Chang Huh

Would an Energy Conservation Nudge in Hotels Encourage Hotel Guests to Conserve

Utility companies achieved an average reduction of 2.5 percent in home energy use through an energy conservation nudge that provides feedback on energy consumption as compared with neighbors. This study investigated whether hotels can replicate this effect with their guests. A 2 (valence of electricity consumption) × 2 (comparison subject) experimental design with a control group was used with 1,000 respondents reporting their behavioral intentions in response to the energy conservation nudge in a scenario-based experiment. The results of a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that behavioral intentions toward electricity conservation were pronounced when the nudge was provided (regardless of the valence of electricity consumption and the comparison subject). The results of an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with an energy conscious level as a covariate confirmed the effectiveness of the nudge on electricity conservation. The results indicate that hotels can achieve guest-driven electricity efficiency when an appropriately designed nudge is supplied to guests. The implications of the study are also discussed.

Changes in Propensity to Search for Travel Information Online Over Time: A Cohort Analytical Approach

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between changes in online travel information searching behavior and the effects of biological age, time of travel, and generational cohort over time. Household data of 1997 and 2002 were utilized for this study. Independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were carried out to test the relationship between online travel information searching and the effects of time-related variables, and then stepwise logistic regression was employed to identify key determinants that explain variations in online travel information searching behavior over time. The results of the study provided evidence of time of travel and generational cohort impacts on online travel information searching behavior over time. The odds of a respondent searching for travel information online were 237% higher for 2002 pleasure travelers than for 1997 pleasure travelers and 42% lower for those that were born from 1935 to 1939 than for those born from 1980 to 1984. The implications of the study were discussed.

Investigating Quality Dimensions of Hospitality Higher Education: From Students’ Perspective

ABSTRACT It is essential to identify and evaluate the important quality attributes of hospitality higher education on a continuing basis. This assessment helps administrators to ensure the quality of programs and attract top talent. This empirical research delineates quality dimensions of hospitality higher education from the perspectives of hospitality management students. A total of 314 usable responses were collected from four different hospitality management programs in the United States. Exploratory factor analysis identified five quality dimensions of hospitality higher education. Results of group comparisons using demographic variables provide meaningful implications for educators and administrators in U.S. hospitality higher education.

BUSINESS CYCLE AND LONG-TERM DEBT: EFFECTS ON HOTEL OPERATING LEASE

Over the last 25 years, many hotel operators have chosen to lease their property instead of owning as a financing strategy. This paper examines the combined and separate contributions of business cycles and a firms level of long-term debt on hotel owner/operator use of operating leases. The results indicate that operating leases were used more often during contracting business cycles and less often during cycles of expansion. According to the results, operating leases and long-term debt are not complementary, although they are increasingly treated as complements when the economy suffers a downturn.

The spatial clustering patterns of the U.S hotels during 1985–2017

ABSTRACT ‘Location, location, location’ are treated as three sacred words in the lodging industry because location plays a significant role in the industry’s success. However, little attention has been paid to understanding hotel locations in regional contexts. The purpose of this study was to investigate spatial clustering patterns of hotels over time in relation to hotel locations and regions in the U.S. The Smith Travel Research (STR) Hotel Census Data from 1985 to 2017 were used for the study, and a series of statistical analyses was carried out to examine the relationships among the identified patterns. The results indicated that hotel locations and development were concentrated in specific geographical regions during the study periods. The implications of the study are discussed.

An investigation of Generation Y travellers’ beliefs and attitudes towards green hotel practices: a view from active and passive green Generation Y travellers

Abstract Generation Y, also known as Millennial, have a reputation for being more environmentally conscious than the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers who preceded them. However, the literature on hospitality and tourism has not discussed Generation Y’s changing beliefs and attitudes towards sustainability and encompassing their points of view about lodging green operations, even though millennial travellers will be a dominant customer segment in the hotel industry for the next 20 years. This study identified heterogeneous groups among members of Generation Yers who hold similar beliefs and attitudes towards the environment and examined the green hotel practices they seek when travelling. A questionnaire survey was developed and administered in New York, Florida and Michigan. Using 318 samples, this study categorized millennial green travellers as active or passive, based on their beliefs and attitudes towards green initiatives. The results indicated that to Generation Y travellers in general, green hotels should have recycling and disposal programmes. t-Test results also exhibit significant differences in the green hotel practice factors expected by active and passive green millennial travellers. To active green travellers, green certification and visible green advertisement are important factors when they stay in a green hotel. The implications of the study are discussed.

Exploring Chinese outbound exhibitors’ motivational factors and characteristics to U.S. exhibition market

ABSTRACT For exhibitions to have sustainable success, they must attract enough high-quality exhibitors. As China has opened up and grown economically in the past several decades, more Chinese exhibitors are participating in exhibitions worldwide, and United States exhibitions are among their top destination. To examine what motivates the participation of this growing group, this study conducted a self-administered survey among Chinese outbound exhibitors who have attended exhibitions in the United States. With the help from the Chinese exhibition organizers, a questionnaire survey was distributed to Chinese exhibitors having participating in U.S.-based trade fairs in the past 12 months via email for collecting data. An exploratory factor analysis and a series of ANOVA tests were carried out to examine the Chinese exhibitors’ characteristics. The results of the 314 usable responses showed that exhibitors with their characteristics differed significantly in the five motivational dimensions. These dimensions relate to motivations in social contacts and networking, sales, incentive, “guanxi,” and competition. The findings have marketing implications for exhibition organizers in both the United States and China for recruiting and retaining Chinese exhibitors.