Individual Hotels Research Articles

Communication Strategies Used during a Crisis in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Naivasha Sub-County

Purpose: Since tourism is highly susceptible to shocks, and effects of crises in the industry can lead to several direct and indirect repercussions, appropriate communication techniques and strategies are needed to proactively overcome or prevent crises. However, in Kenya, assessment of the same is glaringly insufficient, hence, the need for the current study. The study objective was guided by a research question; What are the during-crisis communication strategies used in crises preparedness in the tourism and hospitality industry in Naivasha Sub-county? Methodology: The study was conducted among hotels in Naivasha Sub-County of Nakuru County of Kenya using a mixed research methodology. Using a sample of 362 employees through multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques, questionnaires were used to collect data among employees while 28 key informant interviews were used among the hotel managers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data. Findings: The study concluded that during crisis communication strategies featured issuance of accurate and consistent messages, giving precautions, dissemination of information on how to cope physically as well as information on prioritizing self-protection. The communication strategies during the crisis influenced the preparedness in small and insignificant amounts (sig. = .968). The results showed that communicating on precautions during a crisis was a special way and strategy to contain the effect of the crisis. The study found that more than half of the hotel staff 175(59.5%) agreed that their organizations give accurate and consistent messages on crisis preparedness. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that the Cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Tourism develop policies that spell and guide crisis management plans that acknowledge effective crisis communication strategies in hotels in the country. For individual hotel operators and managers in Naivasha subcounty, provision of regular information on crisis, and having a crisis communication plan in the precrisis stage will educate and sensitize the employees of the possible risks and how to handle them. This study findings will inform academia and be a base for scholars in mass communication in carrying out further studies in communicative strategies used in crises preparedness. The study findings inform development and roll out of policies that guide crisis management plans in tourism and hotel industry.

Enhancing compliance assessment through regenerative transformations – A food waste perspective

Addressing food waste is a growing priority for hotel groups. However, aligning corporate sustainability goals with the practicalities of individual hotels is challenging. While hotels increasingly adopt certification programs to enable transparency on sustainability performance, there is a risk that compliance-based assessment systems may not fully capture the nuances of each hotel’s local context. The notion of regeneration, emphasizing reinvestment in people, place and the natural world, offers the potential to bridge the gap between corporate waste targets, hotel operations and local outcomes. Food waste, recoverable through a biological cycle, aligns with the principles of regeneration. This study explores the perspectives of practitioners involved in certification and benchmarking and those advocating for regeneration in the tourism sector. This study explores whether compliance assessment systems are sufficient to account for the challenges associated with hotel food waste and whether regenerative enhancements could be conceptualised. Through in-depth interviews, the research reveals a divide between compliance assessment and regeneration across key areas. A conceptual framework is introduced, highlighting areas of convergence that could enhance existing certification programs – with the ultimate aim of helping hotels reconsider their relationship with food waste and their local ecological system.

Analysis of the effect of growth strategies and hotel attributes on performance

PurposeIn this vein, this paper aims to provide empirical evidence on the following questions: Which expansion strategies offer better operational and economic performance? What effects does performance-related diversification have? How do other factors such as size, quality, service offered, location or seasonality interact with performance.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the analysis of the effects of growth strategies and hotel attributes on performance is carried out with a sample of 255 hotels that operate internationally. Using panel data and quantile regression, this study evaluates the effect of expansion and diversification on the hotels’ performance.FindingsFrom these findings, it appears that the equity strategy (own hotels) outperforms non-equity strategies (hotels under rental, franchise and management contract) at the operational level. However, the economic return of the property, both adjusted and unadjusted to risk, is lower under the property ownership strategy than under the franchise and management strategies because, in general, it requires a higher investment. Regarding diversification, the growth strategy based on related diversification in food and beverage services has a negative impact on performance, calling into question the synergies between the two businesses. However, an exception to this effect is seen among those hotels, mainly those in the Caribbean, that opt to provide all-inclusive services, since these hotels achieve better occupancy rates and more stable results.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has not taken into account the effect of hotel property revaluation on the performance of the ownership strategy, as there is no information on the historical average revaluation at the level of each individual hotel. This study has also been unable to include information regarding the level of competition and seasonality of sales.Originality/valueThis paper considers a wide number of factors that can influence the performance of hotels. Second, this is the only paper that studies the impact of growth strategies from the point of view of the hotel chain. Also, the sample considered uses data at the individual level on hotels and this research analyses not only operational performance but also economic performance.

