New Developments in Tourism and Hotel Demand Modeling and Forecasting

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the study is to review recent studies published from 2007-2015 on tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting with a view to identifying the emerging topics and methods studied and to pointing future research directions in the field. Design/Methodology/approach Articles on tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting published in both science citation index (SCI) and social science citation index (SSCI) journals were identified and analyzed. Findings This review found that the studies focused on hotel demand are relatively less than those on tourism demand. It is also observed that more and more studies have moved away from the aggregate tourism demand analysis, while disaggregate markets and niche products have attracted increasing attention. Some studies have gone beyond neoclassical economic theory to seek additional explanations of the dynamics of tourism and hotel demand, such as environmental factors, tourist online behavior and consumer confidence indicators, among others. More sophisticated techniques such as nonlinear smooth transition regression, mixed-frequency modeling technique and nonparametric singular spectrum analysis have also been introduced to this research area. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this review is that the articles included in this study only cover the English literature. Future review of this kind should also include articles published in other languages. The review provides a useful guide for researchers who are interested in future research on tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting. Practical implications This review provides important suggestions and recommendations for improving the efficiency of tourism and hospitality management practices. Originality/value The value of this review is that it identifies the current trends in tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting research and points out future research directions.

The Effects of Teppanyaki Restaurant Stimuli on Diners’ Emotions and Loyalty

This research examines the influence of restaurant stimuli (i.e., chefs, service staff, other customers, food quality, and atmospherics) on diners’ emotions and loyalty to teppanyaki restaurants. In teppanyaki restaurants, chefs take orders from diners, prepare food in front of diners, and serve dishes to diners. Although the importance of chefs has been acknowledged by scholars, empirical research on the influence of chefs on diners has been scarce. To augment the literature on how chefs influence diners, this research incorporates “chef’s image” into an extended Mehrabian-Russell model (M-R model) to conceptualize diner loyalty to teppanyaki restaurants. A total of 308 diners from Taiwan were recruited. After examining their completed questionnaires, this study found that chef’s image, service quality, and food quality can affect the positive and negative emotions of diners. Moreover, other diners and restaurant atmospherics affect only the negative emotions of diners. Both positive and negative emotions can affect diner loyalty to teppanyaki restaurants. In addition, the managerial implications of this study are discussed.

Children of Matter: Luxury Value Perceptions of Millennials in Higher Education in Europe

In recent years, the luxury market has entered a period of very modest growth, which has been dubbed the ‘new normal’, where varying tourist flows, currency fluctuations, and shifted consumer tastes dictate the terms. The modern luxury consumer is a fickle mistress. Especially millennials – people born in the 1980s and 1990s – are the embodiment of this new form of demanding luxury consumer with particular tastes and values. Modern consumers, and specifically millennials, want experiences and free time, and are interested in a brand’s societal position and environmental impact. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what the luxury value perceptions of millennials in higher education are in Europe, seeing as many of the most prominent luxury goods companies in the world originate from Europe. Perceived luxury value is herein examined from the individual’s perspective. As values and value perceptions are complex constructs, using qualitative research methods is justifiable. The data for thesis has been gathered by means of a group interview. The interview participants all study hospitality management in a private college, and each represent a different nationality. Cultural theories and research on luxury and luxury values provide the scientific foundation for this thesis, and a multidimensional luxury value model is used as a theoretical tool in sorting and analyzing the data. The results show that millennials in Europe value much more than simply modern and hard luxury. Functional, financial, individual, and social aspects are all present in perceived luxury value, but some more in a negative sense than others. Conspicuous, status-seeking consumption is mostly frowned upon, as is the consumption of luxury goods for the sake of satisfying social requisites and peer pressure. Most of the positive value perceptions are attributed to the functional dimension, as luxury products are seen to come with a promise of high quality and reliability, which justifies any price premiums. Ecological and ethical aspects of luxury are already a contemporary trend, but perceived even more as an important characteristic of luxury in the future. Most importantly, having time is fundamental. Depending on who is asked, luxury can mean anything, just as much as it can mean nothing.

