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Many definitions have been offered for the term “sustainability” within the hotel industry, and because of this, many business owners have been skeptical of what the term really means, and all that it encompasses; this uncertainty has, unfortunately, rendered them hesitant to initiate any efforts towards accepting it within their hotel doors and within their business plan. The aim of this research is to provide a sense of a road map to sustainability efforts within the Hotel Industry (all around the world); provide an array of options for new innovative sustainability efforts for hoteliers; and a look into what sustainability efforts actually exists in the industry today. The author statistically analyzed a total of 45 articles and journals and narrowed them down to twenty-seven which were most relevant to the research topic. The results show that not only is sustainability in the Hotel Industry very relevant, but that there are also many creative ways (through construction, technology, etc.) in which hoteliers are placing sustainable efforts at the forefront of their business strategies, evidenced in the growth of their customer base and customer satisfaction, reduction of their carbon footprint, as well as an increase in their overall corporate rating amongst hotels globally. The results of the review also identified the gap in the existing literature relating to sustainability in hotels.

The purpose of this paper is to examine online retention research in higher education over a 5-year span (January 2015–March 2019) to further advance research in higher education retention. Through an academic database search, 18 articles were collected from EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and Research Gate using combinations of the keywords online, retention strategies, and higher education. All articles were analyzed for proposed retention strategies. Retention is a global topic. As such, this study demonstrates the importance of retention and clarifies issues or challenges students encounter, which may cause lower retention rates. The data reviewed suggest the most common retention issues or strategies involved student factors/motivation as well as faculty and student interactions. Common retention strategies most often included enhancing faculty training and/or support and adding student services positions and/or support.

Purpose The study aims to develop a theoretical model that portrays the antecedents of emotional attachment in the travel context by combining branding, marketing and information systems theories. Design/methodology/approach The authors gather empirical data through a Web-based questionnaire from 236 respondents. The proposed theory-driven model is examined empirically by using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The findings suggest that social media rewards and benefits impact users’ brand commitment. Social media interactivity and rewards help building a stronger brand image. Brand commitment and brand image, in turn, affect emotional attachment positively. Research limitations/implications Other unexamined constructs may add to the explanation of building brands using social media platforms. As this is an exploratory study in relation to enhancing emotional attachment in an online travel setting, other constructs such as brand page commitment, annoyance, social benefits and telepresence may be considered in future studies. Practical implications Practitioners might encounter ways to influence favorable perceptions and brand commitment when consumers use social media sites. The model addresses questions regarding the significant role of social media activities on influencing brand image and brand commitment that in turn influence the development of a strong emotional attachment. Social implications This study examined the effects of social media activities including interactivity, psychological benefits and rewards on brand image and brand commitment, and the effects of brand image and brand commitment on emotional attachment in the travel context. The results offer further verification for the theory-based model presented in the study. Evidently, statistically significant and meaningful associations exist among the factors. Originality/value The key contribution of this study is that it presents and validates a theory-driven model that reveals the antecedents of sustainable emotional attachment. The proposed framework stresses the positive relationships among constructs and offers research basis for expansion in other settings.

The purpose of this study was to propose a theory-driven model to understand the relationship among social website interactivity, brand experience, brand choice, price premium, and buying intention within the context of online travel agencies (OTAs) websites. The moderating role of consumer age was also investigated. Results suggested the inclusion of social website interactivity in the design of OTA websites enhanced branding elements, which influenced customers' willingness to pay the price premium and to return in the future. The strength of the relationships among these constructs varies across young consumers (aged between 18 and 25) and older consumers (aged above 25). Moreover, results suggested that social website interactivity influenced price premium and buying intentions through brand experience and brand choice. This study offers specific theoretical and practical implications.

Focusing on positive service experiences, this study examined the relation-ships among employee extra attention, customers delight, and customer re-purchase intentions. The target sample that had a positive interaction with an employee in the recent six months was invited to participate in the survey. The data analysis was performed in two steps: 1) Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and 2) Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results suggested that employees’ extra attention affects customer delight. Subsequently, customer delight has a positive relationship with customer repurchase intentions. Furthermore, employee extra attention has a positive relationship with customer repurchase intentions. The finding of the study provides valuable implications for research and the industry regarding generating favorable customer repurchase intentions in positive service experiences.

