TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which Caribbean hotels are managed in a way that is reminiscent of the plantation system.Design/methodology/approach– Surveys are used to determine the human resource challenges and the responses to these challenges in three Caribbean destinations. Survey data is collected from 110 respondents including hotel employees, hotel managers and owners, human resource managers, policy officials and trade union officials.Findings– The study determined that service excellence is a competitive strategy in the three destinations and managers therefore seek to attract and retain the best performers. Working individually and cooperatively with government and other tourism stakeholders, managers have therefore created a work environment that is empowering and participative rather than one that is reflective of the plantation era.Research limitations/implications– The study is limited to the English‐speaking Caribbean and may therefore not be generalisable to the wider Caribbean. Future research should also examine the views in more detail through focus groups.Originality/value– The paper responds to a commonly held view about tourism by providing an updated and more comprehensive view of the practices in Caribbean hotels. It also differentiates between the practices of small and large hotels.
VL  - 20
IS  - 1
SN  - 0959-6119
DO  - 10.1108/09596110810848596
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110810848596
AU  - Crick Anne P.
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - No plantation work here: contemporary HR practices in Caribbean hotels
T2  - International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 79
EP  - 89
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -