An Evaluation of the Relationship Between Human Resource Practices and Service Quality: An Empirical Investigation in the Canadian Hotel Industry

Human resource (HR) practices have been recognised as a key function in enhancing organisational productivity and competitive advantage. It has been noted that most studies that are based on the relationship between HR practices and performance indicators (e.g., service quality) in hotels hide an important element that tells hoteliers which factors to concentrate on in cases of poor performance. Our study aimed to examine the influence of HR practices on service quality in the Canadian hotel industry. This study seeks to investigate how HR practices (recruitment and selection, training, rewards and incentives, and internal career opportunities) help to improve the service quality. We used a qualitative method by establishing three sets of semi-structured interviews to obtain data from the top to the bottom of the hierarchy within hotels. We found that HR practices help in delivering high service quality. A key contribution of this study that it offers a workable definition of service quality and then a robust model for the relationship between HR practices and service quality that contributes to enhance knowledge of the causal relationship between them. In addition, our study contributes by identifying which HR practices a hotel could adopt to gain a service quality advantage in the marketplace. The data gathered for the proposed study may limit the findings' applicability to independent hotels that are not affiliated with international hotel chains. However, because of the low number of empirical research and the need to get a deeper knowledge of the link between HR practices and service quality, generalisation of the findings from the current descriptive-qualitative study is not a concern. Further research may include some control and context variables (e.g., hotel ownership type, position level, gender) that we did not include in this investigation. In addition, in the future, we recommend using mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) in order to come up with more generalisable results.

Applying Property Pricing Models to Estimate a Foreclosure Discount in the Hotel Real Estate Sector

This study investigates the magnitude of the foreclosure sale discount in the hotel sector. The foreclosure sales discount is captured using three different models: hedonic, hybrid, and repeat sales. Controlling for various hotel attributes and time, the hedonic model shows a foreclosure discount of 40%, followed by the repeat sales model at 42% and the hybrid model at 45%, all relative to non-distressed market prices. The results of the study provide novel empirical evidence of cross-sectional variation in foreclosure discounts between independent hotels and branded hotel segments and by location. In particular, variation in the foreclosure discount is driven by independent and upscale hotels and hotels located in resorts, small metro towns, and urban locations. In addition, the study results reveal the influence of occupancy, deferred maintenance, renovation, and holding period on transaction prices.

Mapping information systems maturity: the case of the portuguese hospitality industry

Hospitality is a highly competitive market that struggles to improve its performance. The use of technology is a critical factor for more efficient performance. To understand decision-makers' perception of information systems' influence and importance in their organisations, we conduct a case study in Portugal. The objective was to assess information systems' maturity level of independent hotels and small hotel chains, mapping the level to the hotel's characteristics. In addition, this study explores the types of systems used and hoteliers' main factors, drivers, and limitations to invest in information systems' maturity. We examined 86 companies, representing a total of 195 hotels. The analysis design was done following the Network Exploitation Capability (NEC) model. We found that, generally, hoteliers consider that their companies take more advantage of technology and information systems than they really do. These findings emphasise the importance of the use of technology in hospitality performance and the lack of knowledge that hoteliers have on the subject.

A Comparison of Tourist Arrivals Among Franchised Versus Independent Hotels

The purpose of this article is to review the different influences of franchised hotels and independent hotels on tourist arrivals, length of stay, overnights, and generating markets of tourists to highlight differences between these two business concepts. The data for this study were obtained by MONSTAT, the Montenegrin statistical office, and combined with author calculations. Data are arranged in time series from 2009 to 2018. The analysis reveals significant differences between the influence of franchised hotels and independent hotels in terms of increased tourist arrivals, generating markets, length of stay, and consequently overnights. The findings of this study may support decision-makers in tourism to develop better strategies and action plans that are specifically important in small markets where a lack of space is evident.

“Most Americans like their privacy.” Exploring privacy concerns through US guests’ reviews

Purpose This study aims to explore US hotel guests’ privacy concerns with a twofold aim as follows: to investigate the privacy categories, themes and attributes most commonly discussed by guests in their reviews and to examine the influence of cultural proximity on privacy concerns. Design/methodology/approach This study combined automated text analytics with content analysis. The database consisted of 68,000 hotel reviews written by US guests lodged in different types of hotels in five European cities. Linguistic Inquiry Word Count, Leximancer and SPSS software were used for data analysis. Automated text analytics and a validated privacy dictionary were used to investigate the reviews by exploring the categories, themes and attributes of privacy concerns. Content analysis was used to analyze the narratives and select representative snippets. Findings The findings revealed various categories, themes and concepts related to privacy concerns. The two most commonly discussed categories were privacy restriction and outcome state. The main themes discussed in association with privacy were “room,” “hotel,” “breakfast” and several concepts within each of these themes were identified. Furthermore, US guests showed the lowest levels of privacy concerns when staying at American hotel chains as opposed to non-American chains or independent hotels, highlighting the role of cultural proximity in privacy concerns. Practical implications Hotel managers can benefit from the results by improving their understanding of hotel and service attributes mostly associated with privacy concerns. Specific suggestions are provided to hoteliers on how to increase guests’ privacy and on how to manage issues related to cultural distance with guests. Originality/value This study contributes to the hospitality literature by investigating a neglected issue: on-site hotel guests’ privacy concerns. Using an unobtrusive method of data collection and text analytics, this study offers valuable insights into the categories of privacy, the most recurrent themes in hotel guests’ reviews and the potential relationship between cultural proximity and privacy concerns.