Studying the effectiveness of investments in hotel services using customer sentiment analysis

AbstractThe main aim of the article is to assess investments in hotel services in Poland in 2018–2020. The assessment was carried out by examining the correlation between financial outlays in the hotel industry in powiats (counties) and voivodeships of Poland and customer opinions expressed in internet entries on the websites of individual tourist facilities. The methodology for testing the sentiment of text documents is an unsupervised classification algorithm applied to the Polish language. The classification task consists of the unsupervised assignment of a text document to one of three sentiment classes: positive, neutral, or negative. The research is based on opinions collected from 906 hotels and the amount of financial investment in individual hotel segments (categories) in the surveyed years on a powiat basis. Financial investment data were gathered from the official statistical yearbook websites and internet entries were scraped from the websites of individual tourist facilities. The analysis shows a positive relationship between the size of investment in hotel services and the sentiment of customers' opinions. The scientific contribution of the research is threefold. Firstly, an attempt is made to assess the efficiency of investments in hotel services in Poland in recent years. Secondly, the approach applied omits the downsides of other popular models of assessing the quality of services. Thirdly, the algorithm used quite precisely finds the categories required for a different kind or broader analysis of the quality of hotel services.

DEVELOPMENT STAGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF THE HOTEL BUSINESS AND HOTEL TYPE ESTABLISHMENTS: GEORGIAN EXPERIENCE

One of the essential and reliable guarantees for the further development of the tourism potential of Georgia, of course, is the development and expansion of the hotel business and hotel-type establishments, because Georgia, as a country of four seasons, has excellent tourism opportunities and has the chance to be active throughout the year.
 The article's primary purpose is to study and explore the role and importance of the hotel business in Georgia, both in terms of the development of the Georgian tourism market, the society involved in this area, and the formation of financial income in the country. The economy as a whole.
 Despite the significant successes and results already achieved in this field, as evidenced by the highest ratings of leading and influential international organizations, where Georgia, at different times, as an essential tourist center, as well as individual hotels, is often in advanced positions, the problem is that the hotel industry market in Georgia is still in the process of formation and cannot fully meet the complex needs of customers with different levels, abilities, tastes, and needs.
 The article analyzes the stages of formation and development of the hotel business and hotel-type establishments in Georgia; current state, features, and development opportunities; analysis of statistical data and results; Existing risks, challenges, and problems, ways to overcome them and prospects, compliance with international standards and impact on the sustainable development of the country's tourism market.

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.

Investigating the impact of large-scale exhibitions on hotel room rates from a spatial-temporal perspective: a case of the Canton Fair in China

研究目的虽然展览业对酒店业的经济效益已经得到解决, 但展览对单个酒店的影响尚不清楚, 尤其是在考虑单个酒店的星级和位置时。本研究旨在从时空角度更好地了解中国广交会不同阶段不同酒店的房价变化情况。研究方法网站提取了广交会前、中、后广州市内681家星级酒店的房价。通过空间插值和自相关分析以及地理探测器（GeoDetector）技术, 研究了酒店房价的时空格局以及会议中心与不同星级和位置的酒店之间的相互依赖关系。研究发现会前、会中、会后房价变化呈倒U型, 其中五星级酒店涨幅最大。此外, 酒店房价的分布遵循距离衰减规律。到会展中心的距离越远, 酒店价格的变化就越大。不同星级酒店的空间高-高集群存在差异。研究原创性该研究通过提供关于不同星级和位置的酒店如何受到事件影响的经验证据, 为酒店文献做出了贡献。这项研究还通过引入 GeoDetector 推进了事件文献。研究结果为酒店选址、定价策略和酒店与活动的合作提供了见解。

БИЗНЕС-МОДЕЛЬ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ ГОСТИНИЧНО- РЕСТОРАННЫХ УСЛУГ: ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ КАЧЕСТВЕННЫХ КОМПЕТЕНЦИЙ ПЕРСОНАЛА

