Business Commons^™

Considerations For Implementing A Hotel Revenue Management System, Akram Mahesh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

To fully understand and implement a revenue management system, hotel managers will need to research all aspects of a system, its requirements, and the hotel’s requirements to ensure that they are implementing a system that will work best for their property. This kind of research requires finding information in literature that is scattered in many locations. An owner or manager of a small to midsize hotel would need to invest a lot of time and energy into this process. Unlike giant companies like Marriott or Hilton, small to midsize independent hotels do not have the manpower to research and implement …

The Impact Of Hotel Website Quality On Customer Reservation, Chen Tan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study focuses on the discussion of the relationship between the website design and customer reservations in Las Vegas, specifically, how important the website quality is to hotels and how the features affect the Internet bookings. Since the online market is growing and becoming more and more competitive, hotels are investigating an effective way to keep customers making reservation directly through the hotel’s own website, such as providing lowest guarantee rates, promoting loyalty points and cooperating with online travel agents. Consumers expect websites that are informative, attractive and engaging. Usability, security, personalization, usefulness, responsiveness and information content are the dimensions …

Customer Delight: How Do We Achieve It? Customer Service And Exceeding Expectations, Katherine Landahl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Customer loyalty is one of the greatest marketing goals of any organization. Traditionally, the key to loyalty has been satisfaction. More recently, consumer delight has been linked as having a stronger connection to loyalty. This paper explores through a literature review, the connections between customer service, loyalty, satisfaction, and delight through the lens of the experience economy. Then, recommendations are provided for academics and hospitality professionals alike on how to delight customers through future research and front-line employee policies and procedures.

Exploring The Relationship Between Revenue Management And Hotel Loyalty Programs, Melissa Elizabeth Buckley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Loyalty programs are a staple of the hospitality industry. As time progressed, there has been a shift among the structure of loyalty programs to not only reward the large spend of casino players, but also to compensate other frequent travelers of the hotel. As hotels continue to offer increasing benefits and compensation while reevaluating the tier structure of loyalty programs, research was necessary to discover if these loyalty programs are extracting the maximum revenue per guest and creating overall revenue for the hotel.

The purpose of the study was to uncover the relationship between revenue management and hotel loyalty programs. …

Methods Of Teaching Social Intelligence And Its Impact On Service Quality, Martee Fischman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current literature on social intelligence was reviewed and analyzed and most was focused on the general understanding of social intelligence and methods of measurement. There is little literature that connects social intelligence to the business world and none that focuses on the hospitality industry. It is important to fill the gap in research because social intelligence could have a significant impact on service quality, which in turn affects revenues. The current literature provides a good foundation, but more research is needed in the hospitality industry to determine the impact social intelligence actually has on service quality. Experimentation utilizing several measurement …

The Influence Of Tier Level Of Hotel Loyalty Programs On Guest Perceptions And Tolerance For Service Quality, Eunjin Choi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the impact of hotel loyalty program membership and tier levels on guest perceptions and tolerance for service quality in major U. S. hotel chains. A sample of 315 hotel loyalty program members and non-members were surveyed via an online self-administered survey sent by Qualtrics. The survey used a three-column format asking the adequate level of expectations, desired level of expectations, and perceptions to test survey respondents’ zone of tolerance and perceived service quality using SERVQUAL dimensions. Guest satisfaction was measured by American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). A nine-point Likert scale was applied for the measurement of service …

A Process For Optimal Resource Allocation For Integrated Resorts, Benjamin Mammina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For anyone involved in the development of casinos or Integrated Resorts the process of planning a successful project can be rather cumbersome, arbitrary and lacking of business data to make sound financial decisions. This study will organize that process to reduce those difficulties and identify those Resources needed to provide optimal results for return on investment (ROI), total investment (TI) and overall size of the project (SF).

