<p>The purpose of this paper is to examine the correlation between hotels, their brands and the frontline staff within the industry. A competitive, international environment characterizes today´s hotel industry where brands are one of the strongest sources for a successful position amongst competitors. In the brand delivery, the front line staff is of utmost importance since they in many ways incorporate the brand values and the projected identity of the hotel. Hotels can use a variety of ways to communicate the brands identity to the front line staff in order to create the desired brand behavior, some more effective than others. At the same time the Swedish hotel industry, as many other, is characterized by a high percentage of staff turnovers. This is caused by the fact that part time or seasonal front line employees staff much of the hotels. This creates a possible tension since those delivering the service often are staff with limited brand awareness while at the same time the hotels are dependent of a constant brand delivery to create a sustainable brand image.</p><p>The study has been made through a qualitative approach and as a case study of a representative part of the Swedish hotel industry. We have conducted 7 interviews with various people, all working in management at different hotels. Research findings show that while there is an understanding of the front line staffs part in brand communication, the implementation phase is troublesome. In order for the staff to communicate the hotel brand true to the hotels proposed brand identity there is a need for a symbiotic relationship between the hotels management and the front line staff. A model for this relationship is therefore proposed by us.</p>

This thesis analyzes the marketing and communication mix of Hotel 16 At St. Catherine. This work defines marketing tools used in the hotel industry, SWOT analysis and segmentation. This analysis then derives individual recommendations for increasing the efficiency of marketing communication tools used.

The Master's Thesis is focused on the hotel marketing strategy issue. The theoretical section summarizes information about an issue of strategic situation analysis and it also involves marketing tools with focus on the hotel and spa industry. The goal of this paper is to design the situation analysis, evaluate the marketing tools used by the hotel and then summarize the results and include suggestions for the analyzed hotel. For the thesis were used literature sources as well as statistical yearbooks and internal information of analyzed hotel. The thesis is extended by consumer satisfaction survey and also web analytics tools as MajesticSEO and DoubleClick Ad Planner.

Οι εξαγορές και οι συγχωνεύσεις είναι ένας γρήγορος και με σχετικά χαμηλό κόστος τρόπος ανάπτυξης μιας εταιρείας. Επιλέγεται κυρίως από εταιρείες που επιθυμούν να αναπτύξουν νέ α προϊόντα ή θέλουν να διεισδύσουν σε νέες αγορές. Στόχος της εταιρείας που θα προβεί σε μια τέτοια ενέργεια είναι η αύξηση του μεριδίου αγοράς καθώς και η δημιουργία υψηλών οικονομιών κλίμακας. Σύμφωνα με μια έρευνα της εταιρείας Mckinsey & Company ο κλάδος ο οποίος θα συμβάλλει περισσότερο στην ανάπτυξη της χώρας σε βάθος μιας δεκαετίας είναι ο τουριστικός κλάδος. Επομένως, αυτός είναι και ο πιο ελκυστικός κλάδος για εξαγορές και συγχωνεύσεις στη χώρα μας. Η παρούσα διπλωματική εκπονείται με απώτερο σκοπό την ανάπτυξη ενός μοντέλου πρόβλεψης συγχωνεύσεων για ξενοδοχειακές επιχειρήσεις. Μέσα από το μοντέλο θα γίνει κατανοητός ο βαθμός στον οποίον κάποια κριτήρια επηρεάζουν τη διοίκηση για επιλογή της κατάλληλης εταιρείας για εξαγορά / συγχώνευση. Τα κριτήρια που μελετώνται είναι τα εξής : 1) ρευστότητα, 2) μόχλευση, 3) ρυθμός ανάπτυξης, 4) αποτελεσματικότητα διοίκησης, 5) απόσταση από λιμάνι, 6) απόσταση από αεροδρόμιο, 7) απόσταση από παραλία, 8) αριθμός αστέρων και 9) αριθμός δωματίων. Αναλυτικότερα, η εργασία διακρίνεται σε πέντε κεφάλαια. Το πρώτο κεφάλ αιο εξετάζει τις εξαγορές και συγχωνεύσεις σε θεωρητικό επίπεδο. Συγκεκριμένα αναλύονται α) οι έννοιες εξαγορά και συγχώνευση, β) οι τύποι με τους οποίους εμφανίζονται, γ) οι λόγοι πραγματοποίησης τους, δ) οι λόγοι που μια τέτοια επένδυση μπορεί να μην είναι επιτυχημένη, ε) η διαδικασία εξαγοράς και συγχώνευσης και στ) το θεσμικό πλαίσιο στο οποίο στηρίζονται. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζονται κάποια στατιστικά στοιχεία σχετικά με τον κλάδο του τουρισμού τόσο σε εγχώριο όσο και σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο καθώς και η έρευνα της εταιρείας Mckinsey & Company σύμφωνα με την οποία ο κλάδος με την περισσότερη ανάπτυξη σε βάθος μιας δεκαετίας είναι ο τουριστικός. Στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο παραθέτονται όλες οι μεθοδολογίες ταξινόμησης και γίνεται αναφορά στις αντίστοιχες έρευνες του παρελθόντος Το τέταρτο κεφάλαιο περιλαμβάνει την εμπειρική ανάλυση. Συγκεκριμένα, παρουσιάζεται εκτενέστερα η μεθοδολογία UTADIS, η οποία εφαρμόζεται στην παρούσα 5 εργασία καθώς και η ακριβής διαδικασία. Εν συνεχεία, αναλύονται τα κριτήρια και ο τρόπος συλλογής των δεδομένων και ακολουθεί μια παρουσίαση του δείγματος με τη βοήθεια της περιγραφικής στατιστικής. Επιπλέον, αναφέρονται τα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν από την ανάλυση του μοντέλου που αναπτύχθηκε στα πλ αίσια της παρούσας διπλωματικής και στο τέλος του κεφαλαίου γίνεται σύγκριση των αποτελεσμάτων αυτής της έρευνας σε σχέση με τα αποτελέσματα άλλων ερευνών. Στο πέμπτο και τελευταίο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζονται τα γενικά συμπεράσματα της παρούσας εργασίας και προτάσεις για περαιτέρω μελέτη. / Mergers and acquisitions are meant to be a quick and with relatively low cost way so as for a company to get developed. They are chosen mainly by companies which try to develop new products or to merge to new markets. The main reason why α company acts in this way is to increase market’s share and to create high economies of scale. According to a survey of Mckinsey & Company, the economic sector which will contribute the most to the development of the country in depth of a decade is tourism. Thus, tourism is the most attractive sector for mergers and acquisitions in our country. The goal of this master thesis is to develop a classification model for hotel industry. Through this model, it will be understandable which criteria affect the administration of a company in order to choose the appropriate company for merger or acquisition. The criteria which are included in this model are: 1) liquidity, 2) leverage, 3) growth rate, 4) management’s efficiency, 5) distance from the closest port, 6) distance from the closest airport, 7) distance from the closest beach, 8) number of stars and 9) number of rooms. To be more specific, this thesis consists of 5 chapters. The first one analyzes the mergers and acquisitions in a theoretical basis. Particularly, it is referred a) the definitions of terms “merger” and “acquisition”, b) the different types of them, c) the reasons why companies result in these actions, d) the reasons why mergers and acquisitions are not always successful, e) all the steps of these procedures and f) regulatory framework on which they are based. In the second chapter, statistics about tourism not only in national but also in international level are presented. It is also mentioned the survey of Mckinsey & Company which concludes that tourism is the sector which contributes the most to the development of our country in a decade. In the third chapter, all the classification techniques are elaborated as well as all the relative surveys from the past. The fourth chapter includes the empirical analysis. The methodology UTADIS is described in detail because it’s the methodology of the model. Furthermore, the criteria and the way of collecting data are analyzed. The sample is also presented through descriptive statistics. At the end of this chapter, the results that are derived from the analysis of the model are referred and are compared to the results of other surveys. In the last but not least chapter the conclusions from the thesis and suggestions for further studies are mentioned.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the correlation between hotels, their brands and the frontline staff within the industry. A competitive, international environment characterizes today´s hotel industry where brands are one of the strongest sources for a successful position amongst competitors. In the brand delivery, the front line staff is of utmost importance since they in many ways incorporate the brand values and the projected identity of the hotel. Hotels can use a variety of ways to communicate the brands identity to the front line staff in order to create the desired brand behavior, some more effective than others. At the same time the Swedish hotel industry, as many other, is characterized by a high percentage of staff turnovers. This is caused by the fact that part time or seasonal front line employees staff much of the hotels. This creates a possible tension since those delivering the service often are staff with limited brand awareness while at the same time the hotels are dependent of a constant brand delivery to create a sustainable brand image. The study has been made through a qualitative approach and as a case study of a representative part of the Swedish hotel industry. We have conducted 7 interviews with various people, all working in management at different hotels. Research findings show that while there is an understanding of the front line staffs part in brand communication, the implementation phase is troublesome. In order for the staff to communicate the hotel brand true to the hotels proposed brand identity there is a need for a symbiotic relationship between the hotels management and the front line staff. A model for this relationship is therefore proposed by us.

