Cihan Cobanoglu

A Comparison of Mail, Fax and Web-Based Survey Methods:

This study compares mail, fax and web-based surveys in a university setting for response speed, response rate and costs. The survey was distributed to 300 hospitality professors randomly chosen from the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education members listed in the organisations online directory as of April 2000. It was found that the fastest method was fax, with an average of 4.0 days to respond, followed by web surveys with 5.97 days. The slowest method, as expected, was mail surveys, with 16.46 days to respond. On average, the response rate was 28.91%: 26.27% for mail, 17.0% for fax, and 44.21% for web surveys. An LSD-type z-test shows significant differences between mail and email/web and between fax and email/web, but no significant difference between mail and fax. In addition, data were analysed for data consistency and cost.

Progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish the progress of information and communication technology (ICT) based on a review of papers published in tourism and hospitality journals between 2009 and 2013. Design/methodology/approach – Based on three major databases, 107 journal papers were retrieved and reviewed. The papers were grouped into two major categories, consumer and supplier, which generally comprise the key players in the industries. Findings – A content analysis showed that hospitality and tourism industries use ICT in different functional units and for different applications. This, in turn, indicates their wide adoption in the industry. Industrial implications are discussed. Practical implications – On the basis of the content analysis, industry practitioners can learn about up-to-date practices and decide how to take advantage of recent technological developments. Originality/value – A major contribution of this paper is the comprehensive review of recently published papers in tourism and hospitality journals from the perspectives of consumer and supplier.

Service quality in Cretan accommodations: marketing strategies for the UK holiday market.

Abstract Quality of accommodations is considered to be a strategic tool for increasing the competitiveness of island destinations. This has led to the measurement of service quality in Cretan accommodations and the development of marketing strategies for the UK holiday market. The aim of the study is two-fold; firstly, to identify characteristics of the British tourists who visit Crete and secondly, to assess their perception of service quality in the island accommodations. To do this, the study employs the modified SERVQUAL scale, which consists of two dimensions: tangibles and intangibles. Analysis of the data suggests that British tourists rate the intangible elements of service quality higher than the tangible elements. However, overall satisfaction with services is found to be marginal. Furthermore, the study indicates that perceptions of service quality in Cretan accommodations vary according to gender and classifications of accommodations.

The effect of incentives in web surveys: application and ethical considerations

Although researchers use internet-based surveys more often than ever in their research, there is little research on the effect of incentives on response rate, speed and cost. This study attempts to fill in some of the blanks by comparing the different incentives offered to respondents of web-based surveys. The results indicate that offering a luggage-tag to each respondent and including them in a draw for a bigger value prize (a personal digital assistant) yields the highest response rate. In terms of response speed, there are no significant differences among each incentive group. The most expensive group in terms of costs was the combination of luggage tag and prize draw.

Understanding Satisfied and Dissatisfied Hotel Customers: Text Mining of Online Hotel Reviews

This article aims to examine the underpinnings of satisfied and unsatisfied hotel customers. A text-mining approach was followed and online reviews by satisfied and dissatisfied customers were compared. Online reviews of 2,510 hotel guests were collected from TripAdvisor.com for Sarasota, Florida. The research findings revealed some common categories that are used in both positive and negative reviews, including place of business (e.g., hotel, restaurant, and club), room, furnishing, members, and sports. Study results further indicate that satisfied customers who are willing to recommend a hotel to others refer to intangible aspects of their hotel stay, such as staff members, more often than unsatisfied customers. On the other hand, dissatisfied customers mention more frequently the tangible aspects of the hotel stay, such as furnishing and finances. The study offers clear theoretical and managerial implications pertaining to understanding of satisfied and dissatisfied customers through the use of text mining and hotel ratings via review websites, social media, blogs, and other online platforms.

Importance-Performance Analysis of Guest Technologies in the Lodging Industry

An assessment of how hotel guests view in-room technology compared the importance of those technologies to how they perform. Based on 265 responses, this importance-performance analysis indicates that important basic technologies like in-room temperature controls and alarm clocks fail to perform in the way guests want, while relatively new technologies like plasma screen TVs and in-room printers and faxes are less important but perform well when they are in place. In addition, the study finds that internet access is an integral part of the lodging product.

An Integrated Model of Service Experience, Emotions, Satisfaction, and Price Acceptance: An Empirical Analysis in the Chinese Hospitality Industry

This study investigated the relationships between service experience, emotions, satisfaction, and price acceptance in Chinese resort hotels. A self-administered survey was used to collect the data from respondents. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to customers at resort hotels in three cities of China; 170 were returned representing a response rate of 34%. The results of this study show a significant relationship between service experience and emotions, jointly influencing customer satisfaction, which influences price acceptance of customers. These results indicate that management of resort hotels need to consider how the physical environment, interaction with employees, and other customers within resort hotels can be managed in order to satisfy the customers emotionally, which will lead them to accept premium prices charged by resort hotels. This study would enable resort hotels to have a better understanding of how a great experience and positive emotions influences customer satisfaction and price acceptance.

Room Rate Parity Analysis Across Different Hotel Distribution Channels in the U.S

In order to further enhance a relationship of trust between the hotel company and the guest, the guest must not feel that they are being cheated by paying more because they did not know where to get the best rates. At the same time that consumer savvy is growing, the complexity of purchasing choices is growing at an even faster rate. The purpose of this study was to examine actual rate parity of hotels across direct and indirect channels of distribution. The authors hope to help provide insight into the actual rate parity and to ultimately influence hotel guest perception of fairness in hotel room rate value and equity for what they are paying. Findings showed that there were no significant differences between rates from direct or indirect channels. However, significant differences were found in rates within both direct and indirect channels. Notable improvements in hotel rate parity from past studies were identified in this study. However, this study negates the claim of “lowest rates guaranteed” as propagated by several hotel chains, which they have stated in order to increase direct distribution through their own websites.

The characteristics of IT investment decisions and methods used in the US lodging industry

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine and to compare the most utilized information technology (IT) investment decision methods between hotels with centrally managed IT, and hotels with locally managed IT.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data were collected via a structured questionnaire from hotel managers in the USA.Findings – The key findings of the research are that evaluation activities for hospitality IT investments have not been performed widely and consistently. Although sophisticated evaluation methods have been developed over the years, they do not appear to have provided a satisfactory answer to improve IT decision‐making practice. In this study, significant differences were found in how IT investments are evaluated in hotels with centrally managed IT as compared to hotels with locally managed IT. The hotels with centrally managed IT tend to use more financial and non‐financial evaluation methods since all investments are expected to show a positive return on investment.Pr...

A Comparative Study of the Importance of Hotel Selection Components by Turkish Business Travelers

Abstract The study surveyed 612 Turkish business travelers to determine the importance they placed on hotel selection attributes. Twelve major factors emerged including service, price and value, security, extra amenities, technology, room comfort, food and beverage, complimentary goods, parking, location, health sensitivity, and single sensitivity. Further analysis suggested that there are significant differences between male and female business travelers in five of the twelve factors: Security, food and beverage, complimentary goods, parking, and health sensitivity