The purpose of the study was to determine customer perceptions of fairness concerning pricing policies charged by the hotel industry, and to examine how different outcomes in pricing policies affect customer perceptions of fairness. Convenience-Interception survey sampling was used to collect 460 sample data at the Dallas Love Field Airport. After analyzing data, one can infer that when revenue management information was provided, customers are satisfied. Further, age, education, Airline FFP enrolled and redeem miles, and pricing based on marketing channels plays an imperative role in this study.

A massificação do turismo provocou impactos negativos ao ambiente natural, forçando as empresas integrantes do setor turístico, especialmente a hotelaria, a introduzir práticas de proteção ambiental aos seus procedimentos de gestão. A Contabilidade Ambiental, enquanto instrumento de avaliação e auxílio à gestão ambiental, pode evidenciar e divulgar as medidas adotadas e os resultados alcançados nessas práticas. Partindo desta premissa, e tendo como fundamentação teórica a perspectiva de entender o denominado desenvolvimento sustentável, foi utilizado o questionário proposto no Programa Green Deal adotado pela Guatemala, com o objetivo de evidenciar as práticas de gestão ambiental aplicadas em cinco hotéis de Caxias do Sul. Uma vez medida a atuação ambiental dos hotéis escolhidos, que configuram aqueles com capacidade superior a cem unidades habitacionais, com a ajuda dos indicadores propostos pelo citado programa, as informações foram transformadas em um sistema de dados uniformes. Com base na teoria da Contabilidade Ambiental, foi elaborado um modelo de Balanço Gerencial de Práticas Ambientais (BGPA), do ponto de vista qualitativo, no qual são evidenciados os ativos e passivos ambientais identificados na investigação empírica. O modelo demonstra os resultados do desempenho ambiental dos hotéis pesquisados em Caxias do Sul. / Massive tourism has caused negative impacts to the natural environment, forcing tourism related companies, specially hotels, to introduce actions for environmental protection into its management procedures. Environmental Accounting, as an instrument for evaluation and assistance to environmental management, can demonstrate and make public the adopted measures and the results reached with these practices. According to this aspect, based on the expectation of understanding sustainable development, a questionnaire from the Green Deal Program, used in Guatemala, has been applied, intending to demonstrate the environmental managerial practices used in five hotels in Caxias do Sul/Brazil.After measuring the environmental action in the selected hotels, that is, those with at least one hundred rooms, with the assistance of the indicators used by the mentioned program, the information has been transformed in an uniform data system. Based on the Environmental Accounting theory, a model of Management Related Balance of Environmental Practices (MBEP) has been prepared, from a qualitative point of view, where environmental debit and credit are brought up in the empirical investigation. The model demonstrates the results of the environmental performance researched on the selected hotels in Caxias do Sul/Brazil.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka de risker som finns i samband med brand i däckhotell, samt utvärdera om samhällets krav på byggnadstekniskt brandskydd är tillräckligt för att hantera risknivån. Samhällets krav i studien är Boverkets byggregler BFS 2011:6 med ändring till och med BFS 2020:4 (BBR) och den kravställning som sker i enlighet med förenklad dimensionering. Kraven i BBR har kvantifierats för att möjliggöra en jämförelse mellan BBR och de verkliga förutsättningar som återfinns på däckhotell. Studien behandlar enbart tre av de fem punkter som BBR baseras på. Utveckling och spridning av brand och rök inom byggnadsverket ska begränsas, spridning av brand till närliggande byggnadsverk ska begränsas och hänsyn ska tas till räddningsmanskapets säkerhet vid brand. Det finns erfarenheter kring bränder i däcklager men ingen samlad bild av hur däckhotell bör hanteras i regelverken, eller om det är förenligt med byggreglernas intention och räddningstjänstens praktiska erfarenheter att utföra insats. Hur ska då brandskyddet utformas i däckhotell för att samhällets krav ska vara uppfyllt? I ett däcklager kan det handla om flera tusen däck som lagras samtidigt. Metodval för att besvara frågeställningarna var att utifrån verkliga däckhotell tillsammans med forskning och studier inom området, genomföra en rad olika analyser. Detta för att kunna besvara frågorna kvantitativt och/eller kvalitativt. Alla frågeställningar krävde dock flera antaganden för att vara möjliga att besvara. För att erhålla något att basera antagandena mot, genomfördes en fallstudie på verkliga däckhotell. Därefter skapades fem olika geometriska modeller baserade på de verkliga byggnaderna av volym, konstruktionsmaterial och ventilationsmöjligheter. Fallstudien visade även på stor variation på antalet däck som fanns placerade i däckhotell. Dock kan det konstateras att brandbelastningen i ett däckhotell överskrider 1600 MJ/m2 golvarea. Det konstruktionsmaterial byggnaden är uppförd med har stor inverkan på temperaturen i brandrummet. Däckhotell uppförda med en betongkonstruktion ger bättre förutsättningar för de brandavskiljande komponenterna att upprätthålla den brandbegränsande funktionen, detta i jämförelse med ett däckhotell uppfört av plåt med isoleringskärna. En brandcellsgräns som utsätts för den temperaturutveckling som sker i byggnad med väggar och tak av plåt-/isoleringskonstruktion, kommer eventuellt inte att begränsa brandspridningen under avsedd tid. De två skyddsbarriärerna som anges i BBR för att begränsa brandspridning mellan byggnader är skyddsavstånd eller att ytterväggen utformas som en brandcellsgräns, men där funktionen av en brandcellsgräns blir beroende av byggnadens konstruktionsmaterial. Fungerande skyddsavstånd är under förutsättning att öppningarna i fasad är begränsade och inte är större än en normal garageport. Syftet med att skydda närliggande byggnader uppfylls därmed inte. Skyddsavståndet bör vara i relation till arean på möjliga öppningar istället för ett fast värde. Ska skyddsavståndet vara fast bör det ske reglering av arean på möjliga öppningar och begränsa storleken eller kritisk strålningsnivå som får uppkomma på närliggande byggnad. Granskning av räddningsmanskapets säkerhet var en jämförelse mellan BBR och intervjuer på hur en räddningsinsats skulle kunna genomföras. Det som diskuterades var vilka risker branden och byggnaden utgör, samt hur dessa kan påverka genomförandet av insatsen. Brandtekniska åtgärder för att ta hänsyn till räddningsmanskapets säkerhet vid insats finns inte i erforderlig omfattning, vid brandteknisk projektering enligt förenklad dimensionering. Utan tidig detektion är risken överhängande att branden är för omfattande för att användning av invändiga brandposter för begränsning ska kunna vara möjlig. Dock är den enskilt viktigaste åtgärden för räddningsmanskapets säkerhet är att säkerställa tillgången till rätt mängd släckvatten vid byggnaden. Däckhotell placerade i containers är den enda byggnadsgeometri vilken kan projekteras enligt förenklad dimensionering. Den lagringsmetoden ger bäst möjlighet till en lyckad räddningsinsats och låg riskbild, och de är den enda modellen där brandcellsgränser helt klart skulle uppfylla sitt syfte både i klass EI 30 och EI 60. Containers har normalt inga fönster eller andra likvärdiga öppningar. / The aim of the thesis is mainly to investigate the risks that exist in case of fire in tire hotels and to evaluate whether society's requirements for fire protection in buildings are enough to manage this level of risk. Society's requirements in the study are Boverket's building regulations, BFS 2011:6 with amendments up to BFS 2020:4, (BBR) and the requirements that takes place in accordance with simplified design. The requirements in BBR have been quantified to enable a comparison between BBR and the actual conditions found in tire hotels. The study only treats three of the five items which BBR is based on. Development and spread of fire and smoke within the construction works is limited, spread of fire to adjacent construction works is limited and consideration has been taken to the rescue team's safety in case of fire. It exists some experience of fires in tire storage, but not a general picture of how a tire hotel should be design according to the building regulations, nor if it´s compatible with the building regulations' intention or the rescue team's practical experience of carrying out a rescue operation. The question is how the fire protection should be designed in tire hotels so that society's requirements can be fulfilled? When it can be thousands of tires which are stored at the same time in a tire hotel. The method to answer the questions was to carry out a few different analyses based on real tire hotels, together with research and studies in this area, so the questions could be answered quantitatively and/or qualitatively. However, all questions required some assumptions to be answered. To obtain something to base the assumptions against, a case study on real tire hotels was conducted. Five different geometric models were therefore created based on the buildings in terms of volume, construction materials and ventilation openings. The case study also showed a great variation in the number of tires that were stored in the hotels. Even with the variation, it can be stated that the fire load in a tire hotel exceeds 1600 MJ/m2 per floor area. The buildings construction material has a big impact on the fire temperature in the room. Tire hotels with a concrete construction provide better conditions for the fire-separation components to maintain the limiting function, in comparison with a construction of metal sheets with a core of insulation. A fire compartment boundary that is exposed to a temperature rise that occur in a metal structure, may not have the function