Background: The hospitality industry, especially the hotel business, is a relatively new, and rapidly growing industry in Lithuania. The last two decades resulted in a significant expansion of the local hotel market, as well as of operations of international hotel chains. Thus, competition among actors in the industry, along with the companies’ need to differentiate their offerings from those of competitors, has risen. Branding strategies are increasingly used by companies for achieving better positioning on the market, as well as for gaining a competitive advantage and customers’ loyalty. Knowing that global brands play an important role for firms’ visibility on the market, it is important to recognize, and understand the factors influencing marketing management- and branding-related activities. To accomplish this, an in-depth understanding behind the structure and branding strategies of international hotel chains should be developed. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand the rationale behind the structure, and operations of international hotel operators in Lithuania, with a focus on the hotels’ branding strategies. Furthermore, the thesis aims to investigate how companies use their brand identity to position themselves in the market. Methodology: This thesis relies on a qualitative research, with a main focus on discovery, and aim to expand current knowledge in the field of hospitality management and branding within the Lithuanian hotel industry. The study consists of an in-depth case study of three international hotel chains operating in Lithuania. The empirical data was gathered from semi-structured, and e-mail interviews with the chosen hotels’ representatives, as well as from secondary data such as annual reports and official websites.   Conclusion: Three key findings are presented in this thesis. First of all, the authors identify business travelers as the main target group of the selected international hotel operators in Vilnius. Secondly, the examined hotel operators are recognized to standardize their structure and operations, but at the same time to customize their marketing strategies to the local market. Finally, the findings indicate that some hotels completely incorporate the brand identity of the chain, which they belong to, while others develop their own brand identity, relying only partly on the identity of the chain. Contributions: This thesis positively contributes to the academic community, as it expands the theoretical knowledge about the Lithuanian hotels industry, with a main focus on the branding- and marketing activities of international hotel chains. The findings provide a practical insight on how companies are positioned in the market in relation to their competitors. Moreover, with an extensive choice of accommodation available in the market, the comparison of hotels is beneficial in helping customers choosing the best alternative according to their needs.

This work was developed in order to analyze the influence of organizational values on strategic behavior of companies in the hotel industry of the tourist area of Hortênsias / RS, in the perception of managers. The approach that characterized research study´s methodology is quantitative, for data collected were used questionnaires in survey research. The participants were 67 managers, who answered a questionnaire based on the Inventory of Organizational Values Profile by Oliveira and Tamayo (2004) and the Assessment Instrument of Strategic Behavior by Conant, Mokwa and Varadarajan (1990) based on Miles and Snow (1978). Data were analyzed with the help of SPSS software to perform statistical tests. The main findings state that the priority organizational values were Concern with the Community and Compliance while organizational values Domain and Welfare, occupied lower places in the hierarchy. In relation to strategic behavior, we could identify the prevalence of Defender and Analytical behavior. However, the two strategic behaviors less present in the studied companies were Reactor and the Prospector. Also, it was identified that the factors Autonomy, Welfare, Conformity, Domain, Prestige and Achievement influence on the strategic behavior. Organizational values Concern with the Community and Tradition do not have any influence on the strategic behavior. Thus, it was identified that two obstacles must be overcome, reducing the number of reactors companies and the generation of competitive advantage by adapting the welfare value to the organization's values, thus seeking competitive advantage through the implementation of a Analytical strategic behavior. / Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o propósito de analisar a influência dos valores organizacionais no comportamento estratégico nas empresas do setor hoteleiro da região turística das Hortênsias/RS, na percepção dos gestores. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa de caráter explicativo do tipo survey, de abordagem quantitativa. Participaram da pesquisa 67 gestores, aos quais foram aplicados um questionário, tendo como base o Inventário de Perfis de Valores Organizacionais (IPVO) de Oliveira e Tamayo (2004) e o Instrumento de Avaliação do Comportamento Estratégico de Conant, Mokwa e Varadarajan (1990), com base em Miles e Snow (1978). Os dados obtidos foram analisados com o apoio do software SPSS para realização dos testes estatísticos. Os principais resultados encontrados expõem que os valores organizacionais prioritários foram Preocupação com a Coletividade e Conformidade, enquanto, os valores organizacionais Domínio e Bem-estar, ocuparam lugares inferiores na hierarquia. Em relação ao comportamento estratégico, foi possível identificar a predominância do comportamento Defensor e Analítico, no entanto, os dois comportamentos estratégicos menos presentes nas empresas estudadas foram Reator e o Prospector. Ainda, foi identificado que o fator Autonomia; Bem-estar; Conformidade; Domínio; Prestígio e Realização exercem influência sobre o comportamento estratégico. Já os valores organizacionais Preocupação com a Coletividade e Tradição não apresentam nenhuma influência no comportamento estratégico. Assim, identificou-se que, dois obstáculos devem ser superados, a redução do número de empresas Reatoras e a geração de vantagem competitiva através da adequação do valor Bem-estar aos valores da organização, buscando assim de vantagem competitiva, através da implementação de um comportamento estratégico Analítico.