When forming a business model for the organization of hotel and restaurant services, the level of quality of staff competencies plays an important role for the successful achievement of strategic development goals and improv- ing a favorable image. At this stage of scientific research, it is important to study in more detail the trends and specifics of building a business model in the field of hotel and restaurant services and the formation of high-quality staff competencies based on marketing the approach. The established business models of the flagships in the tourism industry maintain their successful and recognized professional practices, unique and individual standards of service, their own brand and personal image with confi- dence and tradition. Consumer preferences and habits form a special segment in the tourism industry: regular custom- ers who, from anywhere in the world, cast their vote in favor of recognizing their brand in the field of hotel and restaurant services. The factors of formation of types of individual hotels and inns, for example, Soft Brand hotels, are determined. For example, adapting to market trends – hotels under the Soft brand are flexible and adaptable, which allows them to quickly respond to changing market trends and guest preferences. This flexibility helps them stay relevant and compet- itive in the dynamically developing hotel business. Recognizing the importance of these key growth drivers in the hotel sector under the soft brands is vital to maximize their value. A systematic list of digital technologies that are used to form business models in the field of hotel and restaurant services is presented, which highlights digital technologies that are used to improve the quality of professional competencies of staff. Currently, in the field of hotel and restaurant services, the penetration of innovative and digital technologies and tools into the system of promotion of specific services aimed at the formation of innovative hotel and restaurant services is observed, the formation of innovative business models that complement classic business models with creative and fashionable ideas and proposals for improving the hospitality industry is recorded.

Brief Analysis to Advantages and Problems of Atour’s Develoment

The Chinese hotel and lifestyle brand Atour boosts its development in recent years and can also be considered as a leader of Chinese hotel industry with characteristic ideas. Thus, the author finds it greatly meaningful to do some research, attempting to offer several points for potential progress. This article analyses the advantages of Atour in terms of its jointly-design products and individual hotels, the significance of the fourth space as well as the humane services, which could be considered as the long comings belong to this group. However, Atour is also faced with various problems like price, decoration and staff quality. Based on the analysis of these advantages and problems, suggestions for promoting Atour’s further development are provided as well. In general, the author holds such an expectation that Atour could seize opportunities in this era of experience economy, keep on enhancing itself and manages to attain further achievements, contributing to the going-up of Chinese hospitality industry.

Modern trends in the development of eco-technologies in the field of hospitality

The article discusses the current trends of eco-technologies in hotel enterprises. The importance of their use in the hotel industry is justified, which will reduce the negative impact on the environment. The environmental responsibility of accommodation facilities can be considered one of the trends of our time. In addition, the following trends are observed in the hospitality industry: the popularity of unique accommodation facilities is increasing, the specialization of individual hotels is becoming more defined and developed, and the introduction of innovations and computer technologies in hotel enterprises is deepening. Therefore, an actual hotel enterprise is a means of accommodation that emphasizes environmental friendliness in its image and uses innovative and unique technologies in its work. The relevance of this topic is to maintain and develop tourists’ interest in ecology and positive impact on the environment.

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Abstract. Introduction. In modern conditions in the hotel and restaurant business market, the question of increasing competitiveness and finding solutions to retain consumers and attract the attention of new ones is gaining relevance. This is possible on the basis of accurate market segmentation and determination of the consumer groups that will become the target audience, i.e. market segmentation and selection of the target segment. The dialectical method of cognition, a systematic approach to the study of economic phenomena, which made it possible to obtain scientific results, as well as to formulate conclusions and practical recommendations, became the theoretical and methodological basis of the research. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical and practical recommendations for target audience segmentation for hotel and restaurant businesses on the market in modern conditions of intense competition, using modern methods of target marketing. Results. Stages of marketing processes for hotel and restaurant business establishments are highlighted: establishment positioning; target audience segmentation; search for competitors; formation of a plan of marketing activities; structuring of the marketing budget; formation of feedback and communication with guests; optimization of the menu in a restaurant or hotel; optimization of serving dishes; pricing in the hotel and restaurant business; service optimization; interior. The concept of segmentation of the target audience as a component of target marketing is characterized, as well as the methods of segmentation of the target audience are provided, which allow obtaining high-quality information about the actual needs of consumers and the formation of solutions and new offers to satisfy them. Practical recommendations are provided that can be used for both complex and individual hotel and restaurant businesses. Conclusions. Based on the analyzed information, segmentation methods have been identified that are suitable for achieving greater research results, that is, high competitive advantages, increasing profits and the level of recognition and loyalty of consumers of hotel and restaurant establishments.