over time it supposed to limit the spread of fire to other rooms during the intended time. BBR specifies two protective barriers to limit the spread of fire to adjacent construction, which are safety distances or that an exterior wall is designed as a fire compartment boundary. The function to limited fire spread by a fire compartment boundary is dependent on the building's construction material to fulfill its purpose. For a safety distance to work, the openings in the facade must be limited and not larger than a normal garage door. The purpose of protecting adjacent construction is therefore not fulfilled. The safety distance should be in relation to the area of ​​ openings instead of a fixed value. If the safety distance is a fixed value, the areas of openings should be regulated, if not, the size of the critical radiation that occur on an adjacent construction should be limited. Examination of the rescue team's safety was a comparison between BBR and interviews on how a rescue operation could be carried out. Under the interviews it was discussed what type of risks that are caused by the fire and the building, and how these risks can affect the implementation of the operation. The fire technical arrangements do not fulfill its purpose, to create the level of safety that are required for the rescue team when the fire technical design is according to a simplified design. Without early detection, the risk is imminent that the fire is too large for a person to use an indoor fire hydrant. The most important arrangements for the safety of the rescue team are however to ensure access to the right volume of water near the building. Tire hotels placed in containers are the only type of building which can be projected according to simplified design. This storage method provides the best opportunity for a successful rescue operation with a low risk.  Containers are also the only geometric model where fire compartment boundary would clearly fulfill its purpose, in both class EI 30 and EI 60. Containers have normally no windows or other equivalent openings.

Magister Artium - MA / The potential of tourism to contribute to economic growth in terms of increasing foreign exchange, creating employment opportunities, generation of government revenues, creating incomes, contribution to poverty reduction, acting as a catalyst of economic development and stimulation of investments have been advanced as the reasons for government support for tourism. It is against this background that countries in Africa such as Rwanda have implemented economic reforms such as privatisation and liberalisation in order to improve the investment climate. The main purpose of this study was to provide a detailed literature account of the tourism investment environment in developing countries, to examine opportunities, constraints and challenges of the hotel investors in Kigali, examine the role of government in providing a conducive investment climate for hotel investors in Kigali and to investigate the impact of the hotel sector on tourism development in Kigali, Rwanda. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to collect the data. Data were collected through questionnaires to hotel investors and interviews to government policy makers. Findings suggest that tourism can contribute to economic development of developing countries through its benefits. Much as investing in tourism has positive developmental aspects to developing countries, tourism investment environment in developing countries has been constrained by various reasons such as inadequate financial institutions, constant political instabilities, lack of adequate tourism infrastructure, lack of human resource, small market size, poor tourism planning to mention but a few. Various investment opportunities are available in Rwanda. Progress in economic performance, political stability, recognition of tourism as an engine of Rwanda's economic growth, the geographical location (in the centre) and the fact that tourism is still a virgin industry present important opportunities for potential investors in Rwanda's hotel sector. Despite the existence of investment opportunities, investors in Rwanda's hotel sector have faced problems such as the continued poor image of the country, lack of tourism infrastructure, the nature of the position of the country (land locked) lack of skilled personnel and lack of proper tourism information. The challenge for Rwanda is therefore to improve her image abroad that was formerly tarnished by the 1994 war and . genocide. Improvement in infrastructure, human resource and proper methods of tourism information can also lead to improved investments in the tourism sector. Findings have further suggested that hotels in Kigali have indeed contributed to tourism development. Effects of the hotel sector have been noticed in urban tourism development, development of the tourism infrastructure in Kigali, creation of employment opportunities for the communities, generation of government revenues and contribution to poverty alleviation.

