Do online hotel rating schemes influence booking behaviours?

Travelers’ hotel booking behaviors increasingly depend on peers' opinions and online ratings. This study investigates the effects of online hotel ratings on travelers' attitudes toward the hotel and booking intentions, using a 2 × 2 experimental research design. The results suggest that online rating lists are more useful and credible when published by well-known online travel communities (e.g., TripAdvisor). More favorable attitudes toward a hotel and higher booking intentions emerge when the hotel appears in best hotels lists. Finally, for the entries on best hotels lists, better attitudes and higher booking intentions result if the list is published on a well-known online travel community (Tripadvisor), whereas for entries on a worst hotel list, attitudes and booking intentions decrease even further if the list appears on TripAdvisor.

Do online hotel rating schemes influence booking behaviors?

Travelers’ hotel booking behaviors increasingly depend on peers' opinions and online ratings. This study investigates the effects of online hotel ratings on travelers' attitudes toward the hotel and booking intentions, using a 2 × 2 experimental research design. The results suggest that online rating lists are more useful and credible when published by well-known online travel communities (e.g., TripAdvisor). More favorable attitudes toward a hotel and higher booking intentions emerge when the hotel appears in best hotels lists. Finally, for the entries on best hotels lists, better attitudes and higher booking intentions result if the list is published on a well-known online travel community (Tripadvisor), whereas for entries on a worst hotel list, attitudes and booking intentions decrease even further if the list appears on TripAdvisor.

Ny förpackning för Renat Brännvin åt Vin & Sprit AB

The purpose of this degree project is to come up with a new package to Renat Brännvin for »Vin & SpritAB« and make the product more attractive on the market of bars, restaurants and hotels. The commissionhas included to decide the material of the package, whether it´s possible to manufacture the productand to make an estimation of the costs.The conditions that »Vin & Sprit AB« set up was to make the product attractive to a younger targetgroup, in this case people from 20 to 40 years old. As Renat Brännvin is considered to be a product of firstclass it´s of great importance that the package reflects the look of a premium product.At first we looked at the history of the company »Vin & Sprit AB« and Renat Brännvin. We decidedthat the package schould consist of a bottle, glasses and a device used when serving the liquor. To getinspiration before sketching we studied different kinds of bottles, glasses and serving devices. We madea lot of different sketches to start with after which we consult with Ingrid Florén – our supervisor from»Vin & Sprit AB« – agreed on one. That one we developed and we made more accurate sketches in 3DStudioMAX.At last we looked at the opportunities to produce the bottle by questioning different manufacturers. Wewanted to know the limitations to consider when making a bottle.

Hotellens marknadsföring : En fråga om olika förhållningssätt

Tidigare forskning kring de två aktörerna hotell och onlineresebyråer har koncentrerats runt intäktsoptimering samt konsumentbeteende gällande omdömen relaterat till onlineresebyråer. Det råder däremot en avsaknad gällande tidigare forskning runt hotellens strategiska marknadsföringsbeslut i och med att de ansluter sig till olika onlineresebyråer. Syftet med studien är att få en insikt i hur hotellen arbetar med sin marknadsföring gentemot onlineresebyråerna. Vidare besvaras frågeställningen om vad effekten blir när hotellen lämnar över delar av sin marknadsföring till onlineresebyråerna. I studien tillämpades ett kvalitativt förhållningssätt där fem telefonintervjuer genomfördes. Resultaten indikerar på att hotellen i studien inkluderar onlineresebyråerna i delar av sina marknadsföringsstrategier och att det i viss bemärkelse kan vara positivt men å andra sidan kan medföra vissa risker för de olika hotellen.

Politicised pagodas and veiled resistance : contested urban space in Burma.

The urban landscapes of Yangon and Mandalay in Burma (Myanmar) exhibit a rich cultural layering and complex blending of urban forms and architectural styles. But while both cities today are shaped by contemporary economic and political realities, they also clearly reflect
their historical origins—Yangon as the British colonial capital and Mandalay as the last seat of the monarchy. Burma’s ancient religious monuments, monarchical and colonial heritage on the one hand, and new religious edifices, international standard hotels, commercial enterprises, new public buildings and satellite towns on the other hand, represent the two poles of the dialectic of tradition and modernity. The landscapes, as symbolic representations, have been appropriated by
the authoritarian military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for nation building purposes. But the urban landscapes are also contested and appropriated in symbolic ways and invested with meanings as sites of resistance and struggle by those in opposition, and
are thus contested sites where the power relations of domination and resistance intersect. The paper illustrates these themes with examples drawn from Yangon and Mandalay.

