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Does Trust Encourage or Discourage Employees to Share Their Suggestions?
Linchi Kwok | March 1, 2023
By Linchi Kwok The positive effects of employees’ trust in their supervisors have been widely documented, such as job engagement, performance, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Given supervisors’ authority in the workplace, we suspect supervisors would bear a critical role in initiating trusting supervisor-employee relationships. As suggested in the social exchange theory, employees may perceive supervisor trust in them as a kind act by the supervisor and feel obligated to return such a kind act with their trust in supervisor. The Research To examine the relationships among (supervisor) trust in employee, (employee) felt trust...
Hospitality Students Expect a Positive Industry Outlook for 2023
Linchi Kwok | January 17, 2023
By Linchi Kwok It is time to say goodbye to 2022, a year of healing and recovery from the pandemic. A few of our hospitality students weighed their perspectives on the industry’s 2023 outlook. The student profiles Bianca Louise N. Del Castillo, a second-year master’s student and competed in the STR Student Market Analysis Competition. She worked in hotels and travel agencies before joining the program. Brandon J. Oceguera, a first-year student, working in a country club in Orange County (OC). He worked at the OC Fair for the past five years, with a total of seven years of experience. He loved to cook, eat, and golf. Jordan ...
A Call for Industry-Academia Collaboration to Address the Labor Shortage Challenge
Linchi Kwok | July 28, 2022
By Linchi Kwok When the pandemic hit, the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry immediately responded to the crisis with furloughs and layoffs. It did not take long for the industry to realize that it must deal with the labor shortage challenge. In fact, the labor shortage challenge is not new to the H&T industry, but the “Great Resignation” during the pandemic has worsened the situation. In one of my recent publications in the Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, I presented three propositions about the labor shortage issue facing the H&T industry. The paper aims to initiate a conversation between our industr...
Can the Hospitality Industry Recover?
Lex Fuller | June 20, 2022
By Lex Fuller Over the past two years, the hospitality industry has had to make major changes to deal with the many difficulties it has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most notable hurdle for the hospitality industry has been the labor shortage. With the dangers of COVID-19, it has been increasingly difficult for hotels to find and keep employees, causing the hospitality industry to make adjustments in order to compensate for the loss of on-sight workers. This leaves us with the following question, will the hospitality industry ever go back to the way it was before the pandemic? While things are opening back up after a long batt...
Want to Win in Future Competitions? Invest in Data-Driven Decisions Now
Linchi Kwok | December 23, 2021
By Linchi Kwok Speaking of the permanent changes in the hospitality industry, many people will probably agree that demands for “bleisure”/“work-from-anywhere” travel and contactless self-service will continue to grow in the near future. Not everyone, however, realizes that data-driven decisions will become a key driver for growth in the industry, which has already affected how we do business now. Automatic service enables businesses to capture more operational and consumer data for business decisions One advantage of using automatic service comes from its ability to spontaneously capture and store real-time operat...
Recover 2022! A Holistic Approach Is Needed to Respond to Post-Pandemic Changes
Linchi Kwok | December 21, 2021
By Linchi Kwok The COVID-19 pandemic had no doubt made an unprecedented impact on the hospitality and tourism industry. Yet, some products, such as home-sharing, extended stays, and quick-service restaurants, were able to adapt to the new changes quickly. Hence, they were not affected as much. Others might still need extra time to get back on their feet. It might seem that the global pandemic forced businesses to respond to the new changes in the market, but the truth is COVID-19 just accelerated many of the foreseeable changes we have already expected for the future. The businesses that can navigate through the COVID-19 crisis qu...
What if Labor Shortage Is a Long-Term Threat to the Hospitality and Tourism Industry?
Linchi Kwok | September 27, 2021
By Linchi Kwok The U.S. economy finally shows signs of a strong recovery from the pandemic. Nevertheless, the surging delta variant cases, inflation, and the global supply chain disruption, among other concerns, add considerable uncertainty to the economic outlook. Notably, the hospitality and tourism industry is unlikely to recover any time soon. On the one hand, there is no real sense of recovery until people are traveling for business again. Yet, more companies have postponed the return-to-office plan and let employees continue working from home. On the other hand, the industry is facing an extreme labor shortage that slows do...
Want Your Employees to Voice Suggestions When Customers Treat Them Poorly? The Double-Edged Effects of Felt Trust
Linchi Kwok | August 26, 2021
By Linchi Kwok "The customer is not always right, but your job is never to show them how they're wrong. Your job is to be professional, courteous, accommodating … even (and especially) under stress." — Steve Dorfman, Driven to Excel When consumers know they are always right, they may breed a sense of superiority or entitlement, expecting the frontline employees to comply with any customer behaviors. A report shows that 98% of service employees had experienced unpleasant customer behaviors; over 50% of employees encountered rude customers at least once a week. In a more recent case, a female customer pulled out a gun an...