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a importância do serviço de alimentação junto aos meios de hospedagem gaúchos, particularmente na cidade de Porto Alegre. A ausência de estudos sobre a qualidade dos serviços de alimentação nos meios de hospedagem da capital gaúcha pode comprometer não apenas o nível de qualidade do setor na região, mas o próprio progresso das atividades desenvolvidas. Isso determina a necessidade de ações voltadas para o planejamento das atividades turísticas. A partir da análise deste contexto, questiona-se os serviços de alimentação prestados junto aos meios de hospedagem gaúchos, em especial da capital gaúcha, efetivamente são considerados diferenciais de mercado junto aos hóspedes e gestores dos empreendimentos, e não a partir de especialistas em gastronomia. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-05-13T17:42:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Charles Grazziotion Silva.pdf: 1135136 bytes, checksum: 85f4cf0fbcdbaa9b3aeb7798c0d8b97e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-13T17:42:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Charles Grazziotion Silva.pdf: 1135136 bytes, checksum: 85f4cf0fbcdbaa9b3aeb7798c0d8b97e (MD5) / The present study has for investigation s subject the importance of Gauchos´ gastronomy in the hotel industry, especially in the city of Porto Alegre. The absence of studies about the quality of food services in the Gauchos´ capital hotel industry could not only risk the region s quality services but the progress and development of the activity. This crucial fact shows the need for planning actions towards tourism activities. From this context, the study tries to answer the question if the Gaucho s food services, especially in Porto Alegre, are understood as a differential market for clients and hotel managers.

Submitted by GABRIEL FURLAN COLETTI (gabrielf.coletti@gmail.com) on 2017-05-15T20:11:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Versão Final Gabriel Coletti.pdf: 1905120 bytes, checksum: 6f89fae014a1b117da8fd3fcbc30c15d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-05-16T14:50:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 coletti_gf_me_arafcl.pdf: 1905120 bytes, checksum: 6f89fae014a1b117da8fd3fcbc30c15d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-16T14:50:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 coletti_gf_me_arafcl.pdf: 1905120 bytes, checksum: 6f89fae014a1b117da8fd3fcbc30c15d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-27 / O número de estudos que tratam da internacionalização de empresas tem aumentado nos últimos anos. Esse aumento é verificado, em grande medida, devido à adequação das teorias que tratam do tema à dinâmica do setor de serviços, tendo sido elas elaboradas originalmente para explicar o investimento estrangeiro de empresas industriais. Tal fenômeno ocorre em função do crescimento da importância do setor terciário na economia mundial e, principalmente, pela incorporação de diversos serviços em todas as cadeias produtivas da indústria. Essas estruturas de produção acompanham a divisão internacional do trabalho, com etapas específicas distribuídas pelos países segundo suas competências produtivas. Essa distribuição foi possibilitada, entre outros fatores, pela diminuição dos custos de transporte internacional, que levou a um aumento não apenas nos fluxos de comércio mundial, mas também na atividade turística internacional. O turismo, por sua vez, é uma atividade que necessita de diversos serviços, dentre eles os de hotelaria. As grandes empresas que prestam serviços hoteleiros também adotaram a estratégia de expansão internacional nos últimos anos, mas sua dinâmica difere de outras empresas de serviços em função da heterogeneidade do setor terciário. Visto isso, este trabalho tem o intuito de explorar a capacidade explicativa das teorias de internacionalização, bem como a possibilidade de adapta-las à dinâmica real do mercado, considerando as estratégias das redes hoteleiras internacionais no Brasil. Verifica-se que as teorias de internacionalização possuem poder explicativo limitado para a indústria hoteleira. Para responder tais questões, foram levantados dois objetivos: analisar as estratégias de entrada das redes internacionais de hotelaria no Brasil, e, posteriormente, estruturar um referencial analítico que compreenda as peculiaridades do segmento estudado. O trabalho, que utiliza uma abordagem qualitativa dentro de estudo de múltiplos casos, é iniciado com a caracterização e dimensionamento do setor de serviços e