Kiosks as self-service technology in hotels: opportunities and challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanika Gupta ◽  
Sanjay Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Human Interaction ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Self Service ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Self Service Technology ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Technology Anxiety

Purpose The advent of technology has played a crucial role in changing the landscape of the hospitality sector. One such technology is the adoption and installation of kiosks in hotels. While some of the hotels have adopted and installed kiosks for self-services, the other hotels are still not very comfortable with the idea of self-service. This paper aims to explore the possibilities, challenges and issues that hoteliers face while dealing with self-service kiosks, it further investigates the customer’s perspective and its benefits to the end-user. Design/methodology/approach This study has assimilated data from hotel managers and executives that have deployed kiosks. This study involved the collection of primary data through structured interviews. Eight different hotels from the UK and India have been compared and analyzed to formulate subcategories to answer the research questions. A total of 200 customers from both the countries were approached to get the primary data; the customers were from the same hotel where the hotel executives and managers were interviewed. Findings The customers accepted Kiosks as easy to use, fast to run, fun to operate, but, lacking human interaction and counter language issues were simultaneously discussed. Kiosks have been emerging as self-service technologies in hotels and play a key role in reducing bottlenecks in hotel operations. The technology anxiety and counter service argument is merely a transition phase that will fade away gradually. However, the financial feasibility and the level of adoption depend upon the level of operations and the demographic characteristics of customers. Research limitations/implications The dependence of data from the person interviewed and their biases for answers, along with the trust and credibility of the data available online remain the biggest challenge. Increasing the sample size and more participation from different hotels would have made the study even more useful. Originality/value The research seeks to eliminate the gap in research by studying both the hotels' and the customers' perspective toward kiosks deployment in hotels. The results of the study would highlight the potential challenges being faced by hotel operations and opportunities they perceive in kiosks installation, therefore the results are very useful for hotels, hoteliers, academicians and students pursuing a career in the hospitality sector.

scholarly journals The Use of Self-Service Technologies in Budget Hotels: The Case of Bournemouth

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-261
Author(s):  
Charalampos Giousmpasoglou ◽  
Thi Thuy Hua
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Operational Efficiency ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Self Service ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Hotel Managers

Abstract Self-service technologies (SSTs) have been implemented across all service industries. The hotel business in the UK, including budget hotels, has been increasingly adopting SSTs both to enhance customer service and to create operational efficiency. In addition to providing guests with accommodation and basic services, budget hotels are now using SSTs with a view to increasing controlling and operational efficiency, human resource management and engaging guests in a more intelligent service design. Previous studies have mainly focused on the users’ perspectives, not on the use of SSTs themselves in budget hotels. The purpose of this study, then, is to explore the implications of SSTs in budget hotels both from a managerial and a guest perspective. Bournemouth has been selected as a case study for this research because it is one of the most popular resorts in the UK. This qualitative study employed 14 semi-structured interviews with budget hotel managers and guests who have used SSTs while staying in budget hotels in Bournemouth. The research findings show that maxim-ising operational efficiency is a key benefit of SST implementation from a managerial perspective. On the other hand, efficiency, accessibility, privacy and self-control over transactions are the main benefits of an SST, emphasised by customers. Overall, there is positive feedback from both managers and guest on the usage of SSTs in budget hotels in Bournemouth. The authors conclude that advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), in conjunction with SSTs, will transform the hospitality industry in the near future.

Anxiety, crowding, and time pressure in public self-service technology acceptance

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Gelbrich ◽  
Britta Sattler
Keyword(s):  
Time Pressure ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Self Service ◽  
Self Service Technology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Technology Anxiety

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and to test a model that illustrates the impact of technology anxiety on the intention to use a self-service technology (SST) in public. The study includes two context variables that are relevant in public settings: perceived crowding and perceived time pressure. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional survey was conducted to reflect individual perceptions and intentions when initially using a self-checkout. The proposed relationships and interaction effects were examined using structural equation modeling. Findings – The analysis confirms the core relationships of the model (technology self-efficacy→technology anxiety→perceived ease of use→ intention to use) and yields three important results. First, technology anxiety has a direct negative effect on intention to use, which is greater than the indirect effect through the reduction of ease of use. Second, perceived crowding reinforces the negative effect of technology anxiety. Third, when perceived crowding coincides with perceived time pressure, technology anxiety almost completely inhibits the intention to use the SST in public. Research limitations/implications – Technology anxiety is examined as the only antecedent of perceived ease of use. Practical implications – Initial encounters to public self-service technologies should be provided in servicescapes that avoid or at least reduce perceptions of crowding and time pressure. Originality/value – The approach highlights the impact of technology anxiety on the acceptance of self-service technologies used in public by considering two context variables that are salient in public settings: perceived crowding and perceived time pressure.

scholarly journals Tourism in the post(?) COVID-19 era: evidence from the hotel sector in the North East of England