It is well recognized that due to customers’ ever-growing material and cultural needs for a better life, an increasing number of people choose to experience premium hotels on their work trips or personal travels to keep top-tier elite membership of premium hotels. Previously, most luxury consumption research showed that higher needs drive consumer behaviour, such as identifying recognition and self-esteem. However, many people still focus on achieving job tasks, increasing income, or saving money by their membership. This phenomenon brings a puzzle about whether keeping top-tier elite membership of premium hotels is driven by spiritual needs or economic needs. To address that, this study drew on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. It investigates the effects of spiritual needs (higher need) and economic needs (lower need) on consumer willingness to keep top-tier elite membership of premium hotels and how individual education levels moderate these effects. This study administers an online questionnaire-based survey among top-tier elite membership owners of premium hotels in mainland China. It uses the PLS-SEM technique to analyse the 150 valid questionnaires we collected. Our empirical findings indicate that spiritual needs, instead of economic needs, are the key driver to encourage consumers to maintain their top-tier elite membership of premium hotels. Furthermore, we uncover the moderating effect of individual education level and determine that the positive impact of spiritual needs on consumer willingness to keep top-tier elite membership of premium hotels is strengthened among highly educated people. Therefore, this study mainly reinforces the theoretical and practical value of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in luxury consumption research and extends its application, meanwhile, advances the research on luxury consumption and particularly in top-tier elite members of premium hotels.

A raíz del brote de la COVID-19, los gobiernos han implementado estrategias con la finalidad de disminuir el número de casos, como la cuarentena, el distanciamiento físico y el uso de mascarillas. Este contexto ha ocasionado la paralización de las industrias y de las actividades económicas a nivel mundial, significando tanto la pérdida de empleos como el cierre de empresas. Es así como muchos hoteles han implementado tecnología para evitar el contacto entre personas, con el fin de que sus huéspedes se sientan seguros y tengan una mejor percepción del alojamiento. Por tal motivo, esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar las ventajas y desventajas del uso de robots de servicio en hoteles como herramienta de distanciamiento físico, a través del método de revisión de literatura y aplicando el enfoque integrativo basado en el análisis bibliográfico de fuentes académicas. Se obtuvo como hallazgo que el trabajo en conjunto que viene realizando la inteligencia artificial y la robótica ha logrado que se consideren a los robots de servicio como una futura fuerza laboral en hoteles. De modo que la ventaja principal del personal robotizado dentro de un alojamiento es la reducción del contacto entre personas. Por otro lado, las desventajas más relevantes son su falta de empatía y su limitada comunicación con los huéspedes. En una investigación futura, se recomienda la investigación cuantitativa para obtener información más exacta sobre las preferencias de los clientes y su relación con el uso de robots de servicio en hoteles. / In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, governments have implemented strategies to reduce the number of cases, like quarantine, physical distancing, and the use of masks. This context has caused the disruption of industries and the global economy activity, signifying both job losses and the closure of companies. As a result, many hotels have implemented technology to avoid close contact between people in order to make their guests feel safe and to give a better impression of the hotel. For this reason, this research aims to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using service robots as a measure of physical distancing through the method of literature review and using an integrative method based on the bibliographic search of academic sources. The main finding was that the work that has been done by artificial intelligence and robotic has caused the service robots to be considered as a future labor force in hotels. Additionally, it has been identified that the main advantage of using service robots is to reduce close contact between people. Besides that, the most relevant disadvantages are their lack of empathy and their limited communication with guests. It is recommended the use of a quantitative method to obtain more specific information of guests’ preferences and its relation with the use of service robots in hotels. / Trabajo de investigación

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the interaction between the green marketingmix elements and consumer’s purchase intention with reference to hotels in coastal beltin Sri Lanka. This study shows Green Product, Green Price, Green Distribution, andGreen Promotion influence consumer’s purchase intention. The primary data collectedfrom 100 respondents and analyzed by using statistical techniques. The result has shownthat the product element of the marketing mix has a strong influence on consumerpurchase and other elements were slightly influenced to purchase intention of consumers.In this research, researchers faced with various limitations. The respondents are fromdifferent parts of the country but currently live in Colombo area. So, it may not representthe whole community and it also led to the response errors with the respondents and here,the sample was limited to 100 respondents. When collecting data, researchers used themethod of the questionnaire. All the findings are based on the information they provided.However, researchers did their best to use different types of data collecting methods toget accurate information from the respondents. All in all, the finding implied that greenmarketing mix elements in hotels industry has a significant impact on consumer’spurchase intention. So, the hotel industry must increase the green marketing elements toattract more and more consumers. In this era, companies can’t even survive in themarketplace without knowing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.Including green aspects to the total offering has been a major innovation in the hotelsindustry recent past. In order to do that, the company has to conduct continuous surveysto know the consumer’s opinions, needs, and their preferences. Therefore, green productsbecame genuine key to success in consumer purchase intention.

