DIGITAL INNOVATION IN BUSINESS AND ECONOMY: COLLABORATION OF BACK-OFFICE AND FRONT-OFFICE EMPLOYEES WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN FACILITATING SEAMLESSNESS SERVICE QUALITY DELIVERY IN HOTEL INDUSTRY

William Paulo Msilu; Antonius Sumarwan

doi:10.24071/icebmr.v3i1.107

Authors

William Paulo Msilu St. Augustine University of Tanzania Author
Antonius Sumarwan Sanata Dharma University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24071/icebmr.v3i1.107

Keywords:

Seamlessness, Advanced-technology, Hotel industry, Front-office, Back-office

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to investigate how back-office and front-office employees in collaboration with advanced technology facilitate seamlessness in the hotel industry. A constructivist research paradigm is employed while effectively utilizing mixed methodology. The research adopts a multiple-case study design, focusing on two hotels; a five-star hotel and a three-star hotel, both located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. SPSS data analysis tool will be applied to diverse primary and secondary data sources, including interviews, focus group discussions, survey questionnaires, and online customer survey reports from each hotel's official website and social media platforms such as Instagram. Additionally, the seamless hotel organization theoretical framework is employed for this study as a roadmap towards data collection, analysis, and interpretation, guiding the investigation of the study. By analyzing and comparing the strategies, challenges, and opportunities in both hotels, the study has revealed or discovered the importance of effective collaboration of back-office & front-office employees with advanced technology in every hotel in enhancing seamlessness hotel service operations. The findings reveal that there is effective collaboration of back-office and front-office employees with advanced technology in facilitating a sustainable seamlessness service quality delivery in hotel industry.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bhasin, H. (2023, June 13). The SERVQUAL Model – Definition, Dimensions, Gaps and Advantages Service. Retrieved from https://www.marketing91.com/servqual/

Bowen, J., & Morosan, C. (2018). Beware hospitality industry: the robots are coming. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 10(6), 726-733.

Buhalis, D., & Leung, R. (2018). Smart hospitality—Interconnectivity and interoperability towards an ecosystem. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 71, 41–50.

Buhalis, D., & Sinarta, Y. (2019). Real-time co-creation and nowness service: lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 36(5), 563–582.

Chacko, H. E. (1998). Designing a seamless hotel organization. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 10(4), 133-138.

Chacko, H. E., Williams, K., & Schaffer, J. (2012). A conceptual framework for attracting Generation Y to the hotel industry using a seamless hotel organizational structure. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 11(2), 106-122.

Cherryholmes, C. H. (1992, August–September). Notes on pragmatism and scientific realism. Educational Researcher, 13–17.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Qualitative, qualitative and mixed methods approach. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Drexler, N., & Beckman Lapré, V. (2019). For better or for worse: Shaping the hospitality industry through robotics and artificial intelligence. Research in Hospitality Management, 9(2), 117–120. doi:10.1080/22243534.2019.1689701

Emeritus (2023, Sept, 4). 5 Types of Research Design: Elements, Needs and Characteristics. Retrieved from https://emeritus.org/in/learn/types-of-research-design/

Gupta, S., Modgil, S., Lee, C. K., Cho, M., & Park, Y. (2022). Artificial intelligence enabled robots for stay experience in the hospitality industry in a smart city. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 122(10), 2331-2350.

Haastrecht, E.J.V. (2020, Jul 14). Seamless Service Hotel. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/futurists-club-by-science-of-the-time/seamless-service-hotelf87079b91d00

Han, D., Hou, H., Wu, H., & Lai, J. H. (2021). Modelling tourists’ acceptance of hotel experience-enhancement Smart technologies. Sustainability, 13(8), 4462.

Huang, M.H. and Rust, R.T. (2021). “Engage to a robot? The role of AI in service”, Journal of Service Research, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 30-41.

Kansakar, P., Munir, A., & Shabani, N. (2019). Technology in the Hospitality Industry: Prospects and Challenges. IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine, 8(3), 60–65. doi:10.1109/mce.2019.2892245

Kolodny, L. (2016), “AI-powered virtual assistant, Mezi, pivots to focus on travel”, Tech Crunch, available at: https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/15/ai-powered-virtual-assistantmezi-pivots-to-focus-on-travel/ (accessed 6 June 2018).

Lim, W. M. et al., (2018). Going keyless for a seamless experience: Insights from a unified hotel access control system. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 75, 105–115.

Mariani, M. et al., (2018). Business intelligence and big data in hospitality and tourism: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(12), 3514–3554

Masuda, H., & Nakamura, K. (2008). Henn na Hotel Huis Ten Bosch: The road to low-cost hotels (LCHs). AIRTH–Alliance for Innovators and Research in Tourism and Hospitality, AIRTH Encyclopedia.

Mercan, S. et al., (2020). Improving the service industry with hyper-connectivity: IoT in hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(1), 243–262.

Morgan, D. (2007). Paradigms lost and pragmatism regained: Methodological implications of combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(1), 48–76.

Mullet, K., (2003). The Essence of Effective Rich Internet Applications. Macromedia Inc., San

Plano Clark, V.L., Foote, L. A. & Walton, J. B. (2018). Intersecting Mixed Methods and Case Study Research: Design Possibilities and Challenges. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches,10 (1), 14–29.

Recker, J. (2013). Scientific research in information systems: a beginner's guide. Berlin: Springer.

Schnieder, B. & Bowen, D. E. (1995). Winning the Service Game. Boston: Harvard Business Press.

Simon, M., Van Den Dries, F., Wilms, T., (2016). Driving customer-centric growth: a practical roadmap. J. Advert. Res. 56 (2), 159–168.

Slywotzky, A., Weber, K., (2011). Demand: Creating What People Love Before They Know They Want It. Headline Publishing Group, London.

Stylos, N., Fotiadis, A. K., Shin, D. (Don), & Huan, T.-C. T. (2021). Beyond smart systems adoption: Enabling diffusion and assimilation of smartness in hospitality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 98, 103042.

Wang, D., Xiang, Z., Law, R., Ki, T.P., (2016). Assessing hotel-related smartphone apps using online reviews. J. Hosp. Mark. Manage. 25 (3), 291–313.