Applying Artificial Intelligence In The Hotel Industry: Exploring Perspectives Of Employees, Logan O'Hara

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation, or RAISA, has become increasingly accessible and affordable for a wider demographic of businesses, including hospitality operations, to implement over the last couple of decades. Especially over the past five years, we’ve seen a significant surge of interest in automating within the service industry and a coupled sense of uneasiness that this technological development would in turn displace the human workers, due to factors such as cost of labor and perceived removal of human error; however, this thesis will posit that automation is most effectively used by augmenting the capabilities of the present workforce. …

The State Of The Hospitality Industry 2021 Employment Report: Covid-19 Labor Force Legacy, Robertico R. Croes, Kelly Semrad, Manuel A. Rivera

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic's ongoing impact on the U.S. hospitality industry. The report details the primary economic issues the industry faces as well as provides a unique workforce analysis that anticipates continued labor shortages as the country moves towards an endemic. The research was conducted using a national survey with almost 1,000 U.S. hospitality workers. The survey includes questions pertaining to COVID-19 related hospitality employee topics such as: the impact COVID-19 had on hospitality jobs, employees' intentions to leave the industry, employees likelihood to accept or look for a hospitality job, employees' perceived …

Social Media Marketing In Rural Hospitality And Tourism Destination Research, Samuel Adeyinka-Ojo, Shamsul K. Abdullah

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

An increasing number of studies have been dedicated to the application of social media in the marketing of hospitality services and tourism destinations. However, there exists a lack of extant literature dedicated to exploring how social media can be used in the marketing of hospitality and tourism in rural destinations. In order to achieve the objectives of this paper, the methodology adopted, and samples used for the analysis of literature review composed of relevant papers published in hospitality and tourism journals on social media framework, social media marketing (SMM), rural hospitality and tourism (RHT) destinations. These existing literature works were …

Does Coronavirus (Covid-19) Transform Travel And Tourism To Automation (Robots)?, Omar Parvez, Ali Ozturen, Cihan Cobanoglu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Global coronavirus is the name of consternation. It has a depraved impact on world health, the international economy, as well as the travel, tourism, and hospitality (TTH) industry. The World Health Organization (WHO) already declared an international public health emergency in the concern of cases and deaths. Tourism is a human-intensive industry, but on one side, the circumstances of the virus separate people from personal interaction, on the other side, technological development offers automatic robots to the service. So the future of the TTH might be transformed toward automation (robots). The paper aims to extend the knowledge by investigating and …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Covid-19 And Employee Satisfaction In Luxury Hotels, Renee Bawcom

Senior Theses

This paper investigates the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and employee satisfaction in luxury hotels. Through a review of the existing body of scholarly literature about factors affecting employee satisfaction, and new collection and analysis of data on the topic, the identification and evolution of factors affecting employee satisfaction was explored. In reference to companies’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, luxury hotel employees’ levels of satisfaction were analyzed. The analysis concluded that the widespread changes made to the luxury hotel industry in response to the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a negative impact on employee satisfaction.

Crisis Management Practices In The Hospitality And Gambling Industry During Covid-19, Kasra Ghaharian, Brett Abarbanel, Marta Soligo, Bo Bernhard

International Gaming Institute Faculty Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine crisis management practices among gambling-related hospitality business stakeholders (GBSs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to a sample of GBSs resulting in 64 completed surveys. The survey explored the COVID-19 crisis using a three-phase framework: preparedness (prior experience and response plans), response (level of importance and use of crisis practices) and future (confidence in recovery, beliefs about consumer behavior and new strategies). Independent-samples t-tests were conducted to investigate the influence of preparedness variables on crisis management capabilities. Importance-Performance Analysis was used to …

Resilient Leadership In Chicago Hotels: Case Study In A Global Pandemic, Deborah Popely Dba, Michael Krause Cha, Chia, Msed

Kendall College Research

The impact of COVID-19 on the hotel industry has been catastrophic and like elsewhere, the Chicago hotel market has faced steep declines in occupancy, revenues and profitability, resulting in severe staff cuts and drastic operating changes. Yet many hotels continued operating, albeit at a reduced level. What factors made it possible for hotels to adapt to these conditions? To answer this question, a case study was developed from in-depth surveys with 16 Chicago hotels combined with interviews with 7 leaders from these hotels, providing a snapshot of resilient leadership in the Chicago hotel market before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. …

The Future Of Hospitality Management: Preparing Students For A Changing Industry, Deborah Popely Dba, Michael Krause Cha, Chia, Msed, Wook Kang Cec, Mcfe, Cfbe, Ace, Paul Romer Mba

