The evolution of consumers' demand for hotels under the public health crisis: opinion mining from online reviews

This research aims to grasp the evolution of consumer demand and improve the resilience of the hotel industry under the public health crisis (COVID-19). Online reviews of 7,679 hotels in 10 cities were collected from Ctrip, China's major online hotel platform. Then, we applied opinion mining and time evolution to mine the change in consumer demand before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings show that some consumer demands (e.g. epidemic safety) will change during the outbreak period. However, during the nonoutbreak period, users were more concerned about their own check-in experience (e.g. hotel facilities, front desk services). This article provides new ideas for identifying the dynamic value of online reviews. We suggest that businesses focus on ensuring hotel safety during the crisis period. The results contribute essential theoretical and practical significance to the hotel industry's crisis management during public health crises.

When does breach not lead to violation? A dual perspective of psychological contract in hotels in times of crisis

Implicit psychological contract (PC) represents the dynamic employee-employer relationship, and unlike explicit human resource (HR) practices, PC is an underexplored topic in the crisis management literature. By capturing the dual perspective of hotel employers and employees through interviews, this study investigates the content of PCs and breaches of PCs during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The study identifies salient dimensions of employer obligations such as safety assurance and of employee obligations such as personal protection. While employees emphasized the transactional contracts to protect their individual interests, the employers tried to balance the transactional and relational contracts. The study proposes a dynamic PC breach model that indicates contract breaches lead to varied responses through a complex interpretation process. In general, the study suggests that ensuring mutual consideration is the best way for hotel employees and employers to pull through a crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Perspectives towards hotel stay amidst the COVID-19 pandemic recovery stage: a research from Calamba city, Philippines

After the global tourism industry has experienced the impact of the pandemic, it is critical that people gain confidence in traveling and have the impression that staying in hotels is now safe, because only in this way tourism businesses such as hotels can be fully successful in recovering. For this reason, the researchers guided by a descriptive research design and quantitative research approach, aimed to determine what people think about staying in a hotel, particularly in terms of safety and security, price, location, and service quality, in the time of COVID-19 pandemic recovery stage, focused on the local community of Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines, being one of richest cities in the country and the place where the researchers reside. Moreover, a comparative analysis of the perspective of the respondents has been performed in terms of their age, sex, and educational attainment, identifying which age, sex and educational attainment groups have more positive or negative attitude, and a higher or lower level of hotel stay intention compared with other groups. Being the first study that has assessed the tourism market particularly in terms of their perspective on hotel stay as the hospitality industry attempts to recover from the impact of the pandemic, this is expected to provide a clear picture of the need for management of hotels to continuously work on marketing efforts highlighting the information that it is now safe to practice tourism and stay in their establishments, hence, serving as a guide in coming up with promotional strategies and an action plan, as well as a motivation for researchers who wish to determine the same in their locality or country.

Perception of teachers towards on-line education with specific context to hospitality education in India

Background: On-line education in a way was a forced introduction in our education system in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers as well as students became a part of this shift in education delivery mostly by force and rather by choice. However, in the short run itself it was realised that while shifting to this new-medium has its own challenges it also comes with its own set of advantages. Background: This research paper attempts to study and analyse the perception of teachers in hospitality education towards on-line education. Objective of study is to identify the major challenges and benefits of hospitality education as perceived by faculty members. Methodology: Descriptive research design was employed. The study was conducted by administering a structured questionnaire among faculty members of various IHMs and analysis of data was done. Locale is pan-India reached through google questionnaire method with a sample size of 50 faculty members from different IHMs in the country. Data was analysed with the help of excel tools, bar diagrams and graph. Results: Research revealed that in spite of the sudden paradigm shift in the macro environment faculty members responded well to the challenge of optimising learning for students in an on-line mode. Initially 80% faculty members found this shift challenging but now 80 percent believe that blended learning is future. Assessments and sustaining interest of students however are major challenges with 82 and 84 percent of faculty members respectively agreeing to this being a major issue. Conclusion: Teachers perceive blended learning to be a norm in future. It is perceived that while it's very difficult to impart skill training in an on-line mode, for theoretical classes this could be a preferred mode.

