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The hospitality industry the world over is transforming from a product-focused, physical-asset-intensive business to a customer-focused, experience-centric one. This research aims at evolving a typology of customer-centric hospitality innovations. It attempts to explicitly capture the intrinsic DNA of hospitality innovations in the Indian context by exemplifying the typology posited with customer service innovations adopted by contemporary hoteliers that provide new ways of managing and enhancing customer experience.

This study is based on primary research through qualitative interviews conducted with select hospitality professionals, supplemented by secondary research in the form of a review of academic literature, as well as other secondary data sources such as company websites and travel websites which shed light on customer service innovations in the Indian context.

To develop and sustain competitive advantage, hospitality businesses are increasingly channelizing their efforts to provide innovative and holistic experiential service offerings. Service innovations are being tailored to cater to the unique personal tastes and requirements of hotel guests to connect with individual guests on a personal and emotional level to create memorable hospitality experiences.

Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry would find the implications of this study useful in the context of the present customer-centric business environment where hotels are constantly striving to meet the exponentially rising bar of guest expectations.

The research highlights that it is critical to keep the customers’ perspectives central while designing innovative hospitality products. Further, it is important to create a cadre of innovation champions and service enthusiasts who can engender a culture of service innovation within the organisation.

It is crucial for hospitality organisations to develop sustainable leadership by regularly re-evaluating the competencies and skills required by their senior managers and leaders. In the context of this strategic talent management imperative, this paper aims to identify and map competencies required for the pivotal position of a hotel general manager to develop a holistic and relevant leadership competency framework.

Through secondary research, this study undertakes a detailed literature review of competency and leadership studies in the context of the hospitality industry to distil the essential competencies and skills required by a general manager.

This study proposes a leadership competency model for hospitality organisations in the form of a 43-item competency framework for hotel general managers categorised into four broad dimensions – cognitive competencies (knowledge), functional competencies (skills), social competencies (attitudes and behaviours) and meta competencies (motives and traits).

The proposed competency model, once empirically tested for robustness, could serve as a blueprint for hospitality organisations to develop their own organisation-specific competency framework for senior leadership that could prove to be a keystone for integrated talent management practices. Further, educationists and trainers could use the findings of this study as inputs in designing curricula and pedagogical interventions to meet the industry’s future needs and expectations with regards to competencies of senior managers.

By aggregating competencies from earlier studies and synthesising and categorising them in accordance with a contemporary, hospitality industry-relevant typology, a comprehensive competency model specific for hotel general managers has been proposed.

Tourism and hospitality.

This case has been developed to suit the pedagogical needs of undergraduate and post-graduate students of management in the area of strategic marketing management in the service industry.

The case describes the challenge faced by Gautam Raj, Executive Vice President, Strategic Development, The Oberoi Group, in making submissions to the Chairman, P.R.S. Oberoi for giving shape to the company's future strategic plans and developing the blueprint for further growth. The Oberoi Group is a leading India-based hospitality company, which was looking at selective expansion in the five-star deluxe segments by seeking new opportunities for its luxury leisure business in order to achieve a greater geographic spread. The case gives detailed information related to “The Oberoi” resorts ranging from their genesis to their branding and marketing strategies to put into perspective the challenge faced by the protagonist in making appropriate recommendations regarding the optimal choice of location for new-luxury leisure resorts.

The case is designed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of generic strategies for sustaining competitive advantage and market selection strategies and to analyse prospective location choices for making recommendations regarding appropriate markets to enter.

Teaching note.

This research aims at understanding techno-based strategies deployed by the hospitality industry by exploring the emerging technological product and process innovations that are actively being used in the hospitality space to deliver enhanced guest experiences. It also aims at gaining perspective about the challenges of technology adoption faced by the Indian luxury hotels that have traditionally been driven by high-touch, unscripted and personalised service.

This paper adopted a two-pronged methodology for data collection – in-depth semi-structured interviews with General Managers of Luxury Hotels in India and literature-based innovation output (LBIO). NVivo12 software was used to carry out a qualitative thematic analysis of the data. The primary data collected was then triangulated with secondary data gathered through literature review of academic papers, industry reports and studies on the use of technology for enhancing and co-creating customer experience in luxury hotels.