Research Reveals Effective Social Media Crisis Communication Strategies During COVID-19 Pandemic
Linchi Kwok | July 15, 2021
By Linchi Kwok The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-generation crisis with lasting economic and societal consequences. Crises and disasters often bring unpredictable catastrophic changes to the market. Yet, effective management of a crisis can help businesses reduce the event's negative impacts and shorten the recovery time. As the global economy begins to recover, businesses are making changes to adapt to the post-pandemic world. For example, more companies now let employees work from home permanently. When people work remotely and classes are taught online, social media plays an even more critical role in crisis communicatio...
Research Shows That You Should Let Consumers’ Photos Speak For Your Business
Linchi Kwok | June 16, 2021
By Linchi Kwok The advance of technology and the widespread adoption of smartphones and handheld devices in recent years have enabled us to publish our experience about a product or service through online photo or video sharing and provide a review. Online review websites have also updated their features, making it easier for consumers to attach pictures or videos to their reviews. As both consumers and businesses adapt to the new photo-sharing trend, it becomes crucial to expand our knowledge regarding user-generated photos’ (UGPs’) effect on online reviews. An empirical study about user-generated photos I work...
Besides Higher Wages, What Else Can Businesses Do to Address Labor Shortages?
Linchi Kwok | May 18, 2021
By. Linchi Kwok Last week, COVID-19 cases in the U.S. hit their lowest rate since September. Deaths were also at the lowest point since April last year. Moreover, close to 60% of adults in the U.S. have already received at least one dose of a vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on May 13 that: People who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear face covers or maintain a social distance in any setting unless they are required to do so by laws or specific guidelines. Fully vaccinated people can also refrain from testing following a known exposure (with a few exceptions). Some businesses...
Will the Lodging Industry’s Supply Growth Outpace Demand Growth?
Linchi Kwok | April 22, 2021
By Linchi Kwok The COVID-19 vaccination rate is climbing steadily in the U.S. At its current rate, three in four people, or 75% of eligible residents, will be vaccinated by June. Businesses are reopening. The U.S. economy is now operating at 88% of its pre-pandemic level, with hope for continuous improvement. People want to travel again. In mid-March, Disneyland announced it would reopen on April 30. Now, all reopening day reservations for both single-park and park-hopper tickets are sold out already. On April 2, the Friday before Easter, TSA screened over 1.58 million people at airport checkpoints, the highest number sinc...
Will the Hospitality and Travel Industry Recover in 2021?
Linchi Kwok | February 17, 2021
By Linchi Kwok Spring will soon be here. People are celebrating the Lunar New Year. Do you see a brighter future in 2021? Without a doubt, 2020 was a challenging year for most. Besides lockdowns, many companies let employees work from home permanently. When many business activities were put on a break and supply chains were interrupted, the global economy collapsed. COVID-19’s impact on the hospitality and tourism industry has been devastating and unprecedented. How tough was it in 2020? The aviation industry According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, global air traffic dropped from 4.5 billion in 2019 to 1...
How Job Seekers’ Social Media Profiles Affect Employability: Evidence From a Research Study
Linchi Kwok | January 19, 2021
By Linchi Kwok Social media plays an increasingly important role in recruitment and employee selection. Recruiters are tempted to check on job candidates’ social media profiles (SMPs) because SMPs could reveal more dynamic information about the candidates than their resumes alone. By checking the candidates’ SMPs, recruiters can discover their real personality, which cannot be easily achieved even through job interviews. Meanwhile, hiring managers can also assess job candidates’ social capital based on the size and the composition of their social networks. The study To investigate how social media may affect recruiters’ hiring dec...
How Concerning Is It When Contactless Self-Service Pushes More People Out of Work?
Linchi Kwok | December 16, 2020
By Linchi Kwok COVID-19 has accelerated a few foreseeable changes that the service industry expected for the future. For example, more consumers want delivery service since the pandemic hit in March. Restaurants, hotels, airlines, retailers, and shopping malls have extended their current contactless self-service offerings through mobile apps, kiosks, facial recognition, and palm recognition technologies. To embrace the growing demand for delivery and contactless self-service, many fast-food chains also introduced new restaurant designs, featuring double- or triple-drive-thru lanes, conveyor belt delivery, and food lockers for pick-up orders...
The 2020 Hospitality and Tourism Trends That Will Likely Stay in 2021 and Beyond
Linchi Kwok | December 2, 2020
By Linchi Kwok The COVID-19 pandemic had made an unprecedented impact on the global economy in 2020. The good news is the long-waited COVID-19 vaccines will soon become available. Let’s hope that the coronavirus will disappear soon as we enter the New Year. Looking back before we look forward At year-end 2019, I predicted a few 2020 trends in hospitality, retail, and tourism businesses. For example, I recommended that we should pay special attention to the following areas: A shifting focus on food delivery, sustainable food, and quick-casual restaurants. Using AI and facial recognition in service operations. The threats from...
Can Leisure and Work-From-Home Demand Stimulate Extended-Stay Hotel Growth Beyond Covid-19?