Impact of Electronic Word-Of-Mouth on Consumer-Based Brand Equity and Purchase Intention: Hotel Industry in Thailand

Electronic word-of-mouth is a new form of informal communication where messages are disseminated to others using social media and other electronic platforms. This research investigates eWOM to determine its impact on the perception of brand equity and the intentions of consumers to purchase hotel services in Thailand. Using a quantitative approach and a non-probability sampling method, 410 Thai respondents aged 18 and above with relevant hotel experiences participated in this study. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the model fit and the validity and reliability of the variables. In addition, in order to investigate the relationship between the constructs, first-order and second-order approaches were used, in which eWOM was the second-order construct in the study, while its credibility, valence, and volume, were first-order constructs. The findings indicated that eWOM positively affects all brand equity dimensions and purchase intentions, showing the strongest significant positive effect on brand awareness. Additionally, brand equity dimensions were shown to mediate the effect of eWOM on purchase intentions. Details of the analyses and discussions are included in the latter part of this paper.

Post-pandemic intention to participate in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) events: an integrated investigation through the lens of the theory of planned behavior and perception of Covid-19

PurposeThis paper aims to predict the post-pandemic intention of Indian consumers to participate in tourism and hospitality T&H events by incorporating the perception of Covid-19 (PCOV) into the theory of planned behavior (TPB). It also examines the relationship among attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention and PCOV.Design/methodology/approachThis research employed a quantitative research technique, with data collected using an online questionnaire-based survey from August 23 to October 29, 2021. The sampling approach is convenient, and the sample of this study is comprised of individuals who follow events pages on social networking sites.FindingsThe findings of SEM revealed that the proposed model has better explanatory and predictive power. The path analysis showed that all the variables of the TPB are significantly and positively associated with the post-pandemic intention to participate in the T&H events. However, the PCOV is negatively associated with the post-pandemic intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study give an idea about the post-pandemic intention of Indian consumers to participate in T&H events. The results of this study revealed important practical implications for event management organizations, travel agencies that deal in events, the T&H industry, tourism planners and other stakeholders, as these findings may be used to develop effective marketing strategies.Originality/valueThere has been a lot of research on TPB in the context of coronavirus, but to the best of the authors' knowledge, there is a gap in the literature regarding the intention to participate in T&H events. Hence, this research fills that gap.

Guest preferences and future challenges in the post COVID-19 scenario - an exploratory study of hotel front office department

Background: The hospitality industry is recovering, evolving, and adapting itself in the post COVID-19 era through innovative and sustainable practices backed by the use of technology in entire hotel operations. The hotel Front Office department is no exception in utilizing these evolved practices to understand and influence the customer behaviour while exploring all possible measures to enhance the overall guest stay experience in the post-COVID times. The Front Office department plays a vital role in the passage of accurate and timely information required for flawless guest management in the hotels. Throughout the COVID-19 period, the Front Office practices have evolved through different stages depending upon the factors such as guest preferences, safety and security measures, hygienic conditions, sustainability and use of technology. Objectives: The major objectives are to study the post COVID-19 Hotel guest preferences of non-star category hotels with respect to changing scenario in the Hospitality Industry, to analyse the gaps between hotel guest expectations and perceptions in service quality with special mention of the front office department and to highlight the future challenges faced by hotel industry and suggest possible measured to overcome these challenges. Methodology: Hybrid research approach has been adopted in this study. Grounded theory in qualitative research approach with interview and semi-structured questionnaires are the data collection tools. Survey method with structured questionnaire are quantitative data collection tools. Collected data were analysed through content and thematic tools for qualitative data and quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics (Mean, SD, percentage) and paired t-test as an inferential statistical tool has been applied in this study for conclusion purpose. Results: Result indicates negative as Expected value - perceived value = - (negative). Conclusion: It is concluded that hotel-guests' are not satisfied as provided facilities are not as per guests' expectation. This study gives overview of guests' expectation. It helps hoteliers for modification of hotel's facilities for the guest. The limitation of the study is that the study is conducted in NCR only. Hotels of the same category in the other cities/town may be conducted for getting actual scenario of the phenomena of the hotels. In addition, the study proposes that hotels should adjust their room and service pricing to reflect the reduced demand during the COVID era. Furthermore, the hotel industry will face ongoing challenges, and hotels must be adaptable to remain competitive. By embracing new technologies, providing distinctive experiences, and implementing sustainable practices, hotels can overcome these challenges and flourish in the years ahead.

