Business Commons^™

Room Service Principles And Practices: An Exploratory Study, Stanley Douglas Suboleski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Room service is the delivery of food and beverage products to a guest's sleeping room in a hotel. It is an important, distinguishing characteristic and a necessary service for first-class and luxury hotels. Very little academic research has been conducted on the operating procedures of room service. This was an exploratory study that aimed at identifying the key principles and practices of room service operations in first-class and luxury hotels. This study used a mixed-method approach. Using content analysis on operating audits for room service from a range of hospitality companies, expert panel review, field testing, and analysis of variance …

Impact Of The 2003 Illinois Gaming Tax Rate Increase On Marketing Spending And Cross-State Substitution, Mikael Bengt Ahlgren

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to investigate three potential consequences related to the 2003 Illinois Gaming Tax rate restructuring. The first section presents the assessment of whether a higher tax rate motivated an Illinois casino operator to reduce of marketing/promotional expenditures in an attempt to negatively influence revenues. The second establishes if the surrounding state gaming operators reacted to the increased Gaming Tax rate in Illinois, by raising their marketing spending. The last section clarifies whether the changes to the Illinois Gaming Tax Schedule impacted gaming volumes in the neighboring/competing states of Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri.

The analysis relied …

Self-Image Congruence With Communication Channels And Its Impact On Reward Program Loyalty, Orie Berezan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Loyalty programs have become products in and of themselves. They need to maintain member loyalty in order to survive. It is proposed that communication has a larger impact on program loyalty than previously thought. This study utilizes structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the influence of communication typologies and dimensions on hotel reward program loyalty via self-image congruence, service quality, satisfaction, and trust. Moreover, this dissertation presents a communication identity model, which focuses on promoting hotel reward program loyalty via self-congruence with communication channels.

Newly discovered significant paths were found between: communication style and self-congruence with communication channels; self-congruence with …

Evaluating The Impact Of A New Casino Loyalty Program On Gaming Volume, Ji Hye Min

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Using two years secondary data gathered from a Las Vegas hotel and casino, the effectiveness of a new casino loyalty program is examined on both daily slot coin-in and table game drop. Based on a theoretical model advanced to estimate the effects of a new loyalty program, simultaneous multiple regression analysis with Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) terms is used to analyze the data. The results indicate that the loyalty variable significantly increases slot coin-in at a rate of $302,455 per day, while table game drop is not significantly affected by the introduction of the new loyalty program. The coin-in increase …

The Non-Gaming Business Of The Gaming Industry: Evaluating The Contribution Of Non-Gaming Amenities At A Casino-Resort Property, Elena Shampaner-Ghiassi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Previous studies on this topic show that all non-gaming amenities at a casino-resort property generate revenue in two ways. First, an amenity directly contributes to companies' overall profits when consumers spend on a particular amenity more than it costs the company to provide that amenity (Roehl, 2006). Second, these amenities can make an indirect contribution defined as the profit impact of an amenity on another profit center at the property (Dandurand & Ralenkotter, 1985); however, this contribution does not show directly on the amenity's financial statements (Roehl, 1996).

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the indirect gaming (both …

A Business Plan For A Successful Family-Run Restaurant In Heber City, Utah, Brittany M. Bringhurst

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Business plans are considered to be an important, “even crucial,” part of opening any business (Lange, Mollov, Pearlmutter, Singh, & Bygrave, 2007). Because of a gap in the literature directed toward successful business plan strategies specific to the family-run restaurant sector, this paper is going to consider the available information regarding family-run businesses in general and apply them to the restaurant industry.

Sustainability Program For Rio Secco Golf Club And Cascata, Jay Chiders

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, operational excellence, and technology leadership. Caesars is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward to the environment. Sustainability at Caesars Entertainment integrates strategic direction with the energy, innovation, and passion of its 70,000 employees. These employees are what drive Caesars Entertainment’s comprehensive sustainability strategy, CodeGreen (CodeGreen factsheet, 2012).