Are GreenLeaders also performance leaders? An econometric analysis of TripAdvisor hotel certification of GreenLeaders

This paper aims to investigate the impact of the GreenLeaders designation on hotel performance under the joint theoretical framework of environmental corporate social responsibility and social identity theory. We focus on 1,198 individual hotel properties from five major cities in Texas between 2010 and 2019. A two-way fixed-effects model is applied to model monthly revenue per available room (RevPAR) and TripAdvisor ratings for each hotel. Results show that GreenLeaders certification leads to a 6.00% increase in hotels’ monthly RevPAR and a 4.25% increase in hotels’ monthly average TripAdvisor rating. This impact grew over time during the research period. The findings also unveil a set of moderating variables, such as hotel class and chain affiliation. More specifically, the effect of GreenLeaders certification is larger for upscale and independent hotels. The major results are also confirmed through a robustness analysis using propensity-score-based weighting and placebo tests. Lastly, implications are provided for hoteliers and investors.

Game—Gimme a Better Price! A Negotiation Role Play on B2B Pricing in Hotel Revenue Management

We present a classroom role play to immerse students in the difficulties of applying value-based pricing principles to the practice of B2B price negotiations at different levels of the hotel value chain. The students assume roles as hotel chain and individual hotel management and as key business clients to the individual hotels. Through strategic and tactical preparations that rely on incremental additions of information on the goals, students prepare themselves to negotiate aspects linked with B2B pricing in a hotel revenue management context and collect points based on their success. After the negotiations, they systematically reflect on their performance vis-à-vis their set intentions. The role play is targeted to be an assignment in master’s level hotel revenue management teaching, but it could be modified to target bachelor’s students or other fields in which value-based pricing is still at its infancy. Based on our experience with running the game in a classroom as well as twice remotely because of COVID-19, it is compatible with both forms of learning and could potentially be extended to an asynchronous online learning environment.

Combating Sex Trafficking: The Role of the Hotel—Moral and Ethical Questions

Legitimate companies are key facilitators of human trafficking. These corporate facilitators include not only websites providing advertisements for commercial sex services but also hotels and motels. Analysis of all active federal criminal sex trafficking cases in 2018 and 2019 reveals that in approximately 80% of these cases, victims were exploited at either hotels or motels. This paper studies the prevalence of the hospitality industry in the crime of sex trafficking and the failure of this industry to address this problem until recent civil suits were filed by victims against individual hotels and chains. Drawing on the civil cases filed in federal courts by victims of human trafficking between 2015 and 2021 along the East Coast of the United States, this paper assesses the characteristics of these hotels and the conditions in the hotels that facilitated sex trafficking. The paper then explores the moral and ethical problems posed by the facilitating role of hotel owners/operators in sex trafficking either through collusion or failure to act on and/or report evidence of individual abuse. Suggestions on how to address the problem are provided.

SMM-Promotion of Innovative Services in the Hotel and Restaurant Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Topicality. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, sms-promotion of innovative services in the hotel and restaurant business, which contributes to its development, is becoming important. It happens under the influence of modern innovative tools, which actively counteract the postpandemic crisis. The aim of this article is to determine the types of innovative services and products in the hotel and restaurant business in terms of COVID-19, as well as methods and tools for sms-promotion. Research methods. The research used general scientific methods: analysis, abstraction, induction, deduction, synthesis, inference, generalisation, comparison. Results of the research. The most common social networks and messengers, used for sms-promotion of innovative services are identified. It is established that sms-promotion of innovative services and products in the hotel and restaurant business must take place in compliance with certain rules. It is noted that an effective tool for sms-promotion is retargeting, targeting, advertising for bloggers, cooperation with influencers. The scheme of introduction of innovative products and services in the conditions of Covid-19 is developed. Conclusions and discussion. It is determined that the hotel and restaurant business is changing under the influence of Covid-19, where it is important to determine the uniqueness of individual hotel and restaurant businesses, goals and objectives, unique trade offer, key aspects (people, goals, strategy, technology) by POST method, content-plan (analysis of the target audience, goal setting, strategy selection, selection of tools). The list of actions for hotel and restaurant business in the field of sms-promotion of innovative services is offered: redistribution of the budget for contextual advertising, reconfiguration of targeting, constant communication with stakeholders, development of special offers for each target audience, organizing content on the site, constant updating of information, video, photo on all online platforms.