The research brings in to focus the importance of technology and high-tech, state-of-the-art tools in facilitating the co-creation and delivery of experiences in the context of luxury hospitality. However, it also emphasises that the high-touch dimension is the core of hospitality in luxury and premium hotels and should remain the primary driver of this segment. Luxury hotels will have to fine-tune and tailor their services and provide the right mix of high-tech and high-touch, depending on the micro-niche segments to which they cater.

Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry would find the implications of this study useful in context of the evolving technology imperative and the present customer-centric business environment where hotels are constantly striving to meet the exponentially rising bar of guest expectations.

This study is the one of the few empirical explorations of the techno-based strategies adopted by luxury hotels for co-creating enhanced and high-value experiences leading to critical implications for both hospitality and tourism theory and practice.

This study is an empirical exploration of the tech-based transformation strategies being adopted by luxury hotels in India to assuage the fear psychosis and restore guest confidence in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It sheds light on the “new normal” and its overarching implications for hotel operations from the user experience perspective.

A mixed method strategy was adopted for data collection. Qualitative data was gathered from a video analysis of two webinars with high-profile panels of thought leaders about the challenges arising from the global health crisis and related post-pandemic recovery strategies. This data has been triangulated with desk research and data collected through an online survey which sought to map guest sentiments with respect to resuming the use of hospitality services and their attitude towards the proposed tech transformation initiatives in the Indian luxury hospitality industry.

The research data indicates that despite their pandemic-related trepidations, people still have a strong urge to be social and to travel. Technology can play a pivotal role in creating safe spaces for social distancing, facilitating a contactless guest interface to alleviate guest concerns for safe hygiene and rebuilding customer confidence to address the trust deficit.

Hospitality organisations must be discerning in the investments they make in new technology and contactless experiences because hasty investments in extensive automation may be perceived as gimmicky by guests. Intelligent and astute use of technology tools can minimise human error, optimise service efficiency and enhance guest experience through elevated levels of personalised hospitality in luxury hotels by judiciously marrying high touch with high tech.

This study is the one of the first empirical explorations of the tech transformation strategies adopted by luxury hotels in the Indian context in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores their efforts for the continued co-creation of high value experiences based on consumer perspectives, with implications for both hospitality and tourism theory and practice.

In the context of heightened awareness and understanding of responsible tourism, it has become increasingly imperative for luxury hotels to introspect on the impact of their operations on environmental and social sustainability. This study aims at examining the prevalence and growth of sustainability practices in the Indian luxury hotel segment as it increasingly competes on a global platform.

The research approach adopted in this paper is qualitative and emic. Primary data is gathered for the study through semi-structured interviews with select luxury hotel general managers from four hotel chains of Indian origin – ITC Luxury Hotels, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, Taj Hotels and Palaces and The Leela – to gain an insight into sustainability initiatives adopted in the Indian hospitality industry. Secondary research data regarding the eco-friendly, green measures implemented in these hotels is collected primarily from the websites of the respective hotel chains and supplemented by review of academic literature, media articles, industry reports and company press releases.

The findings of the study reveal that Indian luxury hotel brands are increasingly adopting green products and integrating innovative sustainability practices in their day-to-day operations. However, several of these initiatives are in the non-customer-facing domains such as the engineering and back-of-the-house operations. Very few Indian hotel chains are building these sustainability initiatives into their core philosophy and embedding it in the front-line customer service experience at their properties to reinforce the green image of the hotels.

The paper also proposes the 6Cs Framework of Sustainability that can be utilised to categorise the green sustainable practices adopted in responsible hotels in a simplistic manner under six broad verticals. Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry would find the implications of this study useful in the context of a post-pandemic world where sustainability is influencing consumer choices across industries in today’s eco-conscious and enlightened business and marketing environment.

This study aims to explore the reasons for the rise of independent, stand-alone restaurants and ascertains the benefits of outsourcing food and beverage (F&B) in luxury hotels in India from the perspectives of the strategic partners involved in such an alliance. The study also proposes different formats for F&B outsourcing in luxury hotels.