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Zoi Spanaki ◽  
Andreas Papatheodorou ◽  
Nikolaos Pappas
Keyword(s):  
Business Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Hotel Sector ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Hotel Managers

Purpose This paper aims to examine developments in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic using the hotel sector in the North-East of England as the area of study. The country has attracted a lot of attention not only because of its importance as a tourism destination but also due to its rather controversial management of the pandemic at least in its early stages. Design/methodology/approach Fifteen semi-structured interviews based on ten open-ended questions were conducted with North East of England-based hotel managers of international brands on the level of their hotels’ preparedness to effectively deal with pandemic cases. The interviews took place in August and September 2020 with participants kept anonymous. Findings Meeting new operational and bureaucratic requirements added to the cost structure and proved a major challenge for managers who saw their hotel occupancy rates and revenue collapsing within a short period of time. Innovative and aggressive pricing strategies were introduced to lure especially younger travelers in the absence of business clientele. Staff were made redundant and/or asked to work overtime making effective human resource management very difficult. Originality/value This is one of the first research attempts to highlight the importance of the COVID-19 pandemic for the hotel sector in a major region of the UK. The paper also attempts some generalization by discussing managerial implications and suggesting a possible way forward for the hotel sector. Developing resilience by building on previously used successful business practices proves of essence.

scholarly journals The Elusive Search for Talent: Skill Gaps in the Canadian Luxury Hotel Sector

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46
Author(s):  
Frederic Dimanche ◽  
Katherine Lo
Keyword(s):  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Luxury Hotels ◽  
Skill Gaps ◽  
Unique Experience ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Managerial Positions ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Luxury Market ◽  
Luxury Hotel

The luxury segment of the hospitality sector has been growing worldwide. Luxury hospitality is about providing a unique experience for guests, and this type of experience requires having employees who understand the luxury culture and are trained at the highest level. Luxury hotels compete for the best talents, but the current pool of candidates for customer-facing and managerial positions within these establishments is limited. The purpose of this study was to identify skill gaps in Canada’s luxury hotels. Primary data were collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews with twenty luxury hotel managers and analyzed with NVivo 12. Respondents agreed about the skills required for brands to succeed in the luxury market, but they lamented the lack of qualified talents and the difficulty of training and retaining qualified collaborators. The results of the study point to the need to address the luxury skill gap in the hospitality sector, particularly in Canada. Recommendations to address this problem are proposed.

“Are the new proposals for reform of directors’ disqualification requirements in the UK sufficient or cosmetic?”

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-390
Author(s):  
Norman Mugarura
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulatory Regimes ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The paper aims to examine the circumstances in which directors who fail to perform their duties and responsibilities with due diligence can be sanctioned and to evaluate whether the recent changes for reform both in the UK and European Union (EU) are adequate to deter directors from misfeasance or to cure defects in the law. The purpose of this paper is to articulate regulatory regimes for disqualification of corporate directors and the proposed changes to tighten loose ends in this area of commercial law. This paper articulates the duties and responsibilities of Corporate Officer and the varied context in which they are manifested in the UK. Owing to the onerous nature of corporate directorship, directors cannot passively sit in boardrooms or on their committees, but they need to demonstrate that they are hands on to get things done as expected. The first part of the paper articulates the current regimes on director’s disqualification so that it is used as a basis to examine the efficacy of the proposed changes for reform both on this area in the UK and Europe. The second part of the paper examines the proposed reform for change both in UK and in Europe and their efficacy to plug in law and practice. This area of corporate law is increasingly regulated by a number of agencies to ensure that directors perform their duties and responsibilities with due diligence. Design/methodology/approach The paper is structured in two parts whereby the first part examines the framework for disqualification of corporate directors and related issues in the UK. The second part articulates recent changes in the law on director’s disqualification with a view to evaluate whether these changes are robust enough to enhance the position of shareholders to ensure the company is well-managed for their interests or whether overregulation is inimical to the company by hindering directors from executing their corporate responsibilities with a measure of discretion. Findings The findings reflect that regulatory reforms should be evolved and implemented to strike a balance in ensuring that regulatory regimes are implemented not to penalise corporate directors unnecessarily but also to ensure that rules are respected. The paper urges caution because overregulation can inhibit corporate director from taking necessary risks (to be more guarded) to secure their positions. Research limitations/implications The paper was written on the basis of secondary and primary data sources often also alluding to empirical cases studies. It would have been better to carry out structured interviews to corroborate some of the findings of the paper. Practical implications Corporate governance is an onerous task, and thus, it requires corporate officers to exercise due diligence in execution of their duties and responsibilities. Getting the issue of corporate governance wrong often has ramifications for the company and respective corporate officers. These ramifications include not least penalising individual directors by disqualification from holding corporate directorship or the company being wound up altogether. Social implications Corporation plays an important role in the society such as creating employment opportunities, markets for goods and services, generating revenues to governments and the list goes on. Therefore, the way they are managed has important implications for societies and governments. Originality/value Even though the paper was written on the basis of primary and secondary data sources, it was done in a distinctive manner to foster the objective for writing it.