To determine the size of an Integrated Resort (IR) owners and developers tend to look at the building characteristics of competing or admired projects and then set their Resource parameters such as: 2000 …

An Analysis Of Empirical Research Of Social Media And User-Generated Content In The Hospitality Industry, Didi Fan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hospitality remains highly competitive industry where establishments are always pushing new efforts to positively attract and retain consumers more so than the others. In recent years, the most significant trend in reaching to consumers is through social media. The research dives into great detail in the interactions and cause and effect between consumers and hospitality in social media such as the effect of user generated content. The research produces more details and ideas than simply engaging in social media helps hospitality establishments. The information was attained from a large content analysis of previous research, studies, surveys, experiments, statistical and quantitative …

Too Drunk To Gamble? Dram Shop Liability For Gaming Debts., Jeffery Benson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The service of alcohol to high-end gamblers may hinder your ability to collect unpaid debt. Gamblers have opted to use the legal theory of Dram Shop, to reduce, if not eliminate unpaid debt. Their position is that they were too drunk to gamble and therefore not responsible for their debts. Gamblers have been largely unsuccessfully using Dram Shop laws; however the casino executives should make themselves familiar with the legal precedent to ensure total liability protection.

The Effects Of Gaming Taxation On Capital Investment In Gaming Businesses, Jeremy Pollock

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Microeconomic theory generally supports the idea of an inverse relationship between taxes and capital investment. The gaming industry however does not operate on a free market equilibrium of supply and demand. Regulation and taxation of this industry can distort competitive forces and, as a result, investment decisions. Forces are described herein which either strengthen or weaken this inverse relationship, as well as how they affect the value of the limited number of casino operating licenses which states grant. Higher tax rates are generally shown to result in small-scale properties, which cater to a narrow base of consumers. In contrast, low …

Competency Based Learning In Hospitality Education And Its Impact On Future Leadership Skills, Colleen S. Wong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the past five years, hospitality educational programs have seen a distinct decline in enrollment from year to year (Oakley, 2016). Upon reflection of this decline, there could be many reasons, which caused a consecutive downward trajectory regarding enrollment. First, individuals are finding that a formal degree is not required for entry-level positions in the hospitality industry. Second, people are utilizing technology and videos to substitute for formal education and are finding success in the entry-level hiring process. Third, this generation does not see the value in formal education for entry-level employment. True as that might be, trends have shown …

Evaluating E-Relationship Marketing Features On Hotel Mobile Apps, Xiaolin Lu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The advent of technology has changed the course of marketing in both the academic and the business field. Given the increasing number of mobile transactions, hotel companies have launched mobile applications (apps) as an alternative e-relationship marketing (e-RM) channel. This study modified a progressive five-level e-relationship building model. The model was employed to evaluate e-RM features of the top 10 hotel companies’ mobile apps. The results indicated that these hotel companies maintained e-RM feature sophistication at the lower levels (Basic and Reactive), but relatively speaking, they did not utilize e-RM features extensively at the higher levels (Accountable, Proactive and Partnership). …

A Competency Model For Catering And Event Professionals Using A Modified Delphi Technique, Donnell G. Bayot

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As the market for face-to-face meetings and events has grown to one of the largest private sector industries, so has the market for catering, which is the largest budget line item for a meeting or event. Clients have become more demanding and at the same time more price-conscious. This has caused catering professionals and meeting and event planners' job responsibilities to change. Caterers and planners now have more crossover responsibilities and over more varied functional areas than ever before. In response, the National Association for Catering and Events (NACE), as the oldest and largest catering association in the world, formally …

A Study Of Airbnb As A Potential Competitor Of The Hotel Industry, Quynh Nguyen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the study is to examine Airbnb as a possible competitor of the hotel industry using Peteraf and Bergen’s broad-based competitor identification tool. Unlike existing empirical research on the subject, the study takes a qualitative approach to answer the research question. The results of the study assist hotel operators in determining the competitiveness of Airbnb and the need for a business response to the service.