Age related motivational segmentation of wine consumption in a hospitality setting

The wine industry is a multi-billion product value category worldwide with a significant part being sales through hospitality service providers. Although wine sales add considerably to the profitability of many restaurants, hotels, bars and other hospitality establishments, few studies have been conducted into wine purchasing behaviour within hospitality settings. This study identifies the factors that influence consumers to purchase wine and attempts to demonstrate how the basic demographic characteristic of age is a useful variable for segmentation purposes. The study reveals that there are six dominant factors that influence wine purchasing behaviour and that significant differences in purchase motivation exist between three age segments, 18 to 25 years, 26 to 34 years and 34+years. The results of this research have significant implications for hospitality operators who, with a basic knowledge of the demographic characteristics of their guests, can develop marketing strategies to maximise the sale of wine and wine products

Making up (for) society? Stitch, bitch and organisation

We discuss the emergence of the craft movement known as Stitch’nBitch. Prevalent around the globe, particularly among women, this movement organises in local places, such as hotels and cafes, and virtually using the Internet. The women meet to knit, stitch and talk, using new technologies as an enabler and resource exchange. At the same time, their presence can be seen, in part, as a response to social and technological changes, both at work and in wider society. We introduce five themes to assist in the interpretation of this new form of organising, discussing (1) remedial, (2) progressive, (3) resistance, (4) nostalgic, and (5) ironic possibilities and we draw on illustrative interview data to outline possibilities for further research.

Service guarantee redress options in a hotel environment

Unconditional service guarantees are a popular marketing tool in the hotel industry worldwide. They promise total satisfaction and guests are free to invoke the guarantee whenever they are dissatisfied. While many hotels offer “money-back” compensation following guarantee invocation, others vary the payout depending on the severity of the service failure and still others will only compensate the customer if the problem leading to invocation of the guarantee cannot be fixed. To the researcher’s knowledge, the influence of compensation and fix (i.e., taking action to resolve the problem) on consumers’ perceptions of distributive justice has not been examined previously in a service guarantee context. This paper begins to address this gap by presenting a conceptual model and related propositions, arguing that redress (compensation and fix) is an important predictor of consumers’ perceptions of distributive justice, and that this relationship is moderated by service failure severity.

Stich`n bitch: cyberfeminism, a third place and the new materiality

We discuss the emergence of a new craft movement known as Stitch'nBitch. Prevalent around the globe, particularly among women, this movement is based locally in places such as hotels and cafes, and virtually using the internet. The women meet to knit, stitch and talk. The groups use new technologies as an enabler and resource exchange. At the same time, their presence can be seen, in part, as a negative response to major political, social and technological changes including globalization, terrorism, damage to the environment and the dislocation of the Information Society. We introduce five themes to assist in the development of a research agenda into this new form of material culture, discussing (1) remedial, (2) progressive, (3) resistance, (4) nostalgic and (5) ironic possibilities. Each is considered in terms of their respective foci on community, cyberfeminism, craft, conservation and comment.

FM application in the hospitality sector

When applied to hotels, the terms “facilities management” and “hotel management” are in many ways synonymous. Certainly effective  management of the physical aspects in the hotel business is essential for maximum efficiency. This paper presents a research into facilities  management operations in medium sized hotels (11-50 rooms) in the UK. Medium sized hotels were selected for this research, since 90 per cent of UK hotels have fewer than 50 bedrooms. The key objective is to establish any trends that suggest a relationship between the application of facilities management techniques and the success of hotel businesses. Financial measures were not identified as being of critical importance and there seemed to be more of an interest in cost reduction than in income growth.

Sewing society? Stitch’nbitch, cyberfeminism & the new materiality (or why cybergrrrls do plain and purls)

A social movement known as Stitch’nBitch has emerged around the globe. This movement, mainly of women, is based in local, third places, such as hotels and clubs, and virtually. Using the Internet, particularly Blogs, the women meet to knit, stitch and talk. These groups use technology as an enabler and resource exchange. In this presentation, we suggest that such groups may be a response to consumerism in the Information Society, which has resulted in profound changes in the way people live, communicate and connect with one another and which has also provided a trigger for new, more community-focused activities using craft production, rather than consumption, as a vehicle. Craft production, or ‘make it yourself’ is consistent with concepts of voluntary simplicity (Etzioni, 1998) and non-materialistic satisfactions (Shaw and Newholm, 2002). We introduce five themes to assist in the development of a research agenda into this new form of material culture, discussing (1) remedial, (2) progressive, (3) resistance, (4) nostalgic, and (5) ironic possibilities.

