Esta pesquisa é resultado do reconhecimento, no mercado hoteleiro, de algumas vantagens em se conhecer o conjunto de necessidades específicas de um determinado tipo de hóspede. O turismo de negócios é visto como um importante segmento do mercado turístico e como forte gerador da demanda hoteleira em algumas regiões. A proposta é, a partir da apresentação de características do mercado turístico e do setor hoteleiro, discutir a percepção do turista de negócios quanto aos atributos oferecidos pelos hotéis que justificam a preferência por dado empreendimento para sua estadia. A pesquisa bibliográfica, aliada a um estudo exploratório na cidade de São Paulo, permite algumas conjecturas a respeito do comportamento do turista de negócios no que diz respeito à hospedagem. Em virtude do dinamismo desta demanda, espera-se incentivar com esta pesquisa a continuidade, por profissionais e acadêmicos, dos estudos a respeito do mercado hoteleiro para o turismo de negócios. / business tourist behavior concerning hosting. Due to the dynamism of hotel demand, is expected that professionals and academics be stimulated to prospect and study the hotel market for business tourism. This research is the outcome of the recognition, in the hotel market, of the advantages of knowing the needs of a certain guest profile. Business tourism is an important segment of the tourism market and generates a great demand in some specific regions. The purpose of the research is, from the overview of the characteristics of tourism market and hotels segment, discuss the business tourist perspective of the attributes offered by hotels that justify their preference for a specific project. Research bibliography combined with an exploration in the city of São Paulo, allowed some hypothesis regarding

A partir de uma análise sobre o conceito de consumo hedônico, serão estudados os conceitos de Marketing Experiencial, a partir das teorias desenvolvidas por Pine e Gilmore, e também o pensamento de Bernd Schmitt. Com base nisso, verificar-se-á que o conceito de Marketing Experiencial ainda apresenta certa confusão, e é usado em situações bastante diferentes. Comparando os autores principais, e tendo como pano de fundo uma série de estudos sobre a experiência do consumidor, conclui-se que, o que efetivamente é mais importante neste conceito é o uso que se faz das experiências sensoriais como ferramenta de marketing. Com isso, será desenvolvido um estudo de caso múltiplo onde se procura analisar o uso da experiência nos hotéis 5 estrelas da cidade de São Paulo. O resultado mostra que este é um processo que ainda está no início, mas que já apresenta algumas ações interessantes e que devem ser desenvolvidas. / From an analysis of the concept of hedonic consumption, we studied the concepts of Experiential Marketing, from the theories developed by Pine and Gilmore, and also the thought of Bernd Schmitt. On this basis, we find that the concept of Experiential Marketing is still very confusing, and is used in quite different situations. Comparing the principal authors, and with the backdrop of a series of studies on the consumer experience, we conclude that, effectively is more important in this concept is the use made of sensory experiences as a marketing tool. With this, we developed a multiple case study where we attempted to evaluate the use of experience in five star hotels of the city of Sao Paulo. The result shows that this is a process that is still in the beginning, but already has some interesting actions and should be developed.

Customers are influenced in the physical world by their surroundings; important factors such as packaging, human interaction and atmosphere (environment) play important roles in any purchase decision customers make. Today's customers are moving towards faster, and more efficient ways of purchasing products/services. One of the most influential features in online purchase decisions is the Virtual Store Atmosphere (VSA). VSA is a marketing tool that not only influences purchase decisions, but it also measures the level of satisfaction in tourism and other industries. A high level of customer satisfaction increases the chance that they will recommend the product/service to other customers. However, despite different studies concerning information technology development and the impact of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on online Customer Purchase Decisions (CPD), eWOM has been little explored in the sphere of web design. It is vital that this research gap should be addressed, based on the online customer nature and the number of online bookings made in the tourism sector. Based on the above, this study aims to critically investigate and examine the impact of the online shopping environment on eWOM and customer purchase decisions, with respect to online bookings in the hotel industry, and develops a framework. The study aims to assess whether or not this impact is due to customers' web satisfaction and willingness to book a hotel online. Additionally, it looks at the influence of the online tourism environment on eWOM and Saudi Arabian customers' purchase decisions with respect to trust and the perceived risks in the area of hotel bookings made online. This research mainly adopts a quantitative method to achieve the objectives. Therefore, a conceptual framework has been developed based on existing literature concerning eWOM, web design and the hotel industry. The proposed framework has been validated using a measurement scale from previous validated studies. The research embraced and applied two main theories in the study, which are the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Stimulus-Organism-Response model (S-O-R). The research used an online survey of 1,002 respondents, which was distributed between two groups (Saudi national undergraduate students and Saudi national academic employees). Interviews, focus groups, and a pilot study were conducted to validate the survey too. Data analysis applied Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to validate the relationships between constructs and to test the research hypotheses. The findings from this study show that the majority of the environmental factors selected (web design) affect ES and motivate users to book a hotel online; these are: Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Website Content, Intrusive Marketing Tools 'Pop-up Ads and Banner Ads', Search Engine and Enjoyability, but not System Quality. In addition, the results suggest that one of the organism factors, i.e. eWOM, does not influence CPD. As a result, this study contributes to the customer behaviour and web design/quality literature within the travel/tourism context in Saudi Arabia. It contributes to the existing knowledge and supports practitioners of third-party hotel websites in shaping their web development priorities and enables them to focus on the most influential and critical factors.