Caesars Entertainment Corporation owns two golf courses in Nevada. Rio Secco Golf Club opened in 1997 in Henderson and Cascata opened in …

Leaving Tray Line Behind: A Proposal For Hybrid Hospital Foodservice, Christopher Connolly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, the economic recession is as visible as anywhere else in the United States. A lack of paying patients equates to forced reductions in labor and increased productivity metric mandates. In the foodservice area, antiquated technology limits productivity in conducting tray line food service delivery. A new tray line system would need to be considerably faster while using less employees and moving parts to maximize efficiency, effectively doing much more with far less. There are two main systems of food service as part of the patient experience; tray line and room service. Both systems …

Luxury As Culture: A Leader’S Guide To Luxury Service, Aldo Contreras Alba

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The luxury guest is a sophisticated world traveler, loaded with high expectations, hungry for the next must-see hot spot for business or leisure. As such, international hotel companies are on a quest to find unforgettable locations worldwide in order to provide their loyal followers an unrivaled experience, and stay one-step ahead of the competition. Orchestrated of high-end tangible comforts, beautiful structures, and elegantly appointed décor, the luxury segment may be defined by the words “Five-Star” and “Five-Diamond” – as these are the global synonyms to luxury that creates the ultimate upgrade to travel and leisure. However, the most commonly known …

The Family And Medical Leave Act’S Impact On The Hospitality Industry: Implementing Policies To Ensure Continued Productivity, Katie O'Brien Coon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Family and Medical Leave Act, (FMLA), allows women and men to take up to 12 weeks leave to care for a newborn child (maternity leave) and/or care for sick family members. The Department of Labor states that:

FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave (Family and Medical Leave Act - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).

When an employee decides to take …

Hotel Laguna: Marketing The Restoration Of A Historic Hotel In Southern California, Hannie Darrwazeh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The renovation of a historic, boutique hotel should be marketed in such a manner to ensure profitability and maintain the history and nostalgic feelings associated with the property. Situated in the heart of downtown Laguna Beach, California, Hotel Laguna has provided over 80 years of continuous service while maintaining the true essence of the community: a beachside, artistically-driven, relaxing city. Since the original structure was built in 1888 it has been demolished, rebuilt, and remodeled (Farnham, 1981). Today, the property has one restaurant, OceanView Bar and Grill, banquet facilities, an exclusive Beach Club, and boasts 65-quaint guestrooms. Upon purchase of …

Casino Hosting: Back To The Basics, Jessica L. Hobbs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The heart and soul of Las Vegas has always been the casino industry. People from all over the world have traveled many miles to put their money on the line in the hopes of hitting the jackpot or just to see the “adult playground” so many have spoken of and viewed in multiple movies. In the 21st century the Las Vegas casino industry has competition popping up across the country and all over the world. These new casinos put intense pressure on Las Vegas to attract the “whales” and high rollers to the casinos on the Las Vegas strip. Many …

Search Engine Optimization: Best Practices For Google, Tucker Johnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The internet is a major delivery system of hotel reservations. Approximately 25% of all reservations made at a hotel come directly through the hotel’s website (Douglas, 2012). Another 11% of total reservations are booked online through online travel agent websites, or OTAs, such as Priceline.com or Expedia.com (Douglas, 2012). These additional reservations booked through the OTAs come at a cost to the hotel, however. Typical commissions for OTAs are approximately 25 % of a total booking (Sanders, 2012). In 2010, it was estimated that the commissions associated with these OTA bookings cost hoteliers 2.5 billion dollars (Douglas, 2012). Because of …

American Generation Y And The Hotel Of 2030, Brian Kelley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Baby Boomer generation, once the largest, most important consumer base and leader in purchasing power, is entering retirement (Sherman, 2008). Now an aging generation, the Boomers, are slowly losing their hold on the attention of the hospitality industry. The Boomers are quickly being eclipsed by their children and grandchildren as the largest market population and the biggest spenders within America with over 73 million or 26% of the total US population belonging to this demographic (Nusair, Parsa, & Cobanoglu, 2011). Much like the Baby Boomers, this demographic, known as primarily as Generation Y (Gen Y) or “Echo-Boomers” due to …