Kendall College Research

The hospitality industry has faced and continues to face major challenges in hiring and retaining the workforce needed for recovery from the pandemic and future growth. The goal of this research was to better understand these changing needs so that hospitality educators can supply the industry with well-rounded graduates attuned to the transformed hospitality operating environment. Focus group research was conducted with 22 senior hospitality managers in summer 2021; participants also completed an inventory of 28 skills and attributes commonly associated with the delivery of hospitality services. Overall analysis indicated that the skills and attributes rated “more important” or “much …

Hospitality And Tourism Information Technology, Cihan Cobanoglu, Seden Dogan, Katerina Berezina, Galen Collins

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Preface

Technology has redefined how we experience hospitality. From the front of the house to the back, technology has allowed hospitality businesses to provide a faster, better, and more personalized service. Such benefits may be achieved by relying on the systems that remember all customer preferences, by bringing guests the speed and convenience of self-check-in, and employing robots that may attend to customer requests around the clock. However, all these wonderful innovations come with challenges, such as justifying a return on investment, establishing system security, building sustainable solutions, ensuring interoperability across different systems, and delivering high touch while using high …

Hospitality Brands: What Do Consumers Want?, Faizan Ali, Seden Dogan, Gozde Turktarhan, Cihan Cobanoglu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Hospitality means more than being hospitable. It deals with emotions, trust, and interactions. It means being friendly and helpful, welcoming, and considerate, understanding needs and expectations, responding in quick and respectful ways. As an industry, hospitality is based on a human-centered philosophy, influenced by religions and cultural traditions.

Over the last few decades, the global hospitality industry has grown by leaps with more than 1000 hotel brands. This means travelers have several options to choose from. Hoteliers need to reach out to them in different ways. Hospitality industry offers tangible and intangibles to develop experiences. Therefore, building a consistent identity …

Technology In The Meetings And Events Industry, Gina Fe G. Causin, Leslie G. Scamacca

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

Over the past ten years, advancements in technology have created seismic shifts in how meetings and events are planned, marketed, and produced. While technology has not eliminated the importance of face-to-face meetings, what has radically changed are the tools at the disposal of the meeting and event professional throughout the event planning lifecycle. For example, event and guest bandwidth continues to increase in importance and, in many cases, may become a tipping point in the site selection process. Social media and mobile devices have become an inextricable part of the event management landscape. Meeting professionals used to preach turn …

Network & Cyber Security In Hospitality And Tourism, Emmanuel Fragniere, Kamil Yagci

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

The tourism sector was transformed early on by digitalization, which makes it a very innovative area of business. At the same time, this high level of digitalization maturity makes it a very vulnerable industry in terms of cyber security. As a tourism specialist, it is therefore crucial to have a good understanding of network and cybersecurity. In this chapter, we will address this topic in an accessible and popularized manner. The goal is to understand the challenges of cybersecurity and as a tourism professional to contribute with specialists in the field to protect your business, your network, and your …

Harvesting A New Synergy: Exploring ‘Smart And Green’ Hotels Within The Context Of The Irish Hospitality Industry, Yi Sheng Tan

Masters

Hospitality emphasizes the ability for exchange of friendly and generous reception between businesses, guests and strangers. The complex nature of future travel and tourism industry directs the converging forces towards the hospitality industry to develop progressive strategies in response to increasing economic turbulence. Within the hotel sector, particular emphasis on emerging opportunities like sustainability and digitization are quickly shaping the strategic agenda in this competitive sector. It is envisaged that the hospitality industry will differ completely from today, owing to developments in artificial intelligence and smart technology. This research has explored the key components of the overall ‘smart and green’ …

Accountability Via Social And Financial Performance Of The Hospitality Sector: The Role Of Market Orientation, Soheil Kazemian, Hadrian G. Djajadikerta, Saiyydi Mat Roni, Terri Trireksani, Zuraidah Mohd-Sanusi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose This study aims to examine the three dimensions of market orientation, namely, customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-function coordination, which influence the accountability in the financial and social performance of tourism operators in large touristic cities. Design/methodology/approach In total, 95 usable questionnaires as the required data were collected from the top managers of four- and five-star hotels in Iran. Findings Partial least squares (PLS) results confirm that customer orientation and inter-function coordination influence both the financial and social performance of the hospitality sector yet reveal that competitor orientation has no significant relationship with social performance. Research limitations/implications These findings …

Impact Of Error Management Culture On Organizational Performance, Management-Team Performance And Creativity In The Hospitality Industry, Priyanko Guchait, Yu Qin, Juan Madera, Nan Hua, Xingyu Wang

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study is to examine how organizational error management culture impacts organizational performance, management-team performance, and creativity in the hospitality industry. In addition, this study examined the mediating effect of management-team learning behavior between error management culture and outcomes. Data were collected from general managers of 148 hotels in China using survey questionnaires. Results indicated that general managers' perceptions of organizational error management culture had a significant impact on all outcome variables. Additionally, the study found the mediating effect of management-team learning behavior.

