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18 pages, 955 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Artificial Intelligence in Tourism Through Chatbot Support in the Booking Process—An Experimental Investigation

by Kirsten Wüst and Kerstin Bremser

Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010036 - 21 Feb 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5594

AI-controlled chatbots have been used in travel services for some time and range from simple hotel reservations to personalized travel recommendations. However, the acceptance of chatbots compared to human interlocutors has not yet been extensively studied experimentally in the tourism context. In this experimental, randomized, vignette-based, preregistered 2 (agent: AI chatbot/human counterpart) × 3 (situation: positive/neutral/negative) between-subjects design, we hypothesized that booking intention is reduced in chatbots compared to human agents and in situations where the booking can only be made under more negative than the original conditions. Additionally, we hypothesized an interaction effect between agent and situation, presuming that the decrease in booking intention in negative situations would be less strong for human agents than for chatbots. Structural equation modelling of the data indicates strong support for the Technology Acceptance Model in the booking context. As presumed, the booking intention was lower in the negative situation and borderline lower for the chatbot. The interaction effect was shown descriptively in the data. Chatbots are recognized during the booking process and less accepted to support bookings than their human counterparts. Therefore, managers should design chatbots as human-like as possible to avoid losing sales when outsourcing customer contact activities to AI technologies. Full article

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15 pages, 467 KiB

Open AccessReview

Research on Outsourcing by Hotel Firms: Current State and Future Directions

by Tomás F. Espino-Rodríguez

Tour. Hosp. 2023, 4(1), 21-35; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp4010002 - 4 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 8652

Abstract

This article aims to analyse the current state of hotel outsourcing research and where it should go in the future. Research on outsourcing is increasingly present in the hospitality literature. This paper reviews published works on hotel outsourcing. However, the research still seems to be limited to traditional topics and aspects, and it is necessary to define a new concept of outsourcing that reflects the new trends in tourism company management. Outsourcing has to be more sustainable and, therefore, contribute to the sustainable performance of the hotel, and it has to be related to other current topics in the hospitality literature. This reflection builds on the research conducted to date and proposes topics for current and future research. The paper proposes where outsourcing research should be heading, based on current research. The outsourcing of the future should be sustainable, consider its impact on the quality of service for end customers, facilitate the development of Industry 4.0, support innovation, and contribute to making the hotel more resilient. This paper on the direction hotel outsourcing research should take is the first critical examination of outsourcing, and it incorporates novel factors related to the new environmental management Full article

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25 pages, 1724 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of the Organizational Culture on Hotel Outsourcing and Sustainable Performance an Empirical Application in the Egyptian Hotel Sector

by Mahmoud Gebril Taha and Tomás F. Espino-Rodríguez

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9687; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229687 - 20 Nov 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 11691

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of an organizational culture in hotels has held an important position on both a theoretical and practical level because this culture significantly affects organizational performance and the strategies adopted by hotels. Therefore, it is considered one of the key factors in determining hotels’ tendency towards outsourcing and sustainable performance. In this study, we aim to analyze the impact of the organizational culture on the level of outsourcing and sustainable performance. To do so, we will use the Competing Values Framework (CVF), which divides organizational culture into four typologies: hierarchical, group, rational, and development cultures. A personal questionnaire was administered to the directors or managers of 114 hotels located in two Egyptian cities: Hurgada and Sharm El Sheikh. The results of the structural model suggest the negative impact of the hierarchical and development cultures on the level of outsourcing. The results show a positive influence of the four types of organizational culture on sustainable performance, suggesting that these hotels have a strong interest in sustainability and the environment. The findings reveal a negative relationship between the level of outsourcing and sustainable performance. Finally, this study presents academic and practical implications, as well as recommendations for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Outsourcing Strategy and Sustainability)

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16 pages, 803 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Authentic Leadership and Job Satisfaction: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

by Asier Baquero, Beatriz Delgado, Raquel Escortell and Juan Sapena

Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2412; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082412 - 23 Apr 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 8627