Do organizational service recovery actions impact on hotel guests future intentions and does speed of recovery matter?

This paper investigates hotel guests’ responses to organizational actions dealing with service failure. Eight service failure scenarios were used to identify guests’ intentions towards future visits. Guests’ intentions to switch hotels, revisit the property and remain loyal to the chain were found to vary based on the recovery efforts undertaken. This research found that empowering employees contribute to positive consumer intentions toward the service provider. Compensation was also found effective if offered through empowered employees. Speed of response to service failure was also identified as important action to improve consumer future intentions. Based on these findings, implications for future research are highlighted. Recommendations to the practitioners of hospitality and tourism sector were made for the management of failed service encounter.

Building energy efficiency labeling programme in Singapore

The use of electricity in buildings constitutes around 16% of Singapore's energy demand. In view of the fact that Singapore is an urban city with no rural base, which depends heavily on air-conditioning to cool its buildings all year round, the survival as a nation depends on its ability to excel economically. To incorporate energy efficiency measures is one of the key missions to ensure that the economy is sustainable. The recently launched building energy efficiency labelling programme is such an initiative. Buildings whose energy performance are among the nation's top 25% and maintain a healthy and productive indoor environment as well as uphold a minimum performance for different systems can qualify to attain the Energy Smart Office Label. Detailed methodologies of the labelling process as well as the performance standards are elaborated. The main strengths of this system namely a rigorous benchmarking database and an independent audit conducted by a private accredited Energy Service Company (ESCO) are highlighted. A few buildings were awarded the Energy Smart Office Label during the launching of the programme conducted in December 2005. The labeling of other types of buildings like hotels, schools, hospitals, etc. is ongoing.

A study on energy performance of hotel buildings in Singapore

This paper presents a study on energy performance of Singapore's hotel buildings. Energy consumption data and other pertinent information were collected from 29 quality hotels through a national survey. Building features and operational characteristics contributing to the variations in hotel energy performance were discussed. The annual average total energy use intensity (EUI) in these hotels is 427 kWh/m2. Electricity and gas are used in all sampled hotels, and some hotels also use diesel to power standby generator or hot water boiler. We also investigated relationships between electricity consumption and number of occupied rooms in individual hotels; the weak correlations found indicate it is necessary to improve energy management when occupancy rate is low. Besides, Pearson correlations between hotel energy use intensity and possible explanatory indicators revealed that three-star hotels differ from high class establishments in energy use. Worker density and years after the last major energy retrofit were also found to be highly correlated to hotel building energy use intensity. Also discussed in this paper is the effect of weather conditions on electricity consumption of the hotels.

Interactions and networks in Australian tourism

There are many participants in the tourism network who have vested interests in tourism development. These organizations include hotels, associations of hotels and hotel owners, inbound travel agents, travel wholesalers, tourism industry associations, airlines, cruise lines, tourism promotional agencies, regional and local tourism authorities, SME tourism businesses, conference and convention centres and many more. Individuals in the tourism industry intermittently change employment. They often remain in the industry and can move between types of organizations. Their contacts, associations and personal networks remain useful and indeed are utilized. The Interactive Approach postulated by the IMP Group proposes that both suppliers and manufacturers are often involved in close, long-lasting adaptive relationships. Firms within relationships must work together, share objectives, share information and also communicate clearly and precisely using a common language. Here relationship partners should have a similar point of view on the meaning of marketing strategy and related concepts including market segmentation, differentiation and competitive positioning.

This paper seeks to assess the nature, perspectives and characteristics of interactions in the tourism network in Australia. There are two stages of this research. The first stage obtained the perspectives of network participants on the challenges facing tourism, key growth segments, brand and promotional strategies and customer insights and satisfaction levels. Participants were also asked to provide advice to the national marketing organization on a range of developmental topics. The second stage of this research assesses the interaction patterns among network participants Network picture, network position, resource constellations, interaction, resources and activities, interdependence, adaptation, actor bonds, strategy and change are also assessed. The relationships are political and consultative in nature. There is much interdependence and possible conflict between the network participants. The national tourism body has particular skills in tourism planning and tourism research. They also have significant resources and the ability to influence inbound tourism patterns. This paper seeks to assess and understand the interactions within this network.