Sweden’S Casino Cosmopol Stayed Open During The Pandemic: What Can We Learn?, Kasra Ghaharian, Bo Bernhard

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated countless research questions for academics in every conceivable field. Chief among those are the biomedical questions, particularly those related to diagnosis, prevention and treatment (National Institutes of Health, 2020), as this public health crisis relentlessly spreads across the globe. Meanwhile, virtually every other research field finds itself exploring the intersections of those biomedical questions with more specific queries on a range of everyday impacts. Sweden’s approach to COVID-19 has captured the imaginations of critical thinkers worldwide. Sweden has resisted the tendency of governments to shut down society, instead electing for a more sustainable approach. Our …

Follow The Leader: A Followership Perspective In Restaurants, Courtney Troxtel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While leadership has been a popular research topic in the hospitality industry, followership has a limited amount of research contributing to the body of knowledge. Followers are a key aspect of the leadership equation; therefore, it is important to understand their role in the industry. The purpose of this study is to explore the leadership theory of followership in restaurants to examine the connections between followership training, voice behavior and employee turnover rates. The study adds to the existing knowledge of followership in the hospitality industry and provides ideas for future research and practical implications.

A descriptive survey was made …

Chefs' Perceptions Of Zero Waste Cooking In Restaurants, Josephine Reardon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine chefs’ perceptions and practices relative to current and potentially future efforts to decrease food waste. Through qualitative inquiry, this research aims to identify food waste reduction practices in Northwest Arkansas restaurants; chef’s perceptions of these practices and zero waste cooking; the impact these practices have on successfully implementing sustainability; and the biggest challenges in reducing food waste in restaurants. The results of this study will assist chefs and restaurant owners by providing guidance on practices easily utilized in restaurants currently.

An interview protocol, with five sections, was conducted with ten chefs at …

Social Media’S Impact On Customer Satisfaction In The Hospitality Industry, Alexander Freund

Hospitality Graduate Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Sars Pandemic And Its Impact On The Hospitality Industry For Crisis Mitigation, Rachel Robie

Hospitality Graduate Student Scholarship

This article proves that pandemics greatly affect the hospitality and tourism industry. Certain infectious diseases and pandemics spread rapidly in hospitality settings and lead to global outbreak. Global outbreak of deadly diseases has the capability to financially hurt the hospitality and tourism industry. It’s important for the hospitality industry to have knowledge of previous global pandemic outbreak cases and their influences and effects on the industry. The following research article focuses specifically on the SARS pandemic outbreak’s impact on the hospitality industry. The information in this research article provides factual advice that can be applied and contributed to hospitality crisis …

Social Media In Experiential Marketing, Miyosha Biggs

Hospitality Graduate Student Scholarship

Through targeted tourism-related practices, the hospitality industry has been able to grow broadly over time. It has also been able to accommodate each new generation of tourists seeking unique experiences on a global level. To do so, the industry continues to successfully leverage technological advancements and improvements in business practices and experiential marketing efforts. All of which has helped the industry maintain both stability and sustainability. A significant advancement in particular involves the personalization of preferences instigated by consumers themselves, who by making such decisions become even more informed, and confident patrons, users, and customers. Much of the latter is …

Turnover Rates In The Hospitality Industry And The Factors Contributing To Employee Loss Or Retention, Vincenzo Cicerale

Hospitality Graduate Student Scholarship

The predominant purpose of this paper is to determine if the hospitality industry does in fact have the highest turnover of any industry, and if so, what are the implicating factors in the lack of retention. Throughout the research conducted, a common theme that developed was the lack of training in the hospitality industry and its impact and perception employees have of their leaders, and thus its affect on retention and turnover. Moreover, another aspect to consider is the generational implications, specifically generation Y, otherwise known as millennials, who are regarded as not being loyal to their employer (Gursoy, Maier, …

From The Pits To The People, William J. Robertson

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the current and future status of authentic barbeque in the State of South Carolina. It begins by introducing the topic, exploring the background of barbeque in the state, and then introduces the issues at hand – the importance of advertising the restaurants and the impending question of age of the restaurants’ owners, operators, and pitmasters. In the literature review, the issues are given background and the typical authentic barbeque restaurant is described. Five restaurants are examined in the methodology and research, selected due to their locations in each of the regions of South Carolina (Midlands, Lowcountry, Upstate, …