Chinese Outbound Tourists Food Consumption In The U.S.: An Extension Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Kaiyang Wu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although Chinese outbound tourists made enormous economic contribution to the U.S. restaurant industry, they seem to have the tendency to consume Chinese cuisine solely during their international trips. This study applies structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate different behavioral beliefs' impact on the intentions of Chinese outbound tourist unfamiliar ethnic food consumption in the U.S. Additionally, this research combines the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and food neophobia, a food-related personality trait to better explain Chinese outbound tourists' food rejection behavior in the U.S.

Results of this study showed safety concern, acceptance of table manners, perceived communication gap and food …

An Importance-Performance Analysis Of Multigenerational Preferences In Guestroom Technology, Sidian Lan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study focuses on generational preferences in terms of guestroom technology. The hospitality technology industry has indicated guestroom technology as their highest priority in terms of hospitality technology investment. Previous studies have investigated in-room technology amenities and ranked them in order of importance and performance. However, it is uncertain which guestroom specific technologies should they invest in when it comes to different generations. Each generation is fundamentally different from the others because each generation was born in different eras with different societal changes. These generations have different values, ideas, needs, and communication skills. Hoteliers are investing time and money into …

A Study On Employee Turnover In Shanghai’S Fine Dining Restaurants, Yang Liu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of National Culture On Tipping Behavior, Zina Abraham

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this professional paper is to explore the various factors that contribute to cultural differences in tipping behavior. This meta-analysis of the current research can be applied to understand the tipping habits of international tourists in Las Vegas, a relatively unexplored topic.

A Model For Meeting And Event Venues To Implement Green Practices, Justine Clewer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 2007 green meetings were ranked as the third most anticipated trend by Event Solutions magazine’s survey of 1,350 event professionals, however by 2011 it was an emerging trend (Goldblatt, 2012). Today, meeting and event planners are increasingly including clauses in their contracts with venues pertaining to green practices, and are willing to look elsewhere if a venue does not agree to partake in the green initiatives. For venues the failure to “go green” can mean a substantial loss of revenue. Nonetheless, many businesses are hesitant to engage in green (sustainable) practices, because they are not properly educated on the …

The Impact Of Managerial Styles And Job Satisfaction On Employee Turnover In The Hospitality Industry, Amanda Ayres

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry in Las Vegas is a business that relies heavily on the competences of their employees. Unique to this industry, is the delivery of experiences rather than actual products or tangible goods. Due to the nature of this business, management styles, employee retention and standards of the employees are of the utmost importance to employers (Faldetta, Fasone and Provenzano, 2013). In summary, the stability among employees becomes an essential characteristic of the positive functionality of a hospitality organization. The irony in this is that high, employee turnover rates are common to these corporations. Employee turnover is a component …

Accessibility Of Tourism Websites: Attitudes And Behaviors, Filza Armadita

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While developed countries continue to shape an industry that has somehow become an integral part of the society, it only seems fair that the industry should provide equal access for every member of the society, recouping members of the market that is excluded without notice. The basic tier of service in the web interface is to provide information, before any booking systems and online purchasing (Siegel, 1997). In the travel industry, this basic tier is achieved in many different travel businesses, but consistently in destination marketing websites that solely promotes a tourism destination through delivering information about the specific location. …

Integrated Casino Resort Plan In Korea: The Perception Of Korean Government Representatives, Donghwa Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Asian casino market has been rapidly expanding in recent years as evidenced by the success of recently built integrated resorts (IR) in Macau. In light of the successes in Macau, the Korean government has decided to allow an IR to be built near the Incheon International Airport in Korea. The airport, with its great number of transient passengers, provides ample potential customers for the proposed IR. Combining the two factors of Asian casino market growth, and the high number of potential customers, the Incheon IR has a great chance for success.

