Research in Hospitality Management

Editorial

2022-12-01T13:27:42+00:00

No Abstract.

Can I bring my pet? The space for companion animals in hospitality and tourism

2022-12-01T13:41:38+00:00

Companion animals play an important role in our lives as pets, as emotional support animals, as guide dogs, or through different forms of pet therapy. The sociological, emotional and physical space that companion animals have been gaining in our lives and houses has steadily grown for more than a century. Such a trend reflects a societal change with regard to the human-animal relationship as well as an increasing attention towards such a relationship, questioning and scrutinising its ambiguities and hypocrisies. In the hospitality and tourism sector, the sociological and physical space for companion animals seems overlooked and under-researched. Therefore, this research note aims at filling this gap by calling for further studies and research in this field.

Predicting hospitality management students’ intention to enter employment in the hospitality industry on graduation: a person– environment fit perspective

2022-12-01T13:48:19+00:00

This study investigates factors predicting hospitality management students’ intention to enter employment in the hospitality industry upon graduation. Survey data were collected from 591 hospitality management students in a hotel management school in the Netherlands. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that study progress negatively predicted, while preferences for large organisations, engaging work content and growth opportunities positively predicted students’ intention to enter the hospitality industry. Supplementary analyses further revealed that among higher study year students, growth opportunity was the most crucial predictor for intention to enter the industry. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

“When you mix the best of high society with the best of high society”: culinary cannabis and the US hospitality industry

2022-12-02T06:45:15+00:00

The culinary use of cannabis in the US has increased dramatically in the wake of relaxed federal and state laws governing the production, distribution, possession and use of it and its derivatives. While cannabis refers to both hemp and marijuana — both of which produce the chemical compound cannabidiol (CBD) — only marijuana contains delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient traditionally associated with its illicit use. Despite the distinction between the two types of plants and the chemicals that they are prized for creating, edible cannabis, due in part to repeated depictions in popular culture, has long been synonymous with cheap, box-mix, “pot” brownies made by a stereotypical on-screen stoner. Thus, stigmas surrounding its use persist. However, cannabis is becoming increasingly prized for its culinary uses and gastronomic profiles. The changing perceptions, legality and array of available strains of cannabis, as well as the resulting interest in its gastronomy, will no doubt have a significant impact on the American hospitality industry. This article clarifies the term “culinary cannabis” to describe the non-problematic use and/or enjoyment of hemp and/or marijuana (or ingredients derived from the two plant species) in food. It also speculates as to how the trend of culinary cannabis may impact the hospitality industry and identifies avenues for future research.

Hotel facilities’ management practices and employee performance in Kenya

2022-12-02T07:00:26+00:00

This study investigated the efficacy of hotel facilities’ management practices on employee performance. A descriptive research survey was applied, while the study area was Nairobi County. The sampling techniques applied were a census, stratified, purposive and simple random sampling which gave a sample size of 144 employees. Study results show that sufficient lighting to allow ease of working and moving around safely gave the highest mean value among maintenance management factors (3.95), while work surfaces and head-height beams yielded the highest mean (3.95) among hotel workplace design factors. Nonetheless, health and safety had the majority (40%) of respondents among the hotel facilities regulations and standards. Finally, hotel maintenance management gave the greatest contribution in the relationship between hotel facilities management practices and employee performance (Β = 0.572, t = 4.637, p < 0.001), while hotel workplace design gave the least contribution (B = −0.299, t = −2.576, p = 0.011).

Sustainable development through the tourism sector: to what extent can sustainable tourism contribute to social justice for the local communities? A case study of the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in South Africa

2022-12-02T07:20:28+00:00

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals promote global sustainable development. One significant part of the socially focused goals for sustainable development is social justice. Regarding this, the tourism sector has been heavily criticised for not adequately contributing to sustainable development, especially social justice, and is blamed for primarily focusing on profit maximisation and benefitting external stakeholders and businesses, but not the local community. Respectively, this research article explores to what extent sustainable tourism can contribute to social justice for local communities. “Socialising tourism” is a novel concept specifically focusing on social justice for local communities. Thus, this concept has been taken into account when exploring the role of sustainable tourism for social justice. In fulfilment of this aim, this study is based on qualitative research with interviewees from the tourism case study of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. The qualitative research is used to explore how Grootbos, as a private business, contributes to sustainable development with forms of social justice for the local communities. Respectively, the personal understanding of the participants of social justice has been investigated. Grootbos’ impact on the local community has been looked at through the lens of socialising tourism. The research shows that sustainable tourism and socialising tourism can contribute to sustainable development in local communities and their perception of social justice. Nevertheless, there is a discrepancy between social justice according to the literature and the aspects mentioned by the participants, which have probably been elicited due to listening to the local community.

