Malaysian Hotel Research Articles

Influence of Managerial Coaching on Service-Oriented Citizenship Behaviours: The Mediating Role of Service Quality Commitment in The Malaysian Hotel Industry During the Pandemic Outbreak

Tourism industry has been recognised as one of the important industries which contributed to the country’s economic growth. Thus, it has become essential to investigate the aspects which could strengthen the service provision in the hotel industry in Malaysia. The motive of this paper is to investigate the effects of managerial coaching (MC) on the willingness of frontline service employees to practise service-oriented citizenship behaviours (SOCB) using employees’ commitment to service quality (ECSQ) as mediator. A total of 398 questionnaires have been completed and were applied for data analysis. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypotheses. Results indicated MC and ECSQ significantly affect frontline service employees’ SOCB. Moreover, the results show that ECSQ has partially mediated the relationship between MC and SOCB.

A Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Study of Online Complaints by Japanese and Malaysian Hotel Guests in English

This study examined the rhetorical moves of complaints and the complaint strategies used by Japanese and Malaysian hotel guests between two cultural groups. Swales's (1981) move analysis was applied to identify and analyse the moves, while Trosborg's (1995) taxonomy of strategies was employed to analyse the speech act of complaints. The study's objectives are to investigate the communicative moves used by Japanese and Malaysian when expressing their regret through TripAdvisor and to analyse the complaint strategies used by Japanese and Malaysians when performing complaints online. The descriptive qualitative research method was employed, and data comprised 40 negative reviews towards hotels in Langkawi. The study used online reviews from TripAdvisor's website, to examine the negative feedback from Japanese and Malaysian guests in the English language were posted. The findings showed that the complaints' communicative moves had six moves: Opening, Dissatisfaction, Explanation, Recommendation, Closing, and Compliment, which were adapted from Morrow and Yamanouchi (2020). Moreover, findings of the move frequencies revealed that both the Japanese and Malaysian hotel guests would elaborate their frustration in detail as the 'Explanation' move. However, Malaysian travellers indicated more reasons and sequences of frustration than Japanese travellers. Furthermore, the sequence of the moves is not in a proper structure of conveying a complaint on TripAdvisor, whereby the 'Compliment' move was found either in the beginning, in the middle or in the ending parts of the text. Taxonomy of the complaint strategies by Trosborg (1995) was verified as follows: 1) 27.5% of No Explicit Reproach, 2) 35% of Disapproval Expression, 3) 22.5% of Accusation, and 4) 15% of Blame. In summary, the findings revealed that the two groups have comparable approach selections but differ in terms of complaint moves, complaint strategies, and language phrases for expressing frustration. Thus, knowing cross-cultural similarities and differences in speech acts can help avoid possible intercultural miscommunication, and managing negative customer reviews is pertinent for the hotel industry to improve intercultural communication.

Good Governance Practice for the Shariah Compliant Hotel in Malaysia: An Insightful Study

The performance of the Shariah compliant hotel has a strong relationship with the governance approach adopted by the hotel. On this occasion, poor governance practice may result in the mismanagement of the Shariah compliant hotel’s operation where the Shariah compliant hotel does not comply with the Shariah requirements. Since a limited study focuses on the good governance practice for the shariah compliant hotel, this paper will investigate the essential elements of good governance for the Shariah compliant hotel. This study adopts a qualitative research methodology where the document analysis technique was used to collect the data and then analyzed using content analysis. The finding has shown that the governance practice of the Shariah compliant hotel is still at a minimum level where the Shariah compliant hotel focuses more on the halal certification requirement awarded to them. Thus, there is a need for the regulator to establish a proper policy on the best governance practice for the Shariah compliant hotel.

Recovery Strategies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence of the Malaysian Hotel Industry

Recovery Strategies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence of the Malaysian Hotel Industry

Effect of e-Service Quality on Customer Engagement Behaviors: Insight from the hotels in Malaysia

The reopening process has begun Covid-19, especially in the hotel operation. Therefore, the hotel industry must understand the need to influence customers' choices through advanced of information technology (IT). This study is intended to explore the effect of t e-service quality on customer engagement behaviors in Malaysian hotels. This study was analyzed via PLS-SEM with 247 respondents. The findings indicate that system availability significantly influences customer engagement behaviors, followed by efficiency, system availability, privacy/security, and fulfillment. Based on what this study found, Malaysian hotel service providers will be able to improve the quality of their e-services to get customers more involved.