Analyzing the role of 'emotional intelligence' in developing leadership in the Indian hospitality sector

Background: Emotional intelligence has become a buzz word;Emotional Quotient (EQ) has long overtaken the Intelligence Quotient (IQ). A manager capable of recognizing and managing emotions of the self and of others may be more adept at work. Hoteliers have to work long hours due to which staff may become disgruntled and when insufficient returns are received, it may show up in their behaviour at work. The hotel industry is a service oriented industry which has an intangible product to sell, something that is produced and consumed in the same instant. Objectives: To understand in depth, the concept of emotional intelligence in hospitality. To analyze the link between EI and its role in developing effective leaders in hospitality. Methodology: Convenience sampling was used and the samples were approached online due to COVID. The samples were shortlisted from the personal contacts of the authors in Hyderabad's 5 star hotels holding management level positions. Out of 50-60 samples approached, 43 samples consented for their inclusion. Results: EQ has been ignored in hospitality curriculum with 55% sample base completely agreeing to and same should be for hiring, as voted by all 43 samples. 26 samples were also in complete favor of EI being a necessary pre-requisite for promotions. Conclusion: EI is extremely necessary in leader building and developing EI focused course for the under-graduates will help inculcate the quality in later stages of career.

Re-building strategies adopted by the hospitality sector in the post COVID 19 period

Background: The Novel Coronavirus shock affected impacted the entire world. It affected the hospitality sector badly during the pandemic situation. The hotel industry adopted various strategies to overcome this pandemic situation. Objectives: The study attempts to find out the conditions and the re-building strategies adopted by the hospitality industry such as the amenities and facilities provided to the guest and also the safety measures taken by the hotels during the pandemic situation. Methodology: The study is descriptive in nature. During the pandemic situation there were several problems faced by the hotel industry. The various problems were discussed with the operating departmental heads and the other hotel staff such as executives, associates and job trainees. The primary data was collected from the hotel staff through questionnaire method using the online platforms like Google forms and it was send to the respective persons. 250 samples were taken for the study which included core departmental heads, employees and the trainees of the hotels. Stratified random sampling techniques were used for collecting the data. The data collected was classified and tabulated. The data was analyzed by using different statistical techniques like percentage analysis, Correlation analysis with the help of IBM SPSS Version 23. Results: Safety measures taken by the departments included restaurants being sanitized;rearranging the furniture for maintaining a social distancing;the kitchen staffs getting properly sanitized;wearing mask and gloves. Sterilizing and sanitizing the guest and their belongings before rooming the guest. The billing system was shifted more towards the electronic mode. The staff guided the guests to follow the instructions during their stay in the hotel. Conclusion: The hotel premises including the public areas and the lobby were sterilized and sanitized every two hours in most hotels. The workers were asked to work in staggered shifts. The guest who come to visit and stay in the hotel were made to feel safe and comfortable with the services.

The impact of COVID-19 on the accommodation sector in tourism – a bibliometric analysis

The significance of review articles has been proved. This type of articles is especially necessary now, when immediate actions to save an important economic sector must be taken. The present research aims to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on one of the most important elements of tourism – the accommodation facilities, through bibliometric analysis. In order to achieve this goal, the VOSviewer software was used, and data from one of the world's largest databases of scientific production – the Web of Science, was collected. The bibliographic coupling approach was used in the bibliometric analysis. The bibliometric analysis was followed by content analysis of the most cited studies from each cluster. The effects of COVID-19 on the accommodation facilities are summarized and classified by groups. © M. Nekova.

How the Japanese workcation embraces digital nomadic work style employees. (Special Issue: Leisure, knowledge work and the digital nomadism.)

In Japan, workcations have gained attention as a way to offset the economic damage caused to inbound tourism by the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering its aims to contribute to the local community and increase interactions with local residents, the Japanese-style workcation can be positioned as a form of digital nomadism that seeks alternatives to existing work styles. This study is based on fieldwork in Tottori Prefecture in Japan and includes interviews and participant observation. It aims to examine (1) national and local government workcation policies, (2) the development of new services and businesses that facilitate workcation, and (3) the process of introducing hybrid work in companies. Japanese-style workcation as a social design can offer solutions to problems such as the concentration of population in cities, ageing population, and declining tourism industry. The work styles and lifestyles suggested by the Japanese-style workcation should continue to be explored as an area where new tourism, social design, and community design overlap. At the same time, incorporating digital nomadism as individualism into the workcation remains a future issue.