Uncertainty and agency in COVID-19 hotel quarantine in Australia

Mandatory 14-day hotel COVID-19 quarantine was introduced for international arrivals into Australia in late March 2020, with no precedent and little time to prepare. This public health initiative was a key factor in Australia's relatively low COVID-19 burden in the first 18 months of the pandemic. We conducted an empirical bioethics study exploring the experience of people who had quarantined in hotels in Australia. We used in depth interviews to develop an understanding of context and normative analysis to consider whether the way the program is conducted is ethically justifiable. 58 people participated; they had been in hotel quarantine in different parts of Australia in the period March 2020–January 2021. Participants faced considerable uncertainty while in quarantine and many experienced this as burdensome. Some uncertainty resulted from not being given information about key aspects of quarantine, some from rules that changed frequently or were otherwise inconsistent, some from being physically isolated. Lack of information and uncertainty contributed to diminished agency. Communication efforts made by individual hotels was well received. Earlier ethics literature about quarantine does not take into account the context our participants described, where the hotel and supervision arrangements were central to the experience. We argue that more suitable arrangements must be made if quarantine is to be an ongoing proposition.

Assessment of a Hotel-Based Protective Housing Program for Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Management of Chronic Illness Among Persons Experiencing Homelessness

Persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) are at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe illness due to COVID-19 because of a limited ability to physically distance and a higher burden of underlying health conditions. To describe and assess a hotel-based protective housing intervention to reduce incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among PEH in Chicago, Illinois, with increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. This retrospective cohort study analyzed PEH who were provided protective housing in individual hotel rooms in downtown Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2 through September 3, 2020. Participants were PEH at increased risk for severe COVID-19, defined as (1) aged at least 60 years regardless of health conditions, (2) aged at least 55 years with any underlying health condition posing increased risk, or (3) aged less than 55 years with any underlying health condition posing substantially increased risk (eg, HIV/AIDS). Participants were housed in individual hotel rooms to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection; on-site health care workers provided daily symptom monitoring, regular SARS-CoV-2 testing, and care for chronic health conditions. Additional on-site services included treatment of mental health and substance use disorders and social services. The main outcome measured was SARS-CoV-2 incidence, with SARS-Cov2 infection defined as a positive upper respiratory specimen using any polymerase chain reaction diagnostic assay authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration. Secondary outcomes were blood pressure control, glycemic control as measured by hemoglobin A1c, and housing placements at departure. Of 259 participants from 16 homeless shelters in Chicago, 104 (40.2%) were aged at least 65 years, 190 (73.4%) were male, 185 (71.4%) were non-Hispanic Black, and 49 (18.9%) were non-Hispanic White. There was an observed reduction in SARS-CoV-2 incidence during the study period among the protective housing cohort (54.7 per 1000 people [95% CI, 22.4-87.1 per 1000 people]) compared with citywide rates for PEH residing in shelters (137.1 per 1000 people [95% CI, 125.1-149.1 per 1000 people]; P = .001). There was also an adjusted change in systolic blood pressure at a rate of -5.7 mm Hg (95% CI, -9.3 to -2.1 mm Hg) and hemoglobin A1c at a rate of -1.4% (95% CI, -2.4% to -0.4%) compared with baseline. More than half of participants (51% [n = 132]) departed from the intervention to housing of some kind (eg, supportive housing). This cohort study found that protective housing was associated with a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection among high-risk PEH during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chicago. These findings suggest that with appropriate wraparound supports (ie, multisector services to address complex needs), such housing interventions may reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, improve noncommunicable disease control, and provide a pathway to permanent housing.

ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНА ОРГАНІЗАЦІЯ МІЖНАРОДНИХ ГОТЕЛЬНИХ МЕРЕЖ В УКРАЇНІ ТА СТРАТЕГІЯ ЇХ РОЗВИТКУ НА ПРИКЛАДІ HILTON WORLDWIDE

The article considered the constructive and geographical aspects of the development of international hotel chains in Ukraine with an emphasis on the strategic prospects of strengthening the presence of Hilton Worldwide in the hospitality industry of Ukraine. The hotel chain is a form of association of hotel companies to ensure economic efficiency and competitiveness in the market through quality services. A brief digression into the company’s history was made. The principles and fundamental standards of Hilton Worldwide were outlined. The geography of Hilton’s establishments at the beginning of 2019 numbered 6,100 hotels and was represented in 114 countries. The Hilton hotel chain ranks fourth in the world among international hotel chains in terms of number of rooms and fifth in number of hotels. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. operates as a holding company and provides services through subsidiaries. The article describes the 17 well-known Hilton brands. This company entered the national market of Ukraine with the appearance of the Hilton Kyiv hotel in the capital. Today Hilton Kyiv is one of the leaders in the hotel market of Kyiv and Ukraine as a whole. Hilton Kyiv provides guests with the necessary conditions for business trips and comfortable rest, providing quality service. Based on the SWOT analysis, the most appropriate type of Hilton Worldwide strategy in the current competitive environment of Ukraine has been identified. However, competition takes place not only at the level of individual hotels, but also at the level of international hotel chains. Some of them have ambitious plans to expand their presence in the Ukrainian market. This fact has complicated the competitive environment. And this factor should be taken into account when developing a strategy for the development of the Hilton chain in Ukraine. We offer a strategy to expand the Hilton chain in Ukraine by effusion as a result of bringing such brands to the hotel business market: Canopy by Hilton, Signia by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Home2 Suites By Hilton, Motto by Hilton. Proposals were also made for a set of strategies to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of Hilton Kyiv.

Online review analytics for hotel quality at macro and micro levels

PurposeThis study was to develop a methodology of online review analytics for hotel quality management at macro and micro levels. The macro level was for understanding the service properties critical to quality and future development. The micro level was for personalized quality diagnosis for individual hotels.Design/methodology/approachTextual reviews of superior hotels were studied using latent semantic analysis and Kano model to understand what service properties customers concern and expect. Taguchi's quality engineering was applied to establish a quality reference base using superior hotels for evaluating other hotels in the same semantic space. A decision tree algorithm was then used to identify the properties critical to quality discrimination, and the decision rules were used to diagnose individual hotels.FindingsThe service properties concerned by customers for superior hotels were identified. The market positioning and value of each property to customers were clarified. For individual hotels, the deficiencies of service properties were diagnosed. With reference to market positioning, deficient properties of priority in improvement and the strategies for enhancing competitiveness were suggested.Originality/valueThe proposed methodology demonstrated the potential value that review analysis can achieve a new and deeper understanding of customer voices and transform it into more specific business operation requirements. The research and application gap that most previous studies only stayed at the macro-level analytics was filled. Moreover, this study effectively applied the diagnostic techniques derived from quality engineering to online review analytics.

Heterogeneity of Resources and Performance in the Hotel Industry

Resource heterogeneity is a key aspect of one of the most important theories of strategic management: the resource-based view of the firm. This theory suggests that the performance effects of a firm’s strategy depend on the firm’s individual resources and capabilities and the setting within which it is operating. In this article, we argue that the current methods for measuring hotel performance and its determinants may be inconsistent with this theory. To measure efficiency, hotels should be viewed as heterogeneous firms, and the relationships between determinants and performance must be assessed for each individual hotel rather than as an average across hotels. Accordingly, we use a random-effect Bayesian stochastic frontier model to estimate the profit frontier and the effect function of the inefficiency for each hotel. The results indicate that hotels tend to choose strategies based on the heterogeneous resources that maximize their performance in their individual statuses.