Business Plan For A U.S. Based Healthy And Organic Ethnic Korean Quick-Service Restaurant, Daniel W. Kim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The increased globalization of ethnic cuisine has become a reality in the past decade due to the rise in food and beverage popular culture. The celebrity chefs on such television networks such as the Food Network and the Travel Channel has led to many persons becoming more interested in a variety of ethnic, fusion, healthy and organic dining options. For the past few decades, the most popular ethnic cuisines in the U.S. have been and still are Italian, Chinese, and Mexican foods (Leahy, 2007). However, with the increased interest in food and beverage culture and desire for variety, there are …

The Shifting Of The Las Vegas Tourism Industry: A Historical Perspective On Management And Resort Revenues, Eden Mccallister

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Las Vegas has been internationally recognized as the entertainment capital of the world. Whether it is top dollar luxury, world class fine dining, or vibrant night life that one seeks, Las Vegas certainly has something for everyone. The latter half of the 20th century has shown the city unprecedented arenas of success, but with intense global competition on the rise, it is clear that Las Vegas is no longer the only major player in the game. The turn of the 21st century has brought a new wave of economic challenges, and though Las Vegas has adapted over the years with …

The Internet Gaming Industry For Newbies, Cory Nebel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The United States internet gaming industry is one which, while many people are aware of its existence, very few fully understand. There remains a tremendous amount of confusion amongst the American public regarding whether or not gambling online in the U.S. is a legal activity. While most would claim to have heard reports that U.S. internet gambling is against the law, just as many people are able to quickly reference both friends and family who regularly gamble online. Through the use of secondary research, this paper will explore a wide range of pre-existing literature on both the internet gaming industry …

Training And Development Guide For A Culinary Department In A Private University, Kimberly Rosenbaum

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In an online study of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART), 53% of respondents reported their budgets for training were being carefully looked at. From this scrutiny, training budgets in the past 18 months have significantly decreased (Bertra, 2009, p. 1). Slashed training budgets have become another sign of the recessionary times, forcing operators to direct their funds to customer service, hoping to set them apart in the competitive environment known as hospitality (Bertra, 2009, p. 1).

An Introduction To Meeting And Event Management Course, Diana Spina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper focuses on the development of an undergraduate introductory course in meeting and event management and the rational for inclusion of this particular course in the curriculum at a university that offers a degree in Hospitality Management. The literature review explores the anticipated demand related to the field of meeting and event management, course offerings of some of the top ranked universities with Hospitality Management programs, and different teaching methodologies. The last part of the paper encompasses the actual course material for a meeting and event management course; including the syllabus and teaching methodology.

Exploration Of Hotel Distribution Channels In China — Focus On Hotel Call Centers, Tao Yu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In a world of increasing global competition, choosing an effective distribution channel is crucial for hoteliers to deliver value for their products and services. As hotel rooms are perishable, if they are not sold each night no revenue will be generated. So, we always see the distribution channel as one of the most important parts in the selling process. With the explosion of Internet commerce and computer usage, online distribution is fast growing up to become one of the popular and effective distribution channels in use. However, will functions of traditional distribution channels die from the boom of the new …

Perfecting The Table Games Dealer: Improving Initial Table Games Dealer Training Curriculum To Create More Versatile Gaming Employees, Bama Varsanyi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Casinos are hospitality operations in which a gaming experience is offered to guests in addition to general hospitality services. To create stable, high-quality guest services while generating satisfactory guest experiences, casinos rely significantly on the skills of their front-line employees. The initial training before employees begin to work in a live-gaming casino environment is crucial. It gives them the basic knowledge to be able to perform their tasks proficiently and deliver the required guest-service standards to all patrons during live gaming sessions. Table games dealers are the primary front-line employees in a table game operation, they receive majority of their …

Recommendations For Online Training In Hospitality Organizations, Geoffrey L. Wellen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Delivering consistent customer experiences is often a key driver of customer satisfaction in the leisure and hospitality industry. However, consistency can be compromised if new and existing employees are not adequately prepared for their roles and duties. The leisure and hospitality industry hires many new staff each year due to general industry growth and employee turnover. Training and development is therefore important for the industry to meet staffing requirements and to deliver consistent customer experiences. The rapid and significant developments in online training and education since mid 1990 have increased the size and knowledge of the candidate pool available to …

Capturing The Chinese Outbound Tourism Market: Lessons For Las Vegas Casino Operators, Wilson Wan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