Investigating tourists' intention toward green hotels in Malaysia: a direction on tourist sustainable consumption.

International tourists in Malaysia have been playing a significant role in the economy. However, tourists' consumption of natural resources could be a threat to the environment. Green practices in the hotel industry have triggered a great opportunity to save water and energy consumption and maintain sustainable practices in the tourism and hospitality industries. This is a study on international tourists' intention to visit green hotels in Malaysia with related factors such as green availability, green price sensitivity, attitude, and subjective norm. For data collection, the researchers used self-administered questionnaires and distributed them to international tourists in Malaysia. For the analysis, structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied for analysis. Results found that green price sensitivity, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control positively influence tourists' intention to visit green hotels in Malaysia. Attitude also mediated between green price sensitivity and tourists' intention to visit green hotels in Malaysia. This study has shown the novelty by establishing the relationships among variables and contributing to the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which will benefit future researchers. The study posed several recommendations for practitioners as there is a need to maintain appropriate standards of environmentally friendly practices in hotels, and consumers' support for consuming green-related products impacts their survival, growth, and sustainability. It will help hotel managers learn more about their guests and create more effective marketing plans.

Exploring measures to enhance the low adoption rate of IR 4.0 technologies: a qualitative inquiry with hotels during COVID-19

PurposeWhile there was heightened awareness on the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0) prior to COVID-19, studies have shown that the adoption of these advanced technologies (e.g. Big Data, robotics, Internet of Things, etc.) continues to remain low across global industries. This qualitative study sought to explore the reasons for the low rate of adoption of these technologies and appropriate measures to enhance their adoption at hotels, through the lens of hotel executives.Design/methodology/approachBased on interpretivist's ideals, this study follows a case study design and adopts a qualitative method of enquiry. The heterogenous purposive sampling technique was employed to gather data for the study, using semi-structured interviews.FindingsGrounded on the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework, the thematic analysis revealed technology, organisation and environment-related reasons for the low rate of IR 4.0 technologies adoption at hotels in Malaysia. Also, the study uncovered some interesting measures that will enhance the adoption of these advanced technologies at hotels.Originality/valueThis study unearths technology, organisation and environment-related reasons for low adoption, and measures to enhance the adoption of IR 4.0 technologies in hotels. This study also enlightens hotel owners and technology providers about practical issues that will ensure the successful adoption of such technologies to enhance hotel business. In line with SDG 9, this study also seeks to promote sustainable innovation in the hospitality industry. Practical and theoretical implications have also been discussed in this study.

The Effect of Knowledge Management Capabilities towards Organizational Innovation in Malaysia’s Hotel: A Conceptual Analysis

This study is concerned with the relationship between Knowledge Management Capabilities (KMC) and Organizational Innovation (IO) among Malaysian hotels. World Tourism Organization (2018) highlighted that the tourism industry globally attracted around 1.245 billion international tourists’ arrival, expecting worth trillions of USD around the year 2016. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic that started in early 2020, it has affected this industry, but subsequently regained slowly since 2022 (UNWTO, 2022). Hoteliers in tourism industry must follow the current trend to sustain in the competitive environment. Therefore, hoteliers must provide sufficient knowledge to their employees in terms of infrastructure and process to deal with organizational innovation. However, many of them still refuse to adapt knowledge management to be innovative organization. As a conceptual paper, this initial stage of the study takes into consideration on the development of knowledge management and organizational innovation. The data were collected from selected hotels among their top management such as managers, managing directors, general managers or chief executive officers that represent three-star to five-star hotels in Malaysia by using simple random sampling from the list provided by the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture of Malaysia. The result can be expected to assist organizations including hoteliers to sustain competitiveness in the market.

Halal Standard: Issues In Hotel Industry

The hotel plays an important role in the growing halal tourism industry. The Success of tourist visits often depends on how acceptable the hotel is, where they are staying with Muslim norms and facilities to conduct ibadah (worship) such as Sala (praying). Most hotels must take a holistic approach to obtain the Halal certification for their service operations practices. However, the services sector, such as tourism, has yet to tap into this lucrative market event though halal travel is gaining popularity globally. The research aims to identify the challenges for Halal hotel development in Malaysia and recognize the factors that meet Halal standards. Data collection was assembled through content analysis, review of journals, and articles by previous researchers. The implicit recommendation is that the industry builds division and integrity in ensuring Halal levels through Halal Insiders to ensure Halal compliance, which impacts organizational performance. The results of this paper will also indicate the importance for hoteliers to have the knowledge and prepare for the prospects and challenges they might face before developing Shariah-Compliant Hotel in Malaysia. Thus, extensive research is required in this area.

Analysis of Hotel Façade Thermal Performance with a Special Reference to the City Hotels in George Town, Penang

The present study identifies issues pertaining energy efficiency of high-rise city hotels in Malaysia and aims to examine the thermal performance of high-rise hotels with different façade design configurations. Large hotels in the tropics of Malaysia are found to be energy intensive among commercial building categories. The present study proposes two case studies of high-rise city hotels in George Town, Penang, with different façade configurations to determine their capability to comply the Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) requirements set by the Malaysian Standards MS 1525;14 and the Green Building Index (GBI). Utilizing the OTTV formula as stipulated in the MS 1525:14, the OTTV of each case study was manually calculated using the identified façade design parameters. Comparative analysis of the results indicate that each of the cases garnered OTTV which exceeded the recommended value of 50 Wm-2. General guidelines and recommendations for improvement in the hotel façade design in the tropics are also included in the discussion.

UTAUT Model on Perceived Trust and Customer Satisfaction towards Revisit Intention to 4- and 5-Stars Hotel in Malaysia

UTAUT Model on Perceived Trust and Customer Satisfaction towards Revisit Intention to 4- and 5-Stars Hotel in Malaysia

Guests’ Acceptance and Loyalty on Shariah Compliant Hotel Practices at Five-Star Rated Hotels in Malaysia

Guests’ Acceptance and Loyalty on Shariah Compliant Hotel Practices at Five-Star Rated Hotels in Malaysia

Determinants of Customer Experience for Luxury Hotels in Malaysia

Determinants of Customer Experience for Luxury Hotels in Malaysia

Examining proactive pro-environmental behaviour through green inclusive leadership and green human resource management: an empirical investigation among Malaysian hotel employees

PurposeDespite the significant economic contributions of the tourism and hospitality industry, it is also considered an emerging concern for its negative impact on the environment. This study investigated the association between green inclusive leadership (GIL), green human resource management (GHRM), and employee proactive pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). The study also investigated the mediating effect of GHRM between GIL and proactive PEB.Design/methodology/approachHotel employees in Malaysia were the respondents in this study. The researchers used a cross-sectional approach and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the data.FindingsResults found a significant relationship between GIL, GHRM and proactive PEB. Findings of the study revealed that GHRM significantly meditates the relations between GIL and proactive PEB.Practical implicationsThis study presents practical implications for the hotel industry by encouraging employees' environmentally responsible behaviour. Enlightening the role of environmentally open and accepting ways to promote positive employee behaviour is of considerable practical use not solely for the organisations but additionally for culture as a whole.Originality/valueTheoretical contributions are made by constructing a new structural model supported by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the induction of GIL, GHRM, and proactive PEB and measuring the factors simultaneously. The study further established the mediating role of GHRM between GIL and proactive PEB.

