Determinants of Mid-scale Hotel Brand Equity

The traditional brand management in the hotel industry is facing a great challenge as numerous brands provide many choices to hotel guests. In such competitive environments, hotel firms realize that capitalizing on one of the most important assests they own- the brand- is critical to achieve a premier growth goal not only rapidly but also in a cost- effective way. THe purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of cutsomer-based hotel brand equity for the mid-priced U.S. lodging segment by assessing the impacts of four-widely accepted brand equity dimensions: brand awareness, brand associations, percieved quality and customer loyalty. 277 travelers participated in this study at the airport in a Midwestern city. Perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand associations were found to be the core components of brand equity, while brand awareness, a seemingly important source of brand equity, did not exert a significant influence on building brand equity of mid-priced hotels. The result of this study sheds insight about how to create, manage, and evaluate a distinctive and successful hotel brand.

Sales Promotion in Hotels:A British Perspective

In their article - Sales Promotion In Hotels: A British Perspective - by Francis Buttle, Lecturer, Department of Hotel, Restaurant, and Travel Administration, University of Massachusetts and Ini Akpabio, Property Manager, Trusthouse Forte, Britain, Buttle and Akpabio initially state: “Sales promotion in hotels is in its infancy. Other industries, particularly consumer goods manufacturing, have long recognized the contribution that sales promotion can make to the cost-effective achievement of marketing objectives. Sales promotion activities in hotels have remained largely uncharted. The authors define, identify and classify these hotel sales promotion activities to understand their function and form, and to highlight any scope for improvement.” The authors begin their discussion by attempting to define what the phrase sales promotion [SP] actually means. “The Institute of Sales Promotion regards sales promotions as “adding value, usually of a temporary nature, to a product or service in order to persuade the end user to purchase that particular brand as opposed to a competitive brand,” the authors offer. Williams, however, describes sales promotions more broadly as “short term tactical marketing tools which are used to achieve specific marketing objectives during a defined time period,” Buttle and Akpabio present with attribution. “The most significant difference between these two viewpoints is that Williams does not limit his definition to activities which are targeted at the consumer,” is their educated view. A lot of the discussion is centered on the differences in the collective marketing-promotional mix. “…it is not always easy to definitively categorize promotional activity,” Buttle and Akpabio say. “For example, in personal selling, a sales promotion such as a special bonus offer may be used to close the sale; an advertisement may be sales promotional in character in that it offers discounts.” Are promotion and marketing distinguishable as two separate entities? “…not only may there be conceptual confusion between components of the promotional mix, but there is sometimes a blurring of the boundaries between the elements of the marketing mix,” the authors suggest. “There are several reasons why SP is particularly suitable for use in hotels: seasonality, increasing competitiveness, asset characteristics, cost characteristics, increased use of channel intermediaries, new product launches, and deal proneness.” Buttle and Akpabio offer their insight on each of these segments. The authors also want you to know that SP customer applications are not the only game in town, SP trade applications are just as essential. Bonuses, enhanced commission rates, and vouchers are but a few examples of trade SP. The research for the article was compiled from several sources including, mail surveys, telephone surveys, personal interviews, trade magazines and newspapers; essentially in the U.K.

Website Performance: Hong Kong Hotels

This research examines the performance of Hong Kong hotel websites in terms of information quality, and compares the performance among different hotel categories. Different from exsisting theoretical studies analyzing hotel websites, this research incorporates the perceptions of hotel guests and practitioners in the evaluation development process. Empirical results reveal that significant differences exist in the performance scores of luxury, mid-priced, and economy hotels. The authors also discuss implications for hotel industry practitioners and policymakers.

An investigation into advertising's ability to foster favorable evaluations of brand extensions

Taking a respected brand name and placing it on a new product has become a popular strategy for leveraging the name's equity and goodwill. Current research has indicated that the success of doing so depends in part on the perceived “fit” between the core brand and the extension. When the name is extended to a closely related product category, consumers are very likely to transfer their favorable attitudes toward the core to the extension. However, as the perceived fit declines, this transfer becomes less likely. ^ This dissertation examined whether particular advertising tactics (e.g., using a common endorser or logo for the core and the extension) could enhance perceived fit between the core brand and its extension, thus leading to more favorable attitudes toward the extension than would otherwise occur. The sample was undergraduate students from universities in the southeast. The generating mechanism tested was that the transfer of associations between core brand and extension would enhance the overlap of associations between the core brand and the potential extension. ^ Research questions were analyzed using a 3 (levels of fit) x 3 (treatments) x 2 (replicate) experiment. The data analysis was conducted with repeated measures ANOVA's, UNIVARIATE ANOVA's, UNIVARIATE ANCOVA'S, and planned linear contrasts. ^ The results, except for the hypotheses on fit as a mediator of extension attitude, do not indicate that the presence of an endorser or brand mark closely aligned with the core brand enhanced perceived fit between core brand and extension. ^

Best practices in exemplary service delivery: A multiple case study of service quality