How Cultural Intelligence Facilitates Employee Voice in the Hospitality Industry

Drawing upon person-environment fit, specifically demands–abilities fit, this paper examines the impact of hospitality employees' cultural intelligence (CQ) on their voice behavior and job satisfaction. Data were collected from domestic contact employees working for restaurants in three major cities in the United States. The results of the PLS-SEM model show that CQ has a positive effect on employees' voice behavior through self-efficacy. Further, CQ has a positive effect on job satisfaction through a sequential mediation of self-efficacy and voice. This study contributes to the CQ and voice literature, utilizing CQ as a person's ability to meet job requirements. This study also has important practical implications for hospitality practitioners who depend on employee voice for the success of organizations in today's ever-changing global environment.

Examining restaurant purchase intention during crises: The role of message appeal

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the joint role of the pandemic-induced source of crisis (i.e. health and social crisis) based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and message appeal in customer perception of and behavioral intention toward a restaurant. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a 2 (source of crisis: social, health) x 2 (message appeal: social, health) between-subjects factorial design. A total of 181 samples was collected and data was analyzed by using ANCOVA and PROCESS. Findings: The results showed a significant two-way interaction between source of crisis and message appeal on to-go intention. With the potential effect of risk aversion being controlled, message appeal significantly impacted perceived competence, which influenced both dine-in and to-go intentions. Practical implications: The research findings suggest a crucial role of perceived fit between message appeal and customer concerns during crises. Therefore, restaurant managers should actively communicate their safety practices with their customers to inspire customer confidence. Originality/value: This study identifies crisis dimensions based on human needs during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which determines the persuasiveness of marketing messages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A research on the using of bank loans in accommodation companies traded in Borsa Istanbul

The main purpose of this research is to analyze the using of bank loans provided by the banking sector in accommodation companies traded in Borsa Istanbul in terms of type, maturity and cost. The study also examined the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the accommodation companies' use of bank loans. In this context, the level of bank loan usage, the type of bank loans, interest rates, maturity and their distribution in currency between the years 2009 and 2021 were tried to be determined by ratio and document analysis. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that 10,84% of the assets in accommodation companies are financed by bank loans, the use of bank loans in total liabilities is 19.92% and short-term bank loans are preferred. It was also detected that accommodation companies mainly benefit from business loans, daily spot loans, revolving loans, current account loans, foreign exchange earning loans, vehicle loans and investment loans in Turkish Lira, Dollar, Euro and Sterling with interest rates varying every year. However, compared to the pre-Covid-19 outbreak period, it was observed that the level of bank loans used by accommodation companies first decreased, but then increased again.

Hospitality employees' technology adoption at the workplace: evidence from a meta-analysis

PurposeThis research aims to use meta-analytical structural equation modeling to look into how hospitality employees use technology at work. It further investigates if the relationship between the constructs of the technology acceptance model (TAM) is moderated by job level (supervisory versus non-supervisory) and different cultures (eastern versus western).Design/methodology/approachIn total, 140 relationships from 30 empirical studies (N = 6,728) were used in this study's data analysis in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis.FindingsThe findings demonstrated that perceived usefulness had a greater influence on "user attitudes” and "acceptance intention” than perceived ease of use. This study also identified that the effect sizes of relationships among TAM constructs appeared to be greater for supervisory employees or in eastern cultures than for those in non-supervisory roles or western cultures.Practical implicationsThe findings provide valuable information for practitioners to increase the adoption of employee technology. Practitioners need to focus on the identification of hospitality employee attitudes, social norms and perceived ease of use. Moreover, hospitality practitioners should be cautious when promoting the adoption of new technologies to employees, as those at different levels may respond differently.Originality/valueThis is the very first empirical investigation to meta-analyze the predictive power of the TAM in the context of hospitality staff technology adoption at the workplace. The findings also demonstrated differences in the predictive power of TAM constructs according to job level and cultural differences.

AN AGENT-BASED MODELLING APPROACH FOR ASSESSING ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN THE RURAL HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Rural hospitality and tourism (RHT) play a key role in rural revitalization, especially due to the impact of COVID-19, with more citizens choosing to travel to the countryside for a staycation. Local SMEs, especially family-owned enterprises, make up the majority of the RHT sector, not only providing services and products to satisfy tourists, but also helping with local employment. However, entrepreneurs operating in rural areas face many challenges in terms of capital, skills and education. Hence, it is important to explore the entrepreneurial intention (EI) of local people and how policies can support or change their behaviours. Current research on the RHT industry, rarely study the EI of local people, and the literature on rural entrepreneurship concentrates on developed countries. This study therefore uses agent-based modelling to explore how locals' EI in Chongming island (China) respond to the current impact of COVID-19, and whether policies will bring about changes on the supply side of RHT sector. © SW 2023.All rights reserved

