Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

Jungsun (Sunny) Kim; Murat Kizildag

2011 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/17579881111112395

Purpose – This paper aims to explore whether there is a need for a mobile learning (M‐learning) system and what types of mobile applications will be appropriate for each department at a hotel. It focuses on addressing three key questions: how can a hotel utilize mobile devices for training purposes in each area? What kinds of features or functions would hotel employees like to see on the mobile device? Are there any differences in the M‐learning acceptance level of the participants based on their demographic factors or previous experience with mobile usage? Design/methodology/approach – Ten experts in the hospitality academia and industry participated in this qualitative research. This study used snowball sampling as a selection strategy. Findings – This study found there are various ways to utilize mobile devices for hotel employee training in different departments. Housekeeping, room service, restaurant, and other customer‐service sectors were suggested as good areas to use mobile devices for training. Beyond this suggestion about proper departments for M‐learning, this study uncovered a number of interesting applications for each department. Research limitations/implications – This is an exploratory study conducted in a research area where a few scholarly works exist. Since this study uses a qualitative approach, future research should conduct an experimental study or a survey with hotel major students or hotel employees to obtain more generalizable results. Originality/value – As the literature review reveals, very few studies have investigated the M‐learning adoption and even fewer studies have empirically tested an individual's perceptions that can explain the adoption of mobile devices for hotel employee training. This study develops a research framework and suggests appropriate determinants of M‐learning adoption for future studies.

Sirawit Sirirak; Nazrul Islam; Do Ba Khang

2011 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/17579881111112403

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of information and communication technology (ICT) adoption on hotel performance in Thailand. Design/methodology/approach – The elements for measuring the level of ICT adoption include: availability of ICT components, integration of ICT components, and intensity of ICT usage. Operational productivity and customer satisfaction were used for measuring hotel performance. To control for the influence of location and employee and management characteristics on hotel productivity, data were collected solely from three star hotels operating in the same location, Phuket, Thailand. Operational productivity was calculated by using data envelopment analysis. A five‐point Likert type scale was employed to measure customer satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to assess the relationship between ICT adoption and hotel performance. Findings – The findings indicate that ICT adoption has a significant positive relationship with hotel performance. However, ICT adoption influences operational productivity more than customer satisfaction within three star hotels. ICT availability and ICT integration have a significant positive relationship only with operational productivity, while the intensity of ICT usage has a significant, positive relationship with both operational productivity and customer satisfaction. Practical implications – The findings will benefit the hotel industry by providing critical information to management in deciding on the areas in which ICT should be adopted, such as room division or food and beverage division, as well as the specific technologies that would improve hotel performance. It also contributes valuable information to ICT marketing personnel. Originality/value – This study fills a gap in terms of the requirement for more studies investigating the impact of ICT on hotel performance in general, and in developing countries in particular. This helps in understanding the topic from a developing country's perspective.

Eleonora Pantano; Rocco Servidio

2011 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/17579881111112412

Purpose – The aim of this research is to investigate how virtual reality, with emphasis on pervasive environments, might affect tourism choice of a destination, in order to exploit it as a marketing tool to promote tourism destination in a global perspective. In particular, the paper analyzes the case of Calabrian territory (Southern Italy), due to the high archaeological value, heritage of the ancient Magna Graecia culture (VIII cent. B.D.‐I cent. A.D.). Despite this heritage, Calabria has been not fully exploited its resources in a tourism perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology is based on a qualitative approach, focused on a questionnaire promoted along with tourists. In particular, the authors asked them to explore the pervasive environments which reproduce some Calabrian scenarios, and answer some specific questions related to the experience. The interviews have been processed with the MaxQDA software for the content analysis. Findings – Two aspects of the results emerge from a theoretical standpoint: the role of pervasive environments for improving tourism contents communication; and the influence of pervasive environments on the tourists' destination choice. Furthermore, the use of pervasive environments is efficient especially for the territories with a high archaeological value. Originality/value – The increasing competition among territories forces the tourism industry to develop new strategies for enhancing competitive advantages. This paper studies how pervasive environments might have an impact on the promotion of tourism destinations, which have not been yet fully appraised by the current literature.

Sofìa Reino; Andrew J. Frew; Carlos Albacete‐Sáez

2011 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/17579881111112421

Purpose – The work described in this paper is of direct relevance to those with an interest in the phenomena surrounding information and communication technologies adoption by the rural accommodation sector. The paper aims to provide the results from a preliminary study, which examined differences in the level of inter‐firm technology adoption between rural and urban accommodation establishments within a major tourism destination, Scotland. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted, and the results set out here suggest that these differences are only presented with two types of technology, i.e. systems requiring networking infrastructure and sector‐specific applications. Findings – The discussion suggests that the neoclassical theory of growth and theory of development are contradictory but that they complementarily explain different levels of adoption between rural and urban setting. Research limitations/implications – Not only theoretical, but also industry implications and suggestions for further research are presented. Originality/value – Previous studies examining these phenomena within other industries suggest that rural businesses tend to have weaker technology adoption than those located in urban settings. However, they fail to provide any conclusive theoretical explanation for these differences.

Annica Isacsson; Ulrike Gretzel

2011 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/17579881111112430

Purpose – Emerging technologies offer an ever expanding variety of means to support and enrich learning environments. However, there is currently a lack of information on how to best implement new media in tourism and hospitality education. This paper aims to describe an example of an international, collaborative learning project that involves Facebook so that future practice regarding social media use in teaching can be informed. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts a case study approach to describe in detail how Facebook was used to foster self‐directed learning about sustainable tourism. Findings – The findings presented in the paper are based on the postings of the students in Facebook as well as student and faculty reflections on the success of the project. Overall, the project was a success and led to the construction of a useful, current and engaging knowledge base about sustainable tourism. Also, the students appreciated the more informal learning environment. However, there were clear barriers to collaboration that could not be overcome by using Facebook. In addition, not all students were equally engaged and some clearly lacked experience with the medium. Originality/value – The paper documents the use of Facebook in support of a collaborative learning project to illustrate the potential of social media in creating engaging learning environments. It situates the case study in the theoretical discussion of the value of edutainment and the promise of social media to foster self‐directed and social learning. The findings provide theoretical implications for the conceptualization of social media use in education and practical implications for tourism and hospitality educators who would like to integrate social media in their teaching.