Dirty money in Jamaica

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Alice Young
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Police Training ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proceeds Of Crime ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state and future pressures of money laundering on Jamaica and the financial crime connections between the UK and Jamaica. Design/methodology/approach – The paper focuses on the primary data collected from a series of semi-structured interviews with members from the law enforcement and financial services sectors of Jamaica. The main objective of the interviews was to secure a range of opinions concerning the problem of money laundering in the country. Interviewees were selected from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Financial Investigation Division of the Ministry of Finance and Planning, the British High Commission and the Financial Services Commission. The names of all subjects shall remain anonymous to protect the privacy of those who were interviewed. Findings – Through the analysis of primary data it will be shown that Jamaica remains vulnerable to money laundering – particularly the proceeds of crime laundered through the remittance sector – despite a legislative overhaul in 2007 to adopt the UK’s Proceeds of Crime Act. Ineffective legislation is most certainly due to generic weaknesses and flaws which are applicable to many Caribbean states, for example, a lack of political will to enforce anti-money laundering regulations, corruption, inadequate police training, lack of resources, a strong remittance sector and geographical positioning along a drug-trafficking route. Originality/value – This paper is the first of its kind to comprehensively analyze the money laundering situation in Jamaica, using detailed first accounts from members of the law enforcement and financial sectors.

scholarly journals Collaboration in a circular economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 769-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj Dora
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Collaborative Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Given the lacuna in sustainability studies which investigate collaborative supply chain relationships in the context of the circular economy (CE), the purpose of this paper is to explore how farmers manage stakeholder relationship in the supply chain to reduce food waste within the CE framework. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews is used to collect primary data for this research. Interviews are conducted with farmers across different farming types in the UK. A thematic analysis is used to discuss the most prominent themes. Findings The findings extend previous research investigating collaboration in sustainability settings. Farmers adopt collaborative relationships to manage exchanges of food waste and to share knowledge of waste management practices. However, contrary to extant literature, the study finds that geographic proximity is still relevant in the CE framework, although its importance is determined by the type of exchange: i.e. physical or non-physical. Practical implications Based on the study’s findings, recommendations for further research are proposed. The study also advises on practical considerations for supply chain managers wishing to adopt collaborative relationships to support circular models of supply chains. Originality/value The study contributes to the sustainability literature by adding new knowledge to the relatively new theory of the CE. It demonstrates that factors of collaboration identified in previous sustainability research are still relevant in the CE framework, and thus require further investigation into the significance of collaboration. The study is also of relevance to supply chain managers wishing to adopt the CE framework in the transition to more sustainable supply chains.

“There is still a perception that homelessness is a housing problem”: devolution, homelessness and health in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Whiteford ◽  
Glenn Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Issue Salience ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Comparative Policy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory account of the links between devolution, homelessness and health in the UK. Specifically, it focusses on the policy context and governance structures that shape the systems of healthcare for homeless people in London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach Empirically the paper draws on semi-structured interviews with a small sample of policy and practice actors from the devolved territories. Qualitative interviews were supplemented by a comparative policy analysis of the homelessness and health agenda within the devolved regions. Theoretically, it takes inspiration from Chaney’s concept of the “issue salience of homelessness” and explores the comparative character of healthcare as pertains to homeless people across the devolved territories. Findings The paper provides clear evidence of areas of divergence and convergence in policy and practice between the devolved regions. These features are shown to be strongly mediated by the interplay of two factors: first, the scope and scale of national and local homelessness prevention strategies; and second, intra-national variation in public health responses to homelessness. Originality/value The paper offers considerable insight from a comparative policy perspective into the nature of healthcare provision for homeless people in the devolved regions.

scholarly journals Green business models in the construction sector: an analysis of outcomes and benefits

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Abuzeinab ◽  
Mohammed Arif ◽  
Mohd. Asim Qadri ◽  
Dennis Kulonda
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Green Business ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Green business models (GBMs) in the construction sector represent the logic of green value creation and capture. Hence, the call to examine GBMs is growing ever louder. The aim of this paper is to identify benefits of GBMs by adopting five essential elements of the GBM from the literature: green value proposition; target group; key activities; key resources (KR); and financial logic. Design/methodology/approach In all, 19 semi-structured interviews are conducted with construction sector practitioners and academics in the UK. Thematic analysis is used to obtain benefits of GBMs. Further, the interpretive ranking process (IRP) is used to examine which elements of the GBM have a dominant role in providing benefits to construction businesses. Findings The benefits are grouped into three themes: credibility/reputation benefits; financial benefits; and long-term viability benefits. The IRP model shows that the element of KR is the most important when evaluated against these three benefit themes. Practical implications Linking GBM elements and benefits will help companies in the construction sector to analyse the business case of embracing environmental sustainability. Originality/value This research is one of the few empirical academic works investigating the benefits of GBMs in the construction sector. The IRP method is a novel contribution to GBMs and construction research.

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