How leadership affects organisational citizenship behaviour – a study of independent hotels

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that managers in independent hotels can influence to improve organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) by examining the relationship between leadership style and OCB through newly developed balanced organisational culture and trust variables. Unlike most studies, which have been on chain hotels, this study investigates these relationships in independent hotels in Iran. Additionally, organisational size was also included in the study. Design/methodology/approach Using information from Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, 160 independent hotels were identified and approached. A survey was assembled using well-known instruments. In total, 392 usable questionnaires out of 1,150 distributed were collected from employees and analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings Contrary to previous studies, it was found that in this context, neither transformational nor transactional leadership affects trust directly but only through balanced organisational culture, and only transactional leadership had a direct relationship with OCB. Also, organisational size had a moderating effect on the relationship between trust and OCB. Originality/value The authors add to the theoretical literature dealing with the different behaviour of constructs developed in a Western context in other contexts and suggests that hotel managers in a collectivist culture, like Iran, who want to build OCB can do so by creating organisational culture conditions (Balanced Organisational Culture) that foster trust between managers and their subordinates.

Barriers and drivers of environmental sustainability: Australian hotels

Purpose The paper presents the findings of research into the barriers to and drivers of environmentally sustainable policies and practices (ESPPs) in the Australian hotel industry. This study aims to explore these drivers and barriers from the perspective of hotel managers and involve a range of hotels with different hotel industry profiles and management structures. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted one-on-one interviews with hotel managers to explore the barriers to and drivers of ESPPs. The purpose of the sample and sample size was to ensure representation of different segments of the hotel industry to include international chain affiliated hotels, Australian chain affiliated hotels and independent hotels. Findings An analysis of the findings suggests that the major barriers to implementing and sustaining environmental sustainability in the Australian hotel industry are time, financial challenges, availability of resources and the views and imperatives of hotel owners and shareholders. The major drivers are financial, marketing, owner and shareholder interests and guest preferences. These stakeholders play a major role in creating both barriers and drivers. Research limitations/implications Based on the results, this study can modify the application of stakeholder theory to a degree and argue that stakeholders need to co-operate further to drive sustainability. This study demonstrates that management of environmental sustainability is a challenge for many hotels and there is a particular need for small and independent hotels to embrace environmental sustainability to keep pace with their larger counterparts. Originality/value This study is broadly informed by the stakeholder theory. Owners, shareholders and associated stakeholders have a significant influence over environmental sustainability in the Australian hotel industry and they create both drivers and barriers. Responses from hotel managers in this research demonstrate that owners act as a barrier to as well as a driver of environmental sustainability initiatives in the Australian hotel industry.

Is Chain Affiliation a Strategic Asset or Constraint in Emerging Economies? Competitive Strategies and Performance in the Russian Hotel Industry

The purpose of the paper is to find out how chain affiliation, an important strategic choice and a key determinant for hotel performance, influences the strategy-performance nexus in the emerging economy context. It combines the resource- and institution-based views to investigate how chain affiliation moderates the relationship between competitive strategy and performance. This is done by distinguishing between market-based strategies based on differentiation or cost leadership, and non-market strategies that manifest in institutional advantage. The empirical analysis draws from original survey data on 162 hotels located in the Russian cities Moscow and St. Petersburg. The paper finds that first, in emerging economies the competitive edge of chain-affiliated hotels largely arises from market-based advantage, but only in terms of cost advantage. The finding that differentiation advantage is not an important factor of performance for chain-affiliated hotels suggests that firm-level resources derived from chain affiliation would not transform into competitive advantage in the emerging economy context. Second, it is found that institutional advantage is more important determinant of performance for independent hotels, demonstrating the importance of local knowledge and relationships for firms in emerging economies. This finding also suggests that chain affiliation might be rather a strategic constraint than asset for creating superior performance via institutional advantages in the emerging economy context.

Stakeholders’ Awareness of Quality and Quality Management Systems in Zimbabwean Hotels

The aim of the study was to investigate the stakeholder’s awareness of quality and quality management systems (QMS) in the Zimbabwe hotel industry. This study sought to investigate the stakeholder’s awareness of quality and quality management systems (QMS) in the Zimbabwe hotel industry by (1) establishing the definition of quality, (2) exposing dimension of service quality, (3) identifying how customer satisfaction is measured and (4) identifying quality management systems and quality philosophy used in hotels. Appreciation of quality and QMS in the hotel industry can assist stakeholders to employ holistic measures to improve adoption of quality management systems in hotels and improve the operations of the hotels. The study followed a multi case study approach, with 9 hotels from Harare chosen purposively to represent the hotel industry in Zimbabwe. Managers and key stakeholders were interviewed and focus group interviews were conducted. Key questions on quality definition, dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction measurement were asked and the data was analysed using thematic analysis -directed content analysis. The results showed that stakeholder in the hotel industry are very much aware of QMS, though in abstract. There is greater awareness of quality and QMS among group chain hotels than in independent hotels. There is need to upgrade on quality training in the hotel industry from collaborative perspective so that the stakeholders appreciate quality and QMS fully so that the industry remains competitive.