A set of skills was selected based on an extensive literature review and discussions carried out with the human resource managers and revenue managers from various business organisations. The present study is an attempt to identify the hierarchical structure of the skills expected of a revenue manager in the hospitality industry in India. Among the selected set of 12 skills, results of AHP ranked leadership, communication, negotiation, planning and implementation, and analytical, conceptual, and evaluative skills as the top five required skills of a revenue manager's skill set. The coverage of the study is limited to analysis of responses obtained from managers working in luxury hotels having chains in India.

A Study on Eco Hotels and Green Operations in Indian Hospitality (Hotel) Industry

Globalization is the trend towards increased commercial production, circulation, transportation, technology, tourism, and other corporate operations on a worldwide scale. Not only did this improve human dexterity, but it also raised living standards for people everywhere. However, it also heightens the ecological threat, which puts humans under stress in their surroundings. Thus, as the field of sustainability grows, so does the amount of study on how to achieve sustainability across all industries. Making an organization greener is a difficult endeavour that calls for a lot of work and the active involvement of both management and staff. Since 1950, as the number of emerging countries has increased, the global hotel business has experienced significant growth. According to earlier research, the number of international visitors is expected to climb by 4 to 5 percent a year over the next ten years, which will raise demand for hotel rooms. Due to increased environmental effect on a worldwide scale, eco hotels are becoming more and more important in the hotel industry. The impact of sustainable operations and their implementation in the Indian hotel industry will be examined in this study. The study's main focus is on diverse ecological practices, or ECOHOTELS. The report offers some social consequences of sustainable practices for environmental preservation for ecofriendly hotels and eco-friendly tourists.

When employees feel betrayed: The mediating role of psychological contract violation on nepotism and workplace commitment in the hotel industry

Nepotism is prevalent in the workplace. Though the impact of nepotism on workplace commitment has been studied in its general form, the reason why nepotism produces such an impact remains understudied, especially in collectivist cultures (where family and friends are highly important) and service settings (where nepotism manifest publicly among frontline employees). To address this gap, this study adopts a psychological contract perspective and investigates the role of psychological contract violation as a mediator or the “why” behind the relationship between nepotism and workplace commitment, with psychological attachment and turnover intention serving as affective and behavioral representations of workplace commitment. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling on a two-wave (time lag) survey of a sample of 488 frontline employees in the Indian hotel industry as a case, this study proactive mitigates common method bias while revealing that psychological contract violation acts as a complementary mediator between nepotism and workplace commitment in the form of psychological attachment and turnover intention. The study concludes with implications to mitigate nepotism and strengthen workplace commitment.

Are consumers influenced by the use of green practices in five-star hotels: an assessment of guest's revisit intentions, inclusive ratings and hotel performance

PurposeThis study aims to find out the influence of green practices used by the five-star hotels on the guest’s online hotel assessment and their revisit intentions. It also evaluated how the use of green practices by the hotels influenced the guest’s willingness to pay a premium price. Apart from the conventional hotel service attributes, this study also identified some new and innovative services offered by the hotels which have an overall effect on the guest’s revisit intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study applied focus group interviews from 12 hotel managers and accessed the hotel’s internal database to identify the latest and innovative service attributes offered by the hotels. The information regarding the green practices offered by the hotels was collected through TripAdvisor and LEED-IGBC website. It identified 10 independent and four dependent variables based on previous literature. Guest’s revisit intentions were measured on a five-point Likert scale. Data was analysed using a multi-step hierarchical regression model.FindingsThe use of green practices by the hotels revealed a positive and significant influence on the guest’s revisit-intentions and their intention to pay a premium price. It was also found that the use of new and innovative green practices has a positive influence on the guest’s overall online evaluation of the hotel.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that the amalgamation of green practices along with the conventional service attributes may help in the incremental revisit and online hotel assessment intentions, which might be of use for the managers and hotel policymakers.Originality/valueAlthough previous studies have explored the conventional hotel service attributes in the context of Indian Hotel industry, this is one of the first studies which discussed the influence of recent and emerging hotel service attributes on the guest’s revisit and pay a premium price intention. Moreover, the influence of green practices on the guest’s overall online evaluation of the five-star hotels in Delhi was discussed in this study which was not performed before.

Adopting green and sustainable practices in the hotel industry operations- an analysis of critical performance indicators for improved environmental quality

PurposeThis study aims to address the adoption issues of green and sustainable practices in the hotel industry. The study identifies critical performance indicators (CPIs) and utilizes Hotel Carbon Management Initiative (HCMI) framework to prioritize CPIs for achieving a robust adoption framework for green and sustainable practices.Design/methodology/approachThe hotel industry is driven by changing ecological degradation, and it is necessary to achieve feasible development goals. This research article formulates the CPIs derived from HCMI and decision-making model is created using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).FindingsIn this research, CPIs of HCMI are considered and aim to formulate five major CPIs of HCMI, namely air pollution, energy efficiency, water conservation, noise pollution and waste management. The study identifies the need for better control and sustainable growth in the Indian hotel industry with minimum carbon emissions coupled with the green approach adoption.Research limitations/implicationsThe CPIs work on minimization of risks and maximizing optimality of return on investment. The development of the hotel industry will be improved and immensely welcomed by capping the carbon emission with the green initiatives. This research is limited as urban hotels are surveyed in this study.Originality/valueThis work makes a valid argument to establish HCMI as a model initiative for environment quality improvement and further extension of other activities in the hospitality sector and scale-up sustainable practices for future-ready circular economies.

Relationship Between Job Stress, Employee Engagement and Job Satisfaction: A Study Based on Women Managers in 4 and 5 star Hotels in India

Women account for a very small percentage of the employee population in Indian luxury hotels. While they have proved themselves as valuable assets, the average tenure of a woman in a managerial role in the sector is still around 2 to 4 years. The Government of India in its India Skills report has identified the sector as a focus area, in the drive to achieve better gender ratios. This study takes a small step towards understanding the factors that could influence the tenure of women in the hotel sector. The study examines the role of job stress in determining the levels of job satisfaction of women in the Indian hotel industry. The study also examines the mediating effect that employee engagement may have on the relation. The researchers have studied women in managerial roles in 4 and 5-star hotels, across India. The findings suggest that there is a strong negative correlation between job stress and job satisfaction and that this relationship is partially mediated by the presence of employee engagement. The findings are particularly important for the hospitality sector in India, as it struggles to retain its talented female employees.