Linchi Kwok | November 4, 2020
By Linchi Kwok The lodging industry is struggling to fill the empty rooms in 2020. For months, U.S. hotels are running at an occupancy of 50% or lower. Not every segment suffers the same impact from the pandemic, however. Demand for home-sharing facilities had already bounced back over the summer. Airbnb reported a higher booking than last year. Marriott’s home-sharing arm is also doing well, seeing a sevenfold increase in booking over last summer. Similar to what a residential rental or home-sharing facility offers, guestrooms in extended-stay hotels also feature a full-size kitchen or a kitchenette. Extended-stay hotels are desi...
As More Companies Let Employees Work From Home Permanently, What Is the Outlook of Business Travel?
Linchi Kwok | October 22, 2020
By Linchi Kwok When the pandemic hit the global economy in March, business travel was estimated to lose $820 billion in revenue. Under the best scenario, businesses were expected to reopen in late spring or early summer. As we entered into the summer, indicators showed travel and hospitality businesses were picking up, but we all knew travel recovery would not occur until people are taking business trips again. “Travel, as we knew it, is over,” concluded by Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Now in October, we still have not contained the coronavirus. To make it worse, new COVID-19 cases now surge again across the US and Europe. More co...
Will Amazon’s New Palm Recognition Become the Next Popular Biometric Technology?
Linchi Kwok | October 8, 2020
By Linchi Kwok Amazon recently introduced a new biometric payment device, Amazon One, in two of its Go stores in Seattle. Shoppers can now enter and pay at cashier-free Amazon Go stores by scanning their palms. The company opened its first Amazon Go store in Seattle to the public in January 2018. Currently, Amazon operates 21 Go stores in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle, with five temporarily closed. Unlike a typical grocery store, Amazon Go offers grab-and-go, ready-to-eat snacks, breakfast, and lunch options for shoppers. Shopping at Amazon Go can be as easy as walking in and out of the store. After consumers ...
Will More Hotels Get Into the Home-Sharing Business?
Linchi Kwok | September 23, 2020
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the travel and tourism industry. With massive layoffs and closures, many hospitality professionals have noted that they had never seen such a detrimental event to the industry in their careers. Nobody knows when the recovery will take place. Yet, there is at least one exception. The home-sharing sector has already rebounded. Airbnb booking is up and ready for an IPO When the pandemic hit, Airbnb reported a 90% drop in booking, or a $400 million adjusted loss in the second quarter. Then, Airbnb laid off 7,500 employees, or 25% of its workforce, and cut its marketi...
Will COVID-19 Be a Catalyst for More Hotel Mergers and Acquisitions?
Linchi Kwok | September 10, 2020
By Linchi Kwok COVID-19 has put many restaurants and hotels out of business. A recent example is the permanent closure of the iconic Hilton Times Square Hotel. Several restaurant chains recently rolled out new store designs to embrace the contactless self-service and delivery trends demanded by customers. Additionally, when more schools and businesses are reopening, the restaurant industry has already shown signs of recovery. There was a 2% increase in spending year-over-year in the week ending August 30. The outlook for hotels, however, is not as optimistic. The hotel industry is still struggling. According to the latest U.S. hot...
Contactless Self-Services Are Here to Stay After COVID-19
Linchi Kwok | August 26, 2020
By Linchi Kwok The new COVID-19 cases finally showed signs of declines across the U.S., but definitely, we should still take cautionary measures to avoid another wave of infections. Now, some people have already claimed that this pandemic would forever change the travel industry. Because the coronavirus is primarily transmitted through direct or indirect close contact with infected people via mouth or nose secretions, social distancing and frequent sanitation are highly recommended. It is not surprising to see consumers demand services with minimum human contact, which in turn promotes contactless self-services. Restaurants Mobile...
Baby Boomers Deserve Big Attention From Businesses Too
Linchi Kwok | August 12, 2020
By Linchi Kwok Jill Filipovic argued in her new book - OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind - that millennials have been going through tougher economic circumstances than any other generations since the Great Depression. I am neither a millennial nor a Boomer, but the media coverage about Jill’s arguments got my attention. The fact is no matter if we are in the position of supporting or challenging Jill’s propositions, we cannot deny that we need Boomers to boost post-pandemic consumption. Besides millennials and Gen Zers, Baby Boomers also deserve big attention from businesses. Boomers have time and money ...
The 7 Ps Marketing Mix of Home-Sharing Services: Insights From Over One Million Airbnb Reviews
Linchi Kwok | July 29, 2020
By Linchi Kwok The 7 Ps marketing mix framework is a widely used managerial tool that helps businesses identify the principal components of a service product. The 7 P elements include Product, Promotion, Price, Place, Participant, Physical Evidence, and Process. The 7 Ps framework can assist marketers in making decisions regarding segmentation, positioning, and differentiation. Even for the same type of products with different brands, marketers can still drive higher sales through the improvement of a product’s marketing mix. The empirical study about 7 Ps of home-sharing services Building upon the 7 Ps marketing mix framework, ...