Financial investments of the dominant cruise companies as a component of the global economic recovery and eventual growth during COVID-19 crisis era

One of the most important sectors of tourism globally is cruise tourism, as is giving a leisure experience to cruisers who are traveling across different destinations. It is also one of the most growing sectors in the tourism industry as is becoming increasingly popular. In this review study, conducted employing thematic analysis and thematic synthesis, the authors aim to approach the COVID-19 crisis era financial investments of dominant cruise companies as a component of global economic growth. Nowadays, the cruise industry operates big cruise ships as is contrary to the cruise industry back in 1960s. This study finds that the biggest cruise companies line up investment plans to renew their cruise fleet with larger, more modern, and environmentally friendly ships, borrowing from favorable financing sources. In other words, the companies are trying to introduce specific strategies to maintain their business growth, by investing in building new vessels with the target of expanding their current fleet with cruise ships with better capacity.

Aspects regarding the diversification of services in hotels as a result of changing consumer behavior post 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with events and travel on hold, all sectors of the hospitality industry have been challenged to reimagine their business models to keep their businesses profitable, even by rethinking them towards sustainability. While there have been positive signs of recovery and increases in hotel bookings, the pandemic has dramatically changed consumer demands and expectations, forcing companies to adapt their offerings accordingly, so hotels have gotten creative over the past 2 years in repurposing and selling rooms and spaces for events, after the negative impact caused by the SARS COV 2 pandemic. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the actions undertaken by tourism operators in order to reinvent the services offered as a result of the pandemic.

Examining the issue of employee intentions to learn and adopt digital technology. (Special Issue: How is hospitality education embedding sustainable practices in their curriculum and programme delivery? an Asian perspective.)

Purpose: In the post-COVID-19 era, the hospitality industry is rapidly moving towards digitalization, which requires employees to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Some employees resist those changes and refuse to upgrade their knowledge, skills and ways of doing things. Therefore, there is a need to understand this unexplored area and so this study examines employee intentions to embrace digital technology from the perspective of upgrading their skills and knowledge. The study investigates the moderating role of the employees' resistance to change motive (RCM) on their intention to embrace digital technology, especially in the post-COVID-19 pandemic scenario. Design/methodology/approach: The research is conducted using dynamic capability view (DCV) theory and status quo bias (SQB) theory. Drawing on the existing literature in this area, a theoretical model is developed, which is validated using the structural equation modelling technique to analyse data from hospitality industry employees. Findings: The results indicate that employees' dynamic capability plays a significant role in employees' upgrading their skill and knowledge capabilities, and this significantly improves employee intention to embrace digital technology. It also finds that the employee RCM plays a significant role in the relationship between upgrading skill capability and their knowledge capability to relation to embracing digital technology. Originality/value: The findings could be used by hospitality managers to better understand employee intentions with regard to adopting digital technology, challenges faced and the way forward.

Measuring the up-to-date quality of online food delivery: Formative index construction

Purpose: This study aims to fill this paucity of knowledge by exploring and formulating a formative index to measure the up-to-date quality of online food delivery (DEQUAL). The quality measurements for online food delivery have not been well recognized and even little is known after the COVID-19 outbreak. This study fills this paucity of knowledge by exploring and formulating a formative index to measure the up-to-date quality of online food delivery (DEQUAL). Design/methodology/approach: Owing to the explorative nature and the lack of developed quality theory under the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, DEQUAL is conceptualized as a formative construct. This study adopts a mixed-method approach including expert interviews and online surveys to ascertain the underlying structure of DEQUAL. Findings: Using partial least squares structural equation modeling as the analytical method, the results support that DEQUAL is a formative construct with 32 indicators. This study provides a measurement index with robust psychometric properties to assist practitioners in evaluating DEQUAL. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes a theoretical and empirical-based conceptualization of DEQUAL as a multi-dimensional construct. Supplementing the past studies which commonly applied the reflective approach, this study evinces that the formative approach is also appropriate and thence furnishes the relevance of the formative index in the service management theories. Practical implications: Practitioners are suggested to apply the validated indicators for service audit and customer relationship management. By systematically monitoring and measuring the online food delivery service quality, restaurants can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Originality/value: This study offers various insights to the service quality literature in the food delivery service context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)