Researching the customer’s perception on EMS implementation in selected choice of hotels in Malaysia: A preliminary study on Theoretical, Methodological and Empirical Assessment

Researching the customer’s perception on EMS implementation in selected choice of hotels in Malaysia: A preliminary study on Theoretical, Methodological and Empirical Assessment

Sustainable Facilities Management (SFM) initiatives in Malaysia hotel industry: reliability and validity analysis using Smart-PLS

This paper presents the reliability and validity analysis of the data collection instrument used in a larger study scale. A pilot study has been employed to prove the viability of the questionnaire survey and make improvements prior to the actual survey examining the framework of Sustainable Facilities Management (SFM) initiatives for Malaysia’s hotel industry. A survey was conducted among 5-star hotels registered under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia. A total of 34 respondents were successfully recruited from Klang Valley’s hotel staff. The reliability and validity analyses of this pilot study were conducted using PLS-SEM: SMART-PLS Version 3.3.2. The study’s findings revealed that the surveyed SFM initiatives in the hotel organisations were statistically significant. In addition, the findings indicated that the SFM initiatives positively contributed towards sustainable development goals (SDG); particularly SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 12, and SDG 13. The study’s main implications further confirmed that the instrument used in the pilot study fulfilled the acceptable requirements of the reliability and validity range for the main data collection purpose of the intended study.

Compensation plan for the hotel sector in Malaysia

ABSTRACT The hotel industry faced difficulties in attracting and retaining employees due to poor compensation. To develop an attractive compensation plan, this study investigates the elements of compensation plans for non-managerial employees in luxury hotels in Malaysia. Data were collected using qualitative semi-structured interviews supplemented by a short survey. The findings indicate that compensation plans differ based on their compensation structure, hotel location, and whether there is a collective agreement between the employer and employee’s union. COVID-19 pandemic posed greater challenge to unionized hotels. The trade-offs between elements of compensation plan are discussed, a model of compensation plan for the hotel industry is developed, and recommendations for design of a compensation plan are provided.

Malaysian Hotel Certification in the Islamic Tourism Industry

Shariah compliant hotel is an essential product in Islamic tourism where many activities could be available there. Thus, certification plays a significant role as a symbol of commitment for the hotel operators to comply with the Shariah principles. By using qualitative methodology, this study aims to explore the Malaysian certification bodies that offer Islamic related certificates to the hotel. There is no standardisation on the certification requirements and approach among the certification bodies to certify the Shariah compliant hotel. Thus, the government should introduce a mechanism to monitor certification to the Shariah compliant hotel. Keywords: Shariah Compliant Hotel; Islamic Tourism; Certification Scheme; Halal Standard eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI7%20(Special%20Issue).3811

Effect of e-Service Quality on Customer Engagement Behaviors: Insight from the hotels in Malaysia

The reopening process has begun Covid-19, especially in the hotel operation. Therefore, the hotel industry must understand the need to influence customers' choices through advanced of information technology (IT). This study is intended to explore the effect of t e-service quality on customer engagement behaviors in Malaysian hotels. This study was analyzed via PLS-SEM with 247 respondents. The findings indicate that system availability significantly influences customer engagement behaviors, followed by efficiency, system availability, privacy/security, and fulfillment. Based on what this study found, Malaysian hotel service providers will be able to improve the quality of their e-services to get customers more involved. Keywords: e-service quality, customer engagement, hotel industry, website. eISSN 2514-751X © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER & cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v7i22.410

Ethical decision intention of first-line managers: Case study in Malaysia hotel industry

In this study, the researchers try to identify the factors that encourage/prohibit them to reason and behave ethically in order to derive a prescriptive guidance that can enhance the process, while practicing managers to develop policies and programs that strengthened employees’ ethical resolve on the job. In this study, Bratman’ Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) model used to explain the research framework, the ethical decision intention component (ethical awareness, ethical judgment and ethical intention) are examined how their relationship towards each other. The researchers has employed survey-based approach to meet the study’s objectives and self-administrated questionnaires were used to gather data from 120 first line managers who work in 4-star and 5-star hotels in Malaysia respectively. These significance findings make a unique contribution towards the development of moral theories, as the researchers will not perceive them as individual but a comprehensive process to aware, evaluate and intend to act morally right. Through the findings of this study, it urges organizations to emphasize the importance of the ethical dilemma in their professional education at both the initial stage and through ongoing professional development.