The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of strategic paths to knowledge management in small and medium-sized hotels. This thesis has formulated a path knowledge concept and developed a PathFinder model. The formulation of the path knowledge concept and the development of the PathFinder model are based on an empirical investigation through the conduct of thirteen face-to-face in-depth interviews with owners/managers in small and medium-sized hotels. The interview data were analysed with the use of a purpose-built database and Structured Query Language for data manipulation. This study has identified four broad types of paths to knowledge management in small and medium-sized hotels. A hotel's choice of a path to knowledge management is essentially dependent on two defining aspects, the sources of revenue generation and knowledge management activities. The path knowledge concept reflects the growth visions of small and medium-sized hotels, whe re knowledge management is practised unconsciously as part of the integrated business operation. The PathFinder model represents the intentions of small and medium-sized hotels with regard to certain paths to knowledge management as influenced by various internal and external resources. The model provides strategic level decision making options for knowledge management and the basis for the development of future additions.

The New Zealand hotel industry: the role of image as a medium influencing company's competitiveness and customer loyalty towards brand.This thesis evolves around image and its significance while developing customers' loyalty and increasing company's competitiveness in a highly competitive market. The topic is studied in-depth from the organisational perspective and delves into the differing motivations of hotel operators towards shaping favourable image as well as examining how the hotel's image affects customer loyalty and helps the company to increase its competitiveness. Finally, it analyses and compares which public relations tools are the most effective in the process of image creation and developing customer loyalty. From this perspective image becomes a central issue impacting company's future growth, performance and finally success.The research was conducted on the Auckland international hotel chains. Auckland hosts numerous conferences and events that drives demand for accommodation and in a way, creates a conducive environment to hotel operators for future expansion. Thus, hotels compete strongly with one another constantly looking for a competitive advantage by growing their customer base. My thesis outlines the hotels' management efforts and analyses their strategies in the context of changing customers' demands and market trends.With respect to methodological issues, my thesis is based on a qualitative approach and follows an interpretivist paradigm. The research background has been delineated as have been my respondents' profile to provide additional information about the organisation they represent. The research findings described at the end of this thesis document how important image is for a modern hotel and what initiatives should be followed to ensure success.Image and loyalty are closely interrelated as positive image affects customers' loyalty. In order to achieve a balance between sustaining a competitive advantage and increasing loyal customer base a number of managerial implications have been discovered. Detailed analysis of these findings may help the companies to establish a more favourable position in the global market and create mutually beneficial relationships which further help the organisation to grow.Having aimed at exploring the importance of image as a medium that affects company's competitiveness and customers' loyalty towards brand, this study has provided some useful indications for hotel companies as to what should be undertaken to gain loyal customers and improve company's performance on the market.

The hospitality and tourism industry is an increasingly important part of the New Zealand economy, contributing almost nine percent of the Gross Domestic Product in 2008. One of the key concerns regarding this part of the economy is the impact of a tight labour market and intense skill shortages on its ability to maximise returns from tourists. Labour turnover rates have been extremely high in the hospitality sector over the past few years and this has contributed to the intense labour market pressures affecting this industry. Hotels have suffered particularly high turnover rates in the past few years and exit interviews have been one of the tools that Human Resource Managers used to try and gain data about employee reasons for leaving. This study looks at exit interviews as a source of data on the causes of labour turnover in two New Zealand hotel chains. The aim of this study was to analyse hotel exit interview data in order to identify significant patterns that might illuminate the causes and potential moderating factors of labour turnover in New Zealand hotels. In addition, the study aimed to analyse the processes used to gather exit interview data in order to evaluate the efficacy of exit interviews and see if any practical recommendations could be made regarding the use of exit interviews to address labour turnover. A qualititative, triangulated research methodology was applied in order to analyse the data generated from over 4500 exit interviews, from 17 hotels, in two New Zealand hotel brands. The interviews cover six years of exit interview gathering. In addition, in depth semi-structured interviews with six hotel Human Resource Managers were used to gain insight into the practice and perceptions around exit interviews. The study found that despite considerable application of time and resources, hotels gain very little benefit from the exit interview process. Several issues are identified as bringing the efficacy of exit interviews into question, including power imbalance between interviewees and interviewers, language and cultural concerns, and the impact of psychological contract breaches on the employment relationship. In addition, the study found that even when opportunities for organisational improvement did arise from exit interviews, little or no action was taken by the hotels in question. The study concludes that there is insufficient benefit to the hotels given the costs of exit interviews and suggests that other forms of employee feedback, such as engagement surveys may be more efficacious in addressing labour turnover.

Revenue Management (RM) is an important tool for matching supply and demand by segmenting customers into different segments based on their willingness-to-pay and allocating scarce capacity to the different segments in a way that maximizes firm revenues. The benefits of RM are well accepted in the hospitality industry, and the technical aspects of RM form a rich analytical research stream. However, the research is missing a holistic examination of important elements of effective RM. The literature shows that market segmentation, pricing, forecasting, capacity allocation, IT use, organizational focus, aligned incentives, organizational structure, and education and training contribute to effective RM. We group these elements into two concepts: RM technical capability and RM social support capability and propose that these nine elements positively impact RM performance. We develop scales to measure our constructs and collect responses in the hotel industry. Our survey yields interesting results. In line with expectations, we find evidence that forecasting and organizational focus positively impact RM performance. On the other hand, the results show evidence that improved organizational structure negatively impacts RM performance. We provide a few explanations for this non-intuitive result and proposals for future research.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: Srikanth Beldona, Dept. of Hotel, Restaurant, & Institutional Management . Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management