The Choice Between Ebooks And Printed Books: A Study Among Hospitality And Tourism Educators And Learners, Senthilkumaran Piramanayagam Phd, Partho Pratim Seal

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The emergence of electronic books (ebook) changed the position of printed books in the learning space. This study examines the perceptions and preferences of hospitality and tourism educators and learners. Similarities and dissimilarities in the preference, perception and its link with gender, and scope of the degree course what the respondents teach and learn are analyzed. Data was collected from both students and teachers of hospitality, tourism and culinary degree program at a private university located in Karnataka, India. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The result of the study shows that printed books are …

Value Relevance Of Financial And Non-Financial Information: Evidence From The Gaming Industry, Lisa Goh, Kevin Ck Lam, Hong Weng Lawrence Lei

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Using financial and non-financial data from casino gaming firms listed in the United States from 1999–2017, we explore two research questions: (1) Is financial information value relevant to financial markets in the casino gaming industry? (2) Does non-financial information have incremental explanatory power over financial information? In general, we find that accounting numbers can explain a firm’s market value and stock returns in the casino gaming industry, except for accounting accruals, which may behave differently compared to other industries. We also find that non-financial information, such as the number of table games, number of slot machines, and their relative proportion, …

Hospitality Shindig Kentucky Derby Fundraising Event: Success And Challenges, Gina Fe G. Causin, Erin Keir, Shelby Walker, Victoria Wentzel, Ryan Hall

Faculty Publications

Special events such as fundraising activities are types of events that individuals typically attend to participate in the festivities and enjoy with friends, family and colleagues (Smith, Sargent, Causin & Olle, 2019; Causin & McCarthy, 2017; Causin et. al, 2010). According to Smith, et. al (2019), fundraising in higher education has been around for hundreds of years. In the early 1900’s, the driving motivator for fundraising was to provide funds for students specifically for scholarships, housing expenses, books and food. Fundraising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies …

The Center Of Success: A Case Study On Hilton's Company Culture, Elsie G. Lamo

Experience Industry Management

Company culture is an essential element to the success of any organization. This is especially true in the hospitality industry where positive employee experiences are vital to customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the company culture of Hilton. Data were sourced primarily from Hilton websites, third-party websites, and academic articles. This study found that Hilton’s culture is shaped by compelling mission, vision, and value statements that drive every organizational aspect. Additionally, award-winning reward, recognition, and training programs sustain and reinforce a culture that grants Hilton a unique competitive advantage. To maintain market leadership, Hilton must continually …

A New Pedagogy For Enhancing Innovation In The Hospitality Classroom, Robert Rippee

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A new pedagogy on the instruction of innovation in higher education was developed using a grounded-theory approach. Multi-disciplinary students were guided through a systematic process in interdisciplinary learning, problem-based learning and experiential learning along a journey to create innovative solutions to address friction points in the hospitality industry. The proposed pedagogy integrates the innovation process and the business model canvas methodology as the standard business model in today’s startups.

An Approach To Determining Customer Satisfaction In Traditional Serbian Restaurants, Florentin Smarandache, Dragisa Stanujkic, Darjan Karabasevic, Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Fausto Cavallaro

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The aim of this paper is to make a proposal for an easy–to–use approach to the evaluation of customer satisfaction in restaurants. In order to provide a reliable way to collect respondents’ real attitudes, an approach based on the use of smaller number of evaluation criteria and interactive questionnaire created in a spreadsheet file is proposed in this paper, whereby an easy-to-understand and simple-touse procedure is proposed for determining weights of criteria. In addition to the said, the proposed approach applies the simplified SERVQUAL-based approach, for which reason a simplified version of the Weighted Sum Method based on the decision …

Why Do Employees Break Rules? Understanding Hospitality Employee Organizational Rule-Breaking, Ankita Ghosh, Cass Shum

Hospitality Faculty Research

This study explores employees’ organizational rule-breaking behaviors in the hospitality industry. Unlike the majority of hospitality literature which suggest rule-breakers are deviant, a growing stream of management research suggested that intentions behind rule-breaking behaviors among organizational employees include self-interest, to increase work efficiency, to help a subordinate or a coworker, and to provide good customer service. Our study extends the research on rule-breaking not only by studying the intentions of hospitality employee rule- breaking behaviors, but also by exploring the types of rules broken and the possible consequences of such behaviors. Eighty hospitality workers studying at a public university in …