do segmento de hotelaria, por meio de revisão bibliográfica e levantamento das atividades. Os dados utilizados nesta pesquisa são levantados junto à Smith Travel Research (STR Global), que correspondem as 15 maiores redes de hotelaria com base em seus números de hotéis no Brasil e em seu tipo de operação/estratégia de entrada, numa amostra total de 1872 hotéis. Para o referencial de teorias e estratégias de internacionalização, é estruturada uma revisão bibliográfica em livros e artigos de periódicos, sintetizando seus pontos principais, tornando possível o esforço de análise qualitativa entre seus fundamentos e os dados levantados. / The number of studies concerning companies' internationalization has increased in the past years. This increase occurs largely due to the adequacy of theories that deal with the subject to the dynamics of the service sector, and these were originally designed to explain the foreign investment of industrial companies. Such phenomenon occurs due to the growth of the importance of the tertiary sector in world economy and, mainly, the incorporation of several services in all the productive chains of the industry. These production structures accompany the international division of labor, with specific stages distributed by countries according to their productive competencies. This distribution was made possible, among other factors, by the decrease in international transportation costs, which led to an increase not only in world trade flows, but also in international tourism activity. Tourism, in turn, is an activity that requires several services, such as hospitality. The large companies that provide hotel services have also adopted the strategy of international expansion in recent years, but their dynamics differs from other service companies due to heterogeneity of the tertiary sector. Thus, this work intends to explore the explanatory capacity of internationalization theories, as well as the possibility of adapting them to the real market dynamics, considering the strategies of international hotel chains in Brazil. It is verified that the internationalization theories have limited explanatory power for the hotel industry. In order to answer such questions, two objectives were raised: to analyze the entry strategies of international hotel chains in Brazil, and, later, to structure an analytical framework that comprehends the peculiarities of the studied segment. The work, which uses a qualitative approach within multiple cases study, is initiated with the characterization and dimensioning of the service sector and the hotel segment through bibliographic review and survey of activities. The data used in this research are collected from Smith Travel Research (STR Global), corresponding to the 15 largest hotel chains based on their hotel numbers and type of operation/entry strategy, with a total sample of 1872 hotels. For the internationalization theories and strategies referential, a literature review is structured based in books and articles, synthesizing its main elements, making possible the effort of qualitative analysis between its fundamentals and the collected data.

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a importância do serviço de alimentação junto aos meios de hospedagem gaúchos, particularmente na cidade de Porto Alegre. A ausência de estudos sobre a qualidade dos serviços de alimentação nos meios de hospedagem da capital gaúcha pode comprometer não apenas o nível de qualidade do setor na região, mas o próprio progresso das atividades desenvolvidas. Isso determina a necessidade de ações voltadas para o planejamento das atividades turísticas. A partir da análise deste contexto, questiona-se os serviços de alimentação prestados junto aos meios de hospedagem gaúchos, em especial da capital gaúcha, efetivamente são considerados diferenciais de mercado junto aos hóspedes e gestores dos empreendimentos, e não a partir de especialistas em gastronomia. / The present study has for investigation s subject the importance of Gauchos´ gastronomy in the hotel industry, especially in the city of Porto Alegre. The absence of studies about the quality of food services in the Gauchos´ capital hotel industry could not only risk the region s quality services but the progress and development of the activity. This crucial fact shows the need for planning actions towards tourism activities. From this context, the study tries to answer the question if the Gaucho s food services, especially in Porto Alegre, are understood as a differential market for clients and hotel managers.