An exploratory study was carried out by collecting primary data from 16 Hotel General Managers and F&B operations experts through qualitative, semi-structured, personal and in-depth interviews. NVivo12 software was used to carry out a qualitative thematic analysis of the data. The primary data collected were triangulated with secondary data gathered through literature review of academic papers, industry reports and studies on the trends of restaurants in luxury hotels being outsourced.

The study focusses on the antecedents of the rise of stand-alone restaurants in the Indian hospitality industry. To combat the competitive disruption arising because of this trend, the study posits the business model innovation of outsourcing F&B operations in luxury hotels.

The benefits of a strategic alliance from the perspective of both parties – the luxury hotel and Michelin-star chef or branded/marquee restaurant – are elucidated. Further, three broad formats, which can be adopted for speciality restaurant outsourcing are also proposed. Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry would find the implications of this study useful in the context of the present customer-centric business environment where hotels are constantly striving to meet the exponentially rising bar of guest expectations in an increasingly globalised milieu.

The study proposes a preliminary road map for internationalisation of F&B operations through the business model innovation of outsourcing operations of in-house specialty restaurants by luxury hotels in the Indian context.

This research aims at evaluating and discussing developments and key challenges for the hospitality industry in an emerging global context and the impact of these changes on human resource development and management.

This paper uses qualitative primary research through semi‐structured interviews conducted with select hospitality practitioners in India, supplemented by secondary research and triangulated with inputs from an HR round table of experts from the field of hospitality.

It has become imperative for hospitality organisations to consider the implications of the global context in which they operate and respond appropriately to meet the change‐induced challenges. This can be done by ramping up the quality and the quantity of manpower employed through training and development interventions and by adopting suitable employee engagement and motivation initiatives.

Researchers, practitioners and educationists in the hospitality industry will find the implications of this study useful.

This paper amalgamates industry viewpoints with the perspective of academia, providing a holistic picture of the impact of the global changes on talent management and development in the hospitality industry. It further endeavours to prescribe a panacea to provide a long‐term solution to the HR issues faced by this sector.

This paper aims to identify the key risks which are endemic to the hospitality industry and considered as important by hoteliers in today's growing global context, with particular reference to the Indian context. It also seeks to propose a generic model for risk management.

Primary data collection using questionnaires and semi‐structured qualitative interviews with hospitality professionals was supplemented by secondary research in the field of risk and uncertainty management.

To secure competitive advantage and develop business resilience, it is becoming increasingly important for hospitality organisations to shift their focus from merely responding and reacting to crises and emergency situations, to proactively identifying, analysing and assessing risks while formulating their business strategies. The paper identifies the most commonly addressed areas of risk in the Indian hospitality industry, which include competition, seasonality of business and changes in customer preferences and demand.

Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry will find the implications of this study useful in the context of the present complex business environment which is fraught with risks.

Given the dearth of research in the field of risk and uncertainty management in the hospitality industry, especially in the Indian context, the paper explores various aspects of hospitality operations prone to risk and proposes a framework for identifying the key risks in hospitality organisations. It also puts forward a generic model of the process of risk management.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and map competencies required by frontline employees to enhance guest experience in the hospitality industry, in the context of an emerging experience economy.

Secondary research through extensive review of relevant literature in the area of experience economy and hospitality management.

This study proposes a new construct of “Hospitality Intelligence” (HI) encompassing mainly Emotional Intelligence (comprising Interpersonal Intelligence and Intrapersonal Intelligence), Cultural Intelligence and Hospitality Experiential Intelligence dimensions.

Practitioners and HR professionals in the field of hospitality would find the Hospitality Intelligence construct useful in recruiting and training frontline employees, while educationists could use the findings of this study in designing curricula and pedagogical interventions for developing the right skill set for the hospitality industry.

This study proposes a competencies framework and develops a construct of Hospitality Intelligence required by frontline employees in the hospitality industry to elevate guest experience from a simple interaction to a memorable experience.