Abstract

The relationship between leadership and job satisfaction has attracted considerable scientific interest, especially in relation to the quality of tourism businesses. This study investigated this relationship within the framework of authentic leadership. The study also explored differences between outsourced workers and internal hotel employees in terms of the influence of authentic leadership on job satisfaction. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) offered valuable new insight. This study was based on a sample of 58 heads of department of four/five star hotels in the Canary Islands, Spain. The results suggest that high levels of leadership in the four subscales of authentic leadership (balanced processing, relational transparency, self-awareness, and internalized moral perspective) are sufficient to increase job satisfaction. The same outcome is achieved with high levels of balanced processing, even though it is accompanied by low transparency and low levels of internalized moral perspective. There are no major differences between outsourced workers and internal employees, except in terms of the importance of self-awareness. These results can help hotel managers reflect upon leadership and can provide new approaches for scientific research in this area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Service Quality in Leisure and Tourism)

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19 pages, 618 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Outsourcing Performance in Hotels: Evaluating Partnership Quality

by Tomás F. Espino-Rodríguez and Juan Carlos Ramírez-Fierro

Sustainability 2018, 10(8), 2766; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082766 - 6 Aug 2018

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6371

Abstract

In this study, a research model investigates the influence of various factors of the outsourcing relationship that condition partnership quality. The factors considered as determinants of outsourcing partnership quality are the strategic benefits and the degree of outsourcing. Partnership quality is based on relationships governed by confidence, commitment, business understanding, shared benefits and risks, and conflict resolution. The model also studies the influence of the partnership quality between the supplier and the hotel on the outsourcing performance, considered from the financial, strategic, and overall satisfaction perspectives. To test the hypotheses, this study used the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique with a sample of managers in an important tourist destination in Spain. The results of the study confirm that the strategic benefits and the degree of outsourcing perceived by the manager are determinant factors of the quality of the outsourcing partnership. In addition, they show that closer relationships with service suppliers imply greater outsourcing performance. Finally, implications for theory and practice are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability)

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17 pages, 888 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship Between Strategic Orientation Dimensions and Hotel Outsourcing and Its Impact on Organizational Performance. An Application in a Tourism Destination

by Tomás F. Espino-Rodríguez and Juan Carlos Ramírez-Fierro

Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1769; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061769 - 28 May 2018

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 6885

Abstract

The study analyzes whether the strategic orientation of the firm, measured in six dimensions, influences the level of outsourcing. It also analyzes whether outsourcing has an impact on organizational performance from financial and non-financial perspectives. To do so, an important European tourist destination is analyzed. The findings suggest that the majority of the strategic dimensions influence the hotel’s level of outsourcing. The defensiveness and proactive dimensions are positively related to the level of outsourcing, whereas the competitive analysis and competitive aggressiveness dimensions influence it negatively. In addition, the riskiness dimension has a positive influence, whereas the dimension related to futurity does not influence the level of outsourcing. A positive and significant relationship is found between outsourcing and financial performance, whereas for non-financial performance, the relationship is not significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How does Outsourcing Affect the Economy and its Sustainability?)

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16 pages, 1546 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimal Supply Chain Structural Choice under Horizontal Chain-to-Chain Competition

by Yucai Wu, Jiguang Wang, Changhong Li and Kan Su

Sustainability 2018, 10(5), 1330; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051330 - 25 Apr 2018

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3858

Abstract

This paper investigates the horizontal Nash game and structure selection strategy in two competing dominant enterprises. Each firm decides whether to outsource the retail or manufacture to the exclusive third-party enterprise and thus forms a decentralized supply chain structure. On the premise that third-party enterprises have no advantage on sales and manufacture cost, the revenue-sharing contract is introduced between the manufacturer and retailer, and the influence of decentralized structure on the game equilibrium structure and supply chain profit is analyzed based on Hotelling model. The results show that, when compared with centralized structure, decentralized supply chain has the structural advantage to improving not only its supply chain profits but also the competing chain. This interesting insight is counterintuitive to the common “double marginalization” effect and explains the outsourcing strategy from the perspective of supply chain competition. In addition, we find the dominant strategy in the evolutionary game is that both two chains are decentralized or integrated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How does Outsourcing Affect the Economy and its Sustainability?)

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