A comprehensive financial literacy questionnaire surveyed prospective psychological constructs as antecedents (financial literacy, economic perception, financial self-confidence, financial behavior, and personal financial performance) of applying financial self-efficacy in a large sample of working students in the hospitality and tourism industry. It is expected that financial literacy and economic perception are key antecedents of financial self-efficacy, which in turns may influence financial behaviors and personal financial performance in shaping a working student’s future skills for designing effective financial plans. For this purpose, the structural equations model was empirically tested. Moreover, the mediating indirect effects of financial self-efficacy in the relationships between financial literacy and economic environment on financial behavior and financial performance were tested through a two-phase methodological analysis. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the effects of financial self-efficacy, financial literacy and economic perception on personal financial behavior. The significance of the contribution is to propose and examine empirically a theory-based model of financial self-efficacy and financial behavior-performance in a service context among Generation Yers.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of a mega-sporting event “2014 FIFA World Cup” on hotel pricing strategies and performance. Design/methodology/approachThe present project examines the host regions’ response to the 2014 FIFA World Cup which was established by the variance in the main hotel key performance indexes: occupancy, average daily rate, revenue per available room (RevPAR) and supply. Using data gathered from STR, this research distinctly shows how the Brazilian host regions reacted to the World Cup. FindingsResults suggest that the key performance indicators of Brazil’s lodging sector reacted differently to the World Cup. Although all hosting cities experienced significant RevPAR growth because of the increase in hotel room rates during the event, the supply and occupancy performed differed from each city. Research limitations/implicationsResearch is limited to the case of hotel performance at the country level for mega-events. The study focused on the reaction of revenue managers in the Latin America context. Other contexts may generate different results. Practical implicationsThe study helps revenue managers to examine how the FIFA World Cup travel demand affected pricing strategies and revenue management practices in the Brazilian hotel sector in areas undergoing seasonal growths in overnight tourism. This study serves to inform hoteliers and practitioners about revenue management pricing strategies to improve hotel performance during mega-sporting events. Social implicationsThis study reveals that the benefits brought by a mega-event are not always translated into strong hotel revenue performance. This study highlights an important but understudied research area of revenue management pricing strategies and the effect of mega-sporting events in the hotel sector. This study contributes to the literature as one of the few investigations to benefit hotel pricing strategies and overall revenue performance. Originality/valueThis study is one of the few studies about exploring the reaction of revenue managers during the execution of a mega-sporting event. The value of the present study lies in the fact that the authors extend previous studies examining the impact of the most important sporting event in the hotel industry at the country-level perspective. This study serves to inform hoteliers and practitioners about revenue management pricing strategies to improve hotel performance during mega-sporting events.

The present study aims to develop and test a theory-based model of website interactivity as an online branding tool. It explores the relationships among website interactivity, the dimensions of brand knowledge, and brand value in the context of hotel booking websites. An online questionnaire was completed by four hundred forty two (n = 442) responses who booked a hotel room in the previous year. Leaning on the fundamentals of branding literature and the website interactivity theory, a model was designed and seven hypotheses were tested. A two-phase analysis was considered, first a Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and then a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were conducted to test hypotheses. The results of the study show that the dimensions of website interactivity, namely two-way communication and user control, positively impact the dimensions of brand knowledge, namely brand awareness and brand image, which in turn impact brand value. We offer both theoretical and managerial implications.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the value proposition of developing a vacation ownership project in Florida and Hawaii by analyzing actual company data. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a net present value model approach that was used for analysis of the company financial data. Findings Results suggest that the vacation ownership alternative produces better financial performance than traditional hotel development. Research limitations/implications Research is limited to the case of a company in two main destinations. Practical implications The paper helps practitioners by presenting a current approach to consider in their understanding and perception of vacation ownership. Social implications Research is limited to the case of a company in two main destinations. Originality/value This study is one of the few investigations about applying real company data and comparing the main timeshare markets.

This study examines bankruptcy prediction of hospitality firms within U.S. equity markets. The article investigates whether the Logit model or the Multiple Discriminant Analysis (MDA) accurately predict bankruptcy, specifically it attempts to investigate how accurate Logit and MDA models are. Various key financial variables were utilized as predictors and contrasting samples of both bankrupt and non-bankrupt firms for the period 1992–2010 were used. In this analysis Statistical software SPSS 20 was utilized for the analysis. Results show that for the period 1992–2010, the MDA model outperformed the Logit model for overall bankruptcy prediction. Theoretical and practical implications were offered based on the results. The study is critical given the significant number of hospitality enterprises being intensely impacted by the recent economic downturn. Consequently, the hospitality industry in United States demands higher degree of accuracy from bankruptcy prediction models to forecast economic failure.

This study develops and empirically tests a virtual interactivity (VI) framework in the context of travel-related online social network (OSN) websites. Data was collected from 236 respondents. The findings reveal that system quality, psychological benefits, brand awareness, and reward activities positively affect VI in OSN websites. In return, VI positively influences brand image, brand attachment, and brand evaluation. The results also indicate that brand image was positively related to both brand attachment and brand evaluation. This is one of the few studies in this area of research and results provide theoretical and practical implications in relation to building brand image, brand evaluation, and brand attachment for travel-related OSN websites.

Consumers trust the Internet for advice. Online Social Networks (OSNs) are creating collective knowledge and becoming major information gathering sources among tourists when making travel decisions and purchasing travel-related products and services. The aim of the current study is to develop a theoretical model that tests the precursors of “intention to share knowledge” behaviors in the context of OSNs. Based on the previous literature, a theoretical model was developed and tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling with a sample of travel-related OSN users who had at least one year of online travel shopping experience. Study results show that both perceived ease of use and belief in integrity positively influence knowledge sharing behaviors. Utilitarian beliefs and subjective norms positively influence belief in integrity. This is one of the few research studies within this field and study results present clear theoretical and practical implications for the travel and tourism industry.

This article looks at the values of market-based equities (common stocks) based on the relative investment valuation, analyzed with several earnings multiples in global lodging markets in 2014. To be specific, we compare the value of various common stock portfolios sorted for four geographical regions with those relative value investment metrics so that we can make a solid judgment about bullish and bearish markets demonstrating investors’ confidence or stagnancy, anomalies in prices indicating under and overvalued stocks, and outperforming lodging portfolios in global markets. Common stock prices in portfolios are standardized, utilizing earnings parameters such as Current Price/Earnings Ratio (PE) and its variants (Trailing and Forward PE), Price/Earnings to Growth (PEG), and The Market Value of Debt and Equity free of Cash-to-EBITDA (Value/EBITDA). Linking the relative value with earnings proxies and the stock portfolios, which are extracted in a homogeneous industry but are sorted from heterogeneous r...

Based on an empirical analysis, the author offers an online social network (OSN), user-based brand equity framework, for application in business branding efforts and investigation. The author finds novel elements of brand equity that should be contemplated by travel researchers and practitioners. Elements of brand equity produced from literature review are portrayed in theoretical relationships. The proposed model is examined with data collected from travel-related OSN Web site users in the United States. Findings authenticate the validity and reliability of the designed theory-driven framework.

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to develop a comprehensive model that combines brand awareness, brand image, brand emotional attachment, brand evaluation and also shows how these constructs affect e-loyalty through the use of travel-related online social network (OSN) websites. Design/methodology/approach – Based on an in-depth literature review, a conceptual e-loyalty model was developed. Empirical data were collected through a web-based questionnaire from 236 respondents. A structural equation modeling was utilized to test the e-loyalty model. Findings – Results indicate that brand awareness positively affects brand image. Brand awareness directly and indirectly influences brand emotional attachment and brand evaluations. The total effects of brand awareness and brand image suggest that higher awareness level and positive image encourage OSN users to be more loyal. In return, this increases the probability that OSN members will repurchase through the OSN websites that they are emotionally connected with. Study results further suggest that there is no difference between the conceptualization of loyalty and the medium used when brands attempt to create consumer loyalty either in the traditional offline medium or the online medium. Practical implications – Study results suggest that travel-related brands should consider brand emotional attachment and brand evaluation as the most important antecedents to e-loyalty, while e-loyalty results in the increased transaction intentions of online users. Originality/value – Very few studies have so far looked at the cause-and-effect relationship between brand emotional attachment and brand evaluation, and e-loyalty through the use of travel-related OSN websites. Study results confirm that the conceptualization of loyalty is similar to the conceptualization of e-loyalty.

PurposeThe broad goal of the study is to determine how travelers communicate in the cyberspace in relation to their positive and negative experiences they had when staying in a particular hotel. Further goals of this study include identifying the main themes that motivate consumers to evaluate hotel experiences in online environments and categorize the most frequently mentioned areas in the online hotel reviews.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis techniques were applied by using the software tool NVivo 8 in order to analyze comments extracted using an automated web spider. The spider extracted qualitative data in the form of reviews and comments and quantitative data in the form of demographic information and ratings. The reviews were considered as a primary data for analysis, these reviews portrayed both positive and negative experiences. During this process, the spider collected data on 3,124 hotels and 17,357 traveler reviews from the TripAdvisor site.FindingsBy reviewing and understanding traveler comments of their hotel experiences, managers could gain knowledge concerning which element influence to form a positive brand image. Cleanliness of the hotel generally is a common concern in traveler's expectations. Words about deficiency of cleanliness (dirty) appeared more regularly when travelers write negative reviews about the hotel. Travelers showed to be more likely to write positive reviews of hotels with convenient location to good areas such as attractions, shopping, airports, and restaurants. The data in this research shows that travelers can be positively influenced by quality of service received a friendly and well trained staff. When travelers are pleased with the quality of human contact offerings of a well‐trained employee, they tend to feel more satisfied and to form a positive brand image that it is translated into a positive review.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations could be listed using a relatively small sample size, and a relatively limited geographical capacity. Future studies are advised to include bigger sample sizes and also advised to explore a diverse pool of geographical.Originality/valueThe study identifies the possible areas that hoteliers need to pay close attention to improve service. Further, it is one of the first studies in hospitality that highlights strategies to create and reinforce brand image by using online reviews.

The aim of this study is to examine how customer delight, a proven construct superior to the famous customer satisfaction, affects consumers to generate positive word of mouth and to behave positively to repurchase from the brand. The study also tests the mediating effect of positive word of mouth on the delight-repurchase relationship. The theory-driven model includes customer delight, positive word of mouth, and repurchase intentions. The study involves the participation of 302 consumers to examine the proposed hypotheses. Study findings suggest that customer delight is a significant predictor of positive word of mouth and intentions to buy from the brand of preference. The results also support the notion that positive word of mouth mediate the impact of customer delight on repurchase intentions. Additionally, the study shows that once positive word of mouth is introduced in the model for analysis, it helps to increase substantially the variance explained in dependent variable named repurchase intentions. This study advances the service marketing literature explaining the effect of emotion-customer delight, and the mediating role of positive word of mouth.