This study explored the attitudes of hotel managers in Phuket, Thailand, in an attempt to identify whether their attitudes influence their utilization of environmental sustainability practices. Due to the increasing number of visitors to Phuket, Thailand, the consumption of natural resources has increased in the region, causing serious environmental problems. A sustainable way forward is needed for the tourism industry in the region in order to maintain quality of service while reducing environmental damage. The data analyzed in this study came from self-administered questionnaires that surveyed hotel managers in Phuket, Thailand, with a sample of 243 respondents. Research results revealed three dimensions of hotel manager attitude toward environmental sustainability practices, including operational management, social obligation, and sustainability strategy and policy. Furthermore, three constraints on the implementation of environmental management practices were identified: lack of support, perceived difficulty, and lack of demand. The attitudes of hotel managers regarding specific factors and barriers are also presented in this study. The results of this study show that hotel managers overall possess positive attitudes toward environmental sustainability practices. Finally, the findings reveal that hotel managers’ attitudes toward sustainability practices depend on their social demographics, the type of hotel they operate, their degree of ownership of the hotel, whether or not their hotel was affected by the 2004 tsunami, and the year their hotel was built. The results of this study suggest that it is necessary for hotel managers to understand the importance of environmental sustainability practices because this understanding can help motivate them in implementing sustainability practices in their hotels. Furthermore, it can guide hotel managers when deciding which environmental policies are suitable for their iv hotels. Lastly, the study demonstrated that in order for hotels to become more sustainable, support is needed from government or hotel associations to provide education and training for the hotel managers.

This study was approached with a desire to move forward the body of knowledge concerning environmental research as it pertains to the hospitality industry. The endeavor was undertaken with the belief that concern and awareness about the environment is not a passing fad but a fundamental shift in society. In order for any business to survive it must keep up with changes and meet the demands of consumers. The research efforts in this study were aimed at establishing the validity and reliability of a consumer behavior model specifically related to environmental behavior. The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate a consumer's intention to stay in a hotel based on the environmental strategies used by that hotel. Hines (1984) developed a conceptual environmental consumer behavior model based on a meta-analysis of literature on environmentally responsible behavior. Hines' conceptual Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior utilized knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personal responsibility and locus of control to predict environmental behavior. The goal of this study was to empirically test an adapted version of Hines' Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior. This adapted version utilized knowledge, attitudes and perceived self-efficacy to predict consumers' intentions to purchase a night's stay in a hotel. Canonical correlation analysis was used to test the relationship between intention and each of the variables (knowledge, attitudes and perceived self-efficacy) in Hines' model. The multivariate test of significance revealed that each variable had a positive relationship to intention to purchase. The Hines' Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior was more useful in predicting consumers' intention to purchase a night's stay in a particular hotel than each variable individually. The model tested in this study has laid the foundation for developing a sound environmentally responsible consumer behavior model. The research findings suggest that a hotel implementing environmental strategies can increase business for that hotel. / Ph. D.

The global tourism and hotel industry have been among the fastest-growing sectors for years. However, the global pandemic of COVID-19 caused extreme disruption and changed the situation all around the globe. The global COVID-19 pandemic did not only leave an imprint on economic sectors all over the world but also caused changes in the everyday lives of people. Implemented travel restrictions and self-isolation have resulted in workforce reductions in all economic sectors and job losses impacting individuals, organizations, and countries globally. With regard to the hotel industry, the crisis has led to an immense number of cancellations and a loss of foreign clientele. The situation has altered and the behavior of guests has changed accordingly. This research aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on guest behavior and its consequences. To achieve this aim, a mixed methods research approach consisting of 2 stages of empirical study is employed. The qualitative method in the form of email interviews was aimed at the hotel staff of 5 chosen health spa hotels in Slovakia where 9 employees were asked questions about the impact of COVID-19 on the hotel industry and guest behavior from a hotel employee’s perspective. The collected data were analyzed by using thematic analysis. The quantitative method was used to investigate the impact of the global pandemic from hotel guests’ points of view themselves. The second part of the research therefore involves 100 participants of an online survey about guest behavior during the pandemic, change in values and behavior patterns. The findings proved that there is a significant change in guest behavior induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. Furthermore, the aftermath of adopted behaviors has been identified, including the change in the booking process, difficulties in rules compliance, and main differences in hotel stays before and during the pandemic.