China has become a fast rising economic power and its GDP is expected to overtake America's in about 6 years (How to get a date, 2011). As a result of the increase in wealth, the Chinese middle class has been expanding rapidly and now has access to more resources than ever before. With a higher disposable income, the Chinese now have an increased desire, and capability, to travel the world. In preparation for the increase in outbound Chinese travelers, it would be wise for tourist destinations to be prepared to attract this market and thus capture a part of this …

Expatriate Guide To Beijing, China, William Z. Crump

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry spans the globe, employing millions of jobs worldwide. In recent years, many well-known hotel companies such as, Hilton Worldwide, Marriott, Fairmont, Four Seasons, and The Peninsula, have expanded their portfolios around the world. With this vast expansion hospitality companies look for leaders that want to have unique experiences, and are able to travel the world during their career. The Asian economic market has done extremely well, particularly Mainland China, the People’s Republic of China. In response to this, Americans have packed their bags and headed to China to live and work in the hospitality industry. According to …

The Competitive Front-Of-Package Labeling Of Consumer Packaged Goods: Cutting Through The Clutter, Christopher Newman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At no point in U.S. history have food product packages displayed so many symbols and statements regarding nutrition and health benefits (Nestle 2010). However, despite this explosion of front-of-package (FOP) health communications, obesity and health-related problems of U.S. consumers continue to be a critical concern. Therefore, it is important for marketers, retailers, manufacturers, and public policy makers to develop a more complete understanding of consumers' processing and utilization of health information on food packages, as well as how this information affects product evaluations and choices.

Therefore, this dissertation utilizes a processing fluency theoretical framework (e.g., Zajonc 1968; Jacoby and Dallas …

The Marketing Effectiveness Of Hotel Facebook Pages: From Perspectives Of Customers And Messages, Xi Yu Leung

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the hotel industry, social media marketing has become a new trend hoteliers are chasing and an increasing number of hotels are using social media to promote their business. However, the marketing effectiveness of social media is still a big challenge in both academic and business world. Since social media marketing is totally different from traditional marketing approaches, traditional marketing theories and practices may not be applicable to social media. Besides, very few studies have examined the effectiveness of social media marketing in the academic world.

Therefore, this study intended to provide an in-depth examination on the marketing effectiveness of …

The Effect Of Casino Tax Policy On Short-Run Gaming Development, Kahlil Philander

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the effect of casino tax rate structure on investment by casino operators. Using a panel data set consisting of all states with legal commercial casino gambling from 1998 to 2009, a fixed-effect model with two-stage least squares is estimated to examine the effect of gambling taxes on firms' short-run behavior. The study finds that maximum casino tax rates decrease casino employment, with an estimated average elasticity of -0.5. This result is noted to be robust to several different model specifications and data subsets. No robust relationship is found between maximum tax rates and casino wages. No significant …

Logistics And Supply Chain Management In The Hotel Industry: Impact On Hotel Performance In Service Delivery, Clement K. Odoom

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this professional paper is to identify and describe the way logistics and supply chain management practices can be used for costs savings. As hotel companies manage and operate their properties, they should focus on several aspects such as logistics management, inventory management, information technology, procurement and distribution, lean and green supply chain practices. Finally, this paper explores the competitive benefits that come from applying these concepts. Part three will contain a set of recommendations how they can be utilized in the hotel industry

Implementing A State Lottery In Nevada, Benjamin K. Boulton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of implementing a state lottery in Nevada and to present the benefits of a state lottery for both the Nevada hospitality industry and the Nevada economy. It will compare and contrast the arguments for and the arguments against a lottery by executing a content analysis of existing research literature as well as other relevant publications. It will also examine the history of lotteries, the states that border Nevada and have lotteries and the legislative history of lottery proposals in Nevada.

Non-Monetary Strategies To Retain Key Employees, Becky Rader

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to provide a handbook that management can use to retain employees, especially top performers.

Companies within the hospitality industry are attempting to strengthen their bottom line during these tough economic times. Employees contribute significantly to the bottom line but are often overlooked as assets by the company. As a result, many employees become disengaged and unsatisfied. As this happens, employees begin to look for opportunities outside the company where they feel they will be more valued for their abilities. Unfortunately, for the company losing employees, the most likely losses are the most accomplished employees. …