Relatório de estágio. Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Brussels

Dissertação de Mestrado, Direção e Gestão Hoteleira, Escola Superior de Gestão, Hotelaria e Turismo, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

A demand-driven analysis of tourist accommodation price: A quantile regression of room bookings

Tourist accommodation expenditure is a widely investigated topic as it represents a major contribution to the total tourist expenditure. The identification of the determinant factors is commonly based on supply-driven applications while little research has been made on important travel characteristics. This paper proposes a demand-driven analysis of tourist accommodation price by focusing on data generated from room bookings. The investigation focuses on modeling the relationship between key travel characteristics and the price paid to book the accommodation. To accommodate the distributional characteristics of the expenditure variable, the analysis is based on the estimation of a quantile regression model. The findings support the econometric approach used and enable the elaboration of relevant managerial implications.

Q certification and tourist satisfaction in the Spanish hotels

Spain has been working on improving the competitiveness of its tourist destinations, focusing on the quality of the service. This paper analyzes whether the efforts made by the tourism establishment to achieve the Q brand are perceived by their guests in a general way or in a particular dimension of the service. Statistical contrasts of mean differences are performed to evaluate if the score of a Q hotel is greater than that of a non-Q hotel. The results show that the Q brand is related to the satisfaction of the customer in a different way according the analyzed dimension.

Lo que los trabajadores quieren vs. lo que las empresas necesitan. Implementación de las anclas de carrera de Edgar Schein en un contact centre

El compromiso laboral entre los trabajadores y las organizaciones es uno de los activos con mayor poder explicativo para consolidar un alto desempeño e incrementar la productividad. Para lograr eso es fundamental conocer cuáles son las vocaciones de los trabajadores actuales y futuros y de qué manera estas motivaciones de carrera encuentran articulación con la misión y la visión de la compañía. El problema es que las empresas fallan sistemáticamente en este proceso. El modelo de anclas de carrera (ac) de Edgar Schein es una metodología que permite conocer cuáles son las motivaciones de carrera de los individuos. Este documento tiene como propósito establecer un vínculo entre las ac y los procesos de selección, vinculación, y retención del capital humano en un contact centre que se desempeña en Bogotá, Colombia. Para alcanzar este propósito, se implementó el modelo de ac en una muestra de 116 trabajadores del área de gestión de esta compañía. El informe presenta el análisis de resultados y las propuestas sugeridas por los autores a la gerencia de la compañía.

Impact of Employee Management on Hospitality Innovation Success

The author report on a survey of 185 hospitality manager to examine which employee management practices are associated with success in hospitality innovations. The result suggest that successful new hospitality projects are guided by a strategic human resource management approach, have higher level of training, implement behavior- bared evaluation of their front-line staff and empower their employees.

Risk Management Strategies for the Hospitality Industry

Does your organization integrate the management of risk and opportunity Have you evaluated non-traditional risk exposures? These are critically important questions as today's increasingly complex business environment exposes hospitality companies to numerous risks.

Lender Liability: The Legal and Management Effects on the Hospitality Industry

With the savings and loan crisis and the tail end of a recession at hand, the '90s are bound to be a difficult decade for the financing of hospitality operations through borrowing from commercial lenders. The authors discuss one of the least known dangers associated with borrowing, lender liability. The issue is discussed from both a legal and managerial perspective.

Crisis Management in the Hospitality Industry

The authors identify several guidelines associated with effective crisis communication for the hospitality industry and explore the feasibility of these guidelines based upon the diverse resources available to hospitality organizations of all sizes

Management Training Theories: Tools for Hospitality Managers and Trainers

Management training in the hospitality industry is as important as employee training. There are a number of effective models and approaches for training effective managers. The author reviews these models and offers guidelines for maximizing the results from each of these approaches.

Automating Hospitality Information: Network Technology and Systems Management

The local area network (LAN) interconnecting computer systems and soft- ware can make a significant contribution to the hospitality industry. The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of such systems.

Marketing Approaches to Human Resources Management In the Hospitality Industry

Now that baby boomers are older and pursuing more career-oriented jobs, managers of the hospitality industry are experiencing the effects of the pre- sent labor crisis; they now know that those vacant hourly jobs are going to be tough to fill with quality personnel. The companies able to attract quality personnel by offering employees what they need and want will be the successful ones in the next decade. The authors explain how the labor crisis is currently affecting the hospitality industry and make suggestions about how firms may survive the "labor crash” of the 1990s with the application of marketing technology to human resource management.