The Korean government entertained bids from two different …

Water Use On The Las Vegas Strip: Assessment And Suggestions For Conservation, Suzanne H. Trabia

Honors College Theses

Due to stresses on the water supply in southern Nevada, which include an average of three million tourists per month and an ongoing drought since the year 2000, water conservation is imperative in order to sustain the growing urban area of Las Vegas. The purpose of this study is to assess water use in fourteen casinos on and off the Las Vegas Strip (the main boulevard of the largest casinos in Las Vegas) in order to suggest approaches for water conservation, such as reducing, reusing, and modifying the current system. Since data on water consumption is not publicly available, five …

Revenue Management In A Multi-Channel Environment: The Effect Of Pricing Strategies On Perceived Fairness, Lan Jiang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The rapid development of technology has made the hotel booking process become easier and more convenient, but it has also made hotel revenue management practices become more complex. Researchers have noticed the issues caused by perceived fairness. Yet, only a few studies have examined the impact of the pricing strategies over perceived fairness. Furthermore, no previous research study has examined Best rate guarantee (BRG), rate disparity, and rate frame together and investigated the interaction effects among these strategies on perceived fairness.

This study aims to examine the potential effects of three revenue management pricing strategies (BRG, rate (dis)parity, and rate …

Examining The Effects Of Casino Lottery Promotions, Maria Colin Magaña

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Casinos employ marketing and promotional activities to attract and retain customers within the competitive industry. Promotions awarding players thousands of dollars are not uncommon. To capitalize on this investment, the success of these promotional activities is crucial. The effectiveness of casino promotions has been scarcely examined within research. Only a few studies have directly examined the impact of casino lottery promotions (Lucas & Bowen, 2002; Lucas et al., 2006; Suh et al., 2014). Literature on promotional games can be used to fill the gap in knowledge regarding casino lottery promotions and to provide a starting point for future research. This …

Golf Tourists At Two Courses In Las Vegas: A Demographic Profile, Brian Milford Jones

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study focuses on the motivations and practices of tourist golfers at two Las Vegas, Nevada area golf courses: Rhodes Ranch Golf Club and Tuscany Golf Club.

Data was collected from tourist golfers at these two results and they report the amounts of money spent on golf, the motivations to visit Las Vegas for golf the amounts of money normally spent to play golf at home. The study also provides evidence regarding other activities of these golf tourists while in Las Vegas, including where they stayed and courses played. This is an exploratory study. However, results show that further research …

Should Las Vegas Pursue Establishing An Online Gaming Cluster? An Exploratory Study, Laimonas Gubista

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to determine whether (1) clustering benefits cities, (2) Las Vegas is a cluster of the worldwide gaming industry, and (3) online gaming cluster is forming in Las Vegas in spite of unfavorable business environment. The exploratory study should be useful to lawmakers and business leaders in shaping Nevada’s future. It could provide essential information focusing on whether Las Vegas should actively pursue an online gaming cluster.

Integrating Start-Up Companies Organizational Structure In A Business Intelligence Team Environment, Patrik Balint

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Work And Home-Life Balance: A Comparative Study Of Hotel Employee Satisfaction In The West And Midwest, Amanda Connick

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study was conducted in the Western and Midwestern United States at mid-scale hotels with no food and beverage services regarding hotel employee satisfaction of work and home-life balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing employee perceptions of work and home-life balance, and to determine whether the regional locations of the work influence those perceptions.

The data was collected using an online survey from several hotels in the Western U.S. and Midwestern U.S. A total of 120 surveys were completed, 78 were usable. There were 45 respondents from the Midwest and 33 respondents from the …

A Qualitative Study Of Past Student-Participants' Perceptions Of College Mentoring Relationships: A Case Within A Hospitality College, Roberta Jo Barnes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry, encompassing both tourism and leisure segments, has become the world's largest employer. As such, there is a workforce need to develop leadership bench strength through degree programming at the university level. Preparing future leaders for careers in the hospitality industry as part of university curriculum is particularly challenging as operational practices, leadership competencies, and interpersonal skills are often not instructed in the classroom environment, yet are a critical element of supervisory performance. Workforce development perspectives suggest that mentoring is a development tool to narrow programming gaps in university curriculum.

The study explores past student-participants' relationship experiences in …