The purpose of this study was to explain how exemplary service providers in luxury hotels provide consistently excellent service. Using a case study framework, the study investigated the service provider's strategies and concepts of service delivery, the importance and implementation of organizational and individual controls, and the role of training and learning. The study identified barriers to service provision and characteristics of the exemplary individuals that affect their ability to deliver luxury service. This study sought to better understand how exemplary service providers learn, think about, and do their work. The sample population of three Five-Diamond-Award winning resorts was selected for their potential for learning about the phenomenon of interest. The results demonstrate that exemplary service providers possess individual characteristics that are enhanced by the organizations for which they work. Exemplary service providers are often exemplary communicators who are emotionally generous and genuinely enjoy helping and serving others. Exemplary service organizations treat their employees as they treat their customers, as suggested by the Service-Profit Chain (Heskett, Sasser & Schlesinger, 1997). Further, they have systems and standards to guarantee satisfactory service experiences for every guest. They also encourage their service providers to personalize their service delivery and to seek opportunities to delight their guests, using a combination of controls, traditions and cultural values. Several customer service theories are discussed in relationship to whether they were or were not supported by the data. The study concluded that the delivery of exemplary service is a complex phenomenon that requires successful interactions between guests, service providers and the organization. A Model of Exemplary Service Delivery is presented and discussed that demonstrates the components of service quality as shown in the data. The model can be used by practitioners seeking to create, enhance, or evaluate their service quality, and by researchers seeking insights into the complex concepts in service quality research. Implications for future research are discussed.

Adapting the Customer Satisfaction Index to the Lodging Industry: Foreign Customers' Evaluations

As a standard form of measuring customer satisfaction, the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) has been utilized in many countries. By using the Korean Customer Satisfaction Index (KCSI) methodology, this study attempted to investigate foreign customers’ evaluations of luxury hotels in Seoul, South Korea. In doing so, some efforts were made to overcome the methodological problems associated with the KCSI for the lodging industry. Data for this study were collected through a mall intercept survey using a self-administered questionnaire. Precisely 783 responses, collected solely from foreign guests who had stayed at a luxury hotel in Seoul, were included in the study.

Food Services Styles in Chinese Hotels: Traditions and Tourism Pressures Merge

Tourist often want to experience their hosts' culture including cuisines. Their reactions can be negatively influenced by vastly different customs which confront them. What can be done, for example, when traditional food serving styles violate the tourist's sanitation standards? The authors discuss a Chinese case study-- and tell what hoteliers in China gace done to make good serving more desirable, with minimal compromise to culinary traditions.

Personal Care Amenities: Are They Important Attributes in the Selection of Hotels?

Personal care amenities (PCA) are a big business in the lodging industry today. For several years hotel industry vendors and marketing consultants have claimed that PCA are very important to hotel guests and are a "must" for every hotel operation. The purpose of this study was to make one attempt to validate or discredit these claims based on actual guest feedback.

Model of Service Quality: Customer Loyalty for Hotels

The authors investigate the relationship between loyalty and perceived service quality of hotel customers and discus managerial implications to develop strategies to enhance loyalty of hotel customers. A survey was conducted among customers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Results indicate that customer loyalty is dependent on perceived service quality which is observed in terms of timelines, facilities, and ambience.

A Model for Costing Absenteeism in Hotels

While absenteeism models have been developed and applied in the manufacturing industries, little work has been done on absenteeism in service industries. Due to the labor intensity of service industries, specifically the hotel industry, a model to track and quantify the costs of absenteeism could be useful to managers. The authors propose just such a model.

Information Processing: Coordination and Control in Large Hotels

A number of factors influence the information processing needs of organizations, particularly with respect to the coordination and control mechanisms within a hotel. The authors use a theoretical framework to illustrate alternative mechanisms that can be used to coordinate and control hotel operations.

Human Capital Decisions and Employee Satisfaction at Selected Hotels in India

Understanding the role of human capital is one of the key considerations in delivering and sustaining competitiveness. Managing employees in the hospitality industry is particularly a challenging task as the industry is considered to be labor intensive. High turnover and increasing employee demands are among the problems that are identified as threats to maintaining a strong competitive position. Successful hotels attempt to retain their best employees in an effort to adapt to changing environments and increased competition. Effective hotel human resource systems can produce positive outcomes, through effective employee retention strategies that focus on work force motivation, attitudes and perception. The positive implementation of these strategies can influence and create employee satisfaction. This study aims to focus on the relationship between the mediating variables of motivation, attitudes, perception and their effect on employee satisfaction. These findings are based upon an extensive survey carried out between April 2009 and June 2009 in the small mountainous state of Uttarakhand, located within the Indian sub-continent. Although the area of study is confined to the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, the authors contend that the findings and implications can be applied to other remote developing tourist destinations in other regions.

Assessing the Readiness of Atlanta Hotels to Host International Visitors During the '96 Summer Olympics

Three major areas were investigated to assess the readiness of Atlanta's hotels to host international visitors during the summer Olympics of 1996. In the area of human resource development, hotels were asked if they planned to conduct language training and hire bilingual employees. In the area of services, hotels were asked if they plan to provide special services for international guests. In the area of marketing and sales, hotels were asked if they would provide promotional materials in different languages and advertising to attract international guests. International guests are expected by 83 percent of the respondents, and authors provide answers to these questions

Disability Tourism Dollars in Western Australia Hotels

As the Western Australian hotel sector continues to look for new opportunities, people with disabilities are being acknowledged as a consumer group with considerable revenue earning potential. The authors report on findings from the initial stages of a three- part methodology aimed at investigating current awareness of and provision for the disability issue within the Western Australian hotel sector.

The Development of an Ethical Strategy for Managers of International Hotels in Third World Countries

This article discusses some of the dilemmas of conscience that greet the international hotel manager in the Third World. It offers realistic and ethical guidelines for decision-making and problem-solving. Some of these guidelines require only common sense and good will to implement; others require a great deal of creativity, sensitivity, effort, and care; and a few will demand the courage to stand up for what is right in the face of competitive pressure.