Dynamic pricing and perceived fairness: a case study at a hotel on the West Frisian island of Vlieland, The Netherlands

2022-12-02T07:27:00+00:00

The use of dynamic pricing strategies can have a tremendous impact on the hospitality industry. Understanding the variety in the type of customers and the perceptions of customers concerning the fairness of dynamic pricing is essential. This study aimed to investigate how a dynamic pricing strategy could positively affect the demand for a hotel located on the West Frisian island of Vlieland. This research was divided into four topics: determining segments and corresponding booking processes, the importance of price when booking, perceived fairness of price change and how to influence booking behaviour. This research used a survey that was presented to customers of the hotel in this case study for six weeks. Three hundred and sixty- eight customers completed the survey. The evidence suggests that implementing a more elaborate pricing strategy would positively affect the demand for this hotel. While price is still an essential factor when booking, it is concluded that this is not the most important consideration for consumers. If a pricing strategy is implemented, the hotel can improve the occupancy rate and generate more hotel revenue while simultaneously keeping the consumers satisfied. Relevant managerial implications include implementing peak load pricing to influence demand.

Co-branding hotel owners and operators to increase willingness to pay

2022-12-02T07:38:58+00:00

Although hotel brands are well established in the industry, customers have not been educated about the different kinds of properties, nor has hotel structure been utilised as a functional marketing tool. Drawing on previous studies, the purpose of this study is to evaluate consumer branding preferences and willingness to pay because of co-branding and informed ownership, operational, or franchise branding. This two-part study looks at consumer awareness and consumer preferences in the first part through semi-structured interviews, and in the second part, an experimental survey. Results reveal that most travellers do not understand the difference between a corporate-owned and -managed hotel and a franchised hotel. Co- branding efforts for management and ownership companies were not significant in both value perceptions and willingness to pay. However, co-branding efforts by ownership companies with parent companies increased their guests’ willingness to pay.

Employee psychological well-being, transformational leadership and the future of hospitality jobs

2022-12-02T07:48:58+00:00

Employee psychological well-being is a central concern for hospitality establishments as it impacts talent retention. This empirical research explores the relationship between transformational leadership and employee psychological well-being. This relationship is tested through a mediation model where transformational leadership is proposed to explain the effect on the psychological well-being of hospitality employees (hedonic and eudaemonic well- being) through the affective mediators thriving at work and employees’ amplification of pleasant emotions and employee engagement. The cross- sectional data came from 133 5-star hotel employees in the Netherlands. Analysing the responses showed that eudaemonic well-being had to be split into four new variables: growing and giving, liveliness, self-esteem and managing oneself. Furthermore, thriving at work and employee engagement fully mediated between transformational leadership and hedonic well-being, thriving at work fully mediated between transformational leadership and growing and giving, while thriving at work and employees’ amplification of pleasant emotions fully mediated between transformational leadership and self-esteem. A direct relationship was found between transformational leadership and managing oneself. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed in detail.

The impact of sustainability at the workplace on the employee’s motivation and satisfaction

2022-12-02T08:08:15+00:00

This article focuses on the impact of sustainable efforts at the workplace on employees’ motivation and satisfaction. The focus is on the hospitality industry, represented in this case study by the Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. As sustainability is becoming increasingly important in today’s society, this article investigates the effect of sustainability on hospitality staff. This research is exploratory in nature, with a qualitative approach. Data was collected via eight in-person interviews. Subsequently, the data was analysed with thematic analysis as methodology. Collected data was reduced to the essence of the interviewee’s meaning, which allowed for making meaningful conclusions. The study indicated that sustainability is an essential topic for employees and creates a feeling of meaningfulness when sustainable initiatives are implemented in a workplace. Furthermore, the interviewees mentioned that such efforts increase motivation and satisfaction at work. The willingness to be an active part of such strategies was confirmed. This study found that employees see sustainability as a tool for motivation and that it is advantageous for employers to focus on initiatives that are focused on sustainability. Furthermore, the communication of such initiatives should be increased, and employees should also have the chance to be included in the idea finding, planning and implementation of such efforts.

Determinants of customer satisfaction in a high-contact service environment: a study of selected hotels in Abakaliki metropolis, Nigeria

2022-12-02T08:19:53+00:00

This article explores the factors that lead to customer satisfaction, with a particular interest in the hospitality industry of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. In a high-contact service industry such as hospitality, service providers and customers usually have an intimate and direct interaction for a considerable time duration and, as such, sales to and retention of customers is based on the richness or otherwise of such interactions. With this in mind, this study specifically seeks to find out if customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry (especially hotels) is determined by staff service quality, room quality, value and security. Hypotheses were formulated vis-à-vis a theoretical background and conceptual models. Survey data generated from 317 consumers of hotel services in Abakaliki were used as the research database. In analysing the data used for the study, the researchers made use of factor analysis and multiple regression analysis techniques. It was discovered that all the determinants of customer satisfaction under study have an effect on customer satisfaction.

Disrupted dining: decline of the premium food services segment in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic

2022-12-02T08:25:19+00:00

This review article analyses the premium “fine dining” segment of the Indian food services sector, examining trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we discuss the challenges encountered and initiatives taken in response to the global coronavirus outbreak. Using secondary data from market research agencies and government reports, the future of fine dining is conceptualised, supported by academic literature. Our analysis found that the fine dining segment has been shrinking since 2015, with slower overall growth rates than all other segments of the hospitality industry. The augmentation of fine dining restaurants with food delivery services, apps and aggregators is transforming the essence of the sector and foreshadows an ambiguous future. This study of contracting food services in India will aid practitioners studying the challenges and opportunities of this evolving market and how to adapt to a “new normal”. The article contributes to the literature because there are few studies of fine dining in India and research on the impact of COVID-19 on food services is still under development.