An exploration of female underrepresentation on executive boards in the Dutch hotel industry through an ethical lens

PurposeThis paper elucidates female underrepresentation on executive boards in the Dutch hotel industry through a “feminist” stakeholder perspective, which persists despite public opinion and government initiatives to resolve this enigma. It contributes to this discussion by examining Rhenish governance structures through a “feminist” stakeholder-focused rationale, complementing prevailing Anglo-Saxon shareholder-focused governance research.Design/methodology/approachEleven in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with hotel executive board representatives and five with sublevel management representatives. Saturation was achieved by interviewing all females on Dutch hotel corporate boards regarding their career experiences compared with those of female general managers and male counterparts.FindingsThis paper finds a prevailing “masculinist” perspective of an idealized shareholder-orientated executive and a “feminist” perspective of a humanized stakeholder-orientated executive expressed within the interviews. While the former sacrifices family for their career, the latter balances their family with their career. The former fosters presupposed gender norms, with females commonly sacrificing their careers while males sacrifice their families. Notably, most executives predominantly supported the humanized stakeholder-orientated executive, while recognizing that micro-, meso- and macro-structural barriers remain.Originality/valueThis paper addresses a lacuna in the ethical literature in exploring female executive representation in Rhenish stakeholder-focused governance structures, as opposed to Anglo-Saxon shareholder-focused ones. It found a “masculinist” perspective of an idealized shareholder-focused executive archetype and a “feminist” perspective of a humanized stakeholder-focused executive archetype. Notably, contrary to perceived business norms, several interviewees rejected the former as it is incompatible with family and work, instead seeking the latter which balances between family and work.

Applications of Robot Staff in Hotels

Service robots are being increasingly employed as hotel staff in the hotel industry. This study explored how hotels can better use and implement service robots for their operation. Four hotels using robots as their staff are chosen as examples for investigating what positions the robot staff do and the comments from customers. It was found that the acceptance of robots in delivering transfer services (eg. Carrying luggage, delivering room service, etc.) are higher than when they provide services at the front desk. These results demonstrated that customers have expectations in engaging with heartwarming interaction with staff when they stay in the hotel, which the robot staff are not providing such interaction in current technology. Therefore, it is suggested that the hotels can arrange the robot staff with the position that do not interact with customers in the current stage. The robot staff can assist the human staff in providing service until they can develop a sophisticated system in two-way interaction.

The Impact of Hotel Customer Experience on Customer Satisfaction through Online Reviews

With the growing popularity of the internet, customers can easily share their experiences and information in online reviews. Consumers recognize online reviews as a useful source of information prior to consumption, and many online reviews influence consumer purchasing decisions. Understanding the customer experience in online reviews is thus necessary to maintain customer satisfaction and repurchase intention for the sustainable development of the hotel business. This study assessed the fundamental selection attributes of customers from online reviews reflecting the hotel customer experience, and investigated their association with customer satisfaction. A total of 8229 reviews were collected from Google travel websites from December 2019 to July 2021. Text mining and semantic network analysis were adopted for big data analysis. Factor and regression analyses were then used for quantitative analysis. Based on linear regression analysis, the Service and Dining factors significantly affected customer satisfaction. Service is a critical selection attribute for customers, and the provision of more particular services is necessary, especially after COVID-19. These results indicate that understanding online reviews can provide theoretical and practical implications for developing sustainable strategies for the hotel industry.

Supplier selection criteria in the Greek hotel food and beverage divisions

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions in the Greek hotel industry. This research aimed to (1) examine the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions of the Greek hotel industry, as these were perceived by the Greek purchasing managers themselves; (2) investigate the underlying factors when changing a supplier.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted using a closed-ended type questionnaire. Data collection met the following three criteria: hotels with a fully operational food and beverage division could participate in the research, the research population comprised all the hotels located in 13 regions of Greece, the sample represented over 10% of the total hotels in each region. Finally, 653 valid questionnaires were collected.FindingsExploratory factor analysis showed that six broad sets of factors affect supplier selection in the food and beverage divisions: those related to raw materials, financing, environment, services, origin-nutrients and people. Regarding the factors considered in changing a supplier, three factors were found: service and product quality, economic policy change, food quality and safety management systems.Research limitations/implicationsGreek hotel managers could use the findings of the study to effectively create a supply chain management strategy that will lead to improved firm performance. Understanding the importance of the selection criteria for the supply chain performance and the need to build strong relationships with stakeholders, suppliers could also create a proper supply chain.Originality/valueThe study adds to the knowledge regarding the perspectives of the Greek purchasing managers in food and beverage divisions in hotel industry and the body of much-needed research. Using exploratory factor analysis, a sort of grouping of the variables seems beneficial for simplifying how to present and understand the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions within the Greek context.

Resilience of the Hotel Industry in COVID-19

COVID-19 has resulted in restrictions on travelling and public get-togethers. Amid the pandemic, one of the industries to be the most severely affected is the hotel industry. In the post-covid period, the industry is struggling for its subsistence due to mounting debts, change in behavior and perception of consumers, and lack of cash flows. This has resulted in loss of employment and has also negatively impacted allied industries. However, hotel entrepreneurs have shown resilience amid the crisis and have begun to explore novel opportunities. Hotels have adopted innovative technological and digital ways to satisfy the needs of the consumers for a contactless experience. The objective of this chapter is to explore the responses of the Indian hotel industry to the pandemic and risks associated with it. It explores the new paradigm and challenges for the industry and explains the resultant new trends in the hotel industry. The emphasis is on the exploration of long-term recovery and resilience of the hotel industry in India along with the policy measures and implications for the hotel industry.

Historical Turning Points in Tourism: The Establishment of the Hotel Board in South Africa

The concept of “turning points” is increasingly applied to understand the evolution of tourism. Using archival research, it is demonstrated that a significant turning point for the evolution of tourism in South Africa occurred in 1964–1965 with the establishment of the Hotel Board and the beginnings of its operations. From 1928 government legislation produced a hotel industry in which most “hotels” were oriented more to liquor selling than the supply of accommodation services. This trajectory of the hotel industry continued into the 1960s. Arguably, the initiation of the Hotel Board was a turning point in the growth and modernization of the hotel sector and for the tourism industry in South Africa. Undertaken at a period of expansion in the domestic and international tourism industry as well as of rising government awareness as to the potential economic (and political) benefits from expanded tourism promotion the activities of the Hotel Board addressed the long standing shortcomings surrounding the quality and standards of provision of accommodation services in South African hotels. It represented a transition in the character of the tourist hotel in South Africa from one that was formerly dominated by liquor to an institution that—going forward—would be mainly concentrated on the provision of hospitality services.

Travellers' Intentions to Use Facial Recognition Systems for Authentication in Hotels

With the rapid development of this technology, facial recognition systems have become widely adopted in recent years. The application of the facial recognition systems by the hotel industry has resulted in a novel service model, as well as in high expectations. These systems can be used to improve conventional services and can also enhance hotel security. Based on theory, this paper employs a technology acceptance model to gain a deeper understanding of how travelers' intention to use facial recognition systems for authentication is formed. This paper employed the survey method and used data from 413 subjects to develop a model yielding results with both theoretical and management implications. These results highlight the advantages and potential commercial value of facial recognition systems, and can provide useful analysis and suggestions for the hotel industry.