Trends in the Hospitality Industry: Social Media

Social media in the hospitality industry

 

Social media is ‘media based, web-based or cloud based technologies’ (Khan, 2012). Different examples of social media are Google, Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor and LinkedIn just to name a few. Social media has now become a form of communication that not just allows the world to converse, but to have an interactive conversation.

Withiam (2014) explains how unbounded technology has given the hospitality industry, along with others, an opportunity to be able to develop relationships with customers and partnerships for brand growth and development through more contact with their customers. In today’s world the latest news and information spreads around the world at a click of a button, Khan (2012) states that this haste communication can easily break or make a business, especially in such a diverse industry such as hospitality.

Advantages of this trend are; stakeholders, mainly customers, are able to share information whether they like or dislike a firm. This allows firm owners to evaluate what customers want and if they are satisfied with the services or products produced (Withiam, 2014). Khan (2012) adds to how organizations can instantly communicate to a global audience, market their product/service and make their customers feel involved In the company for as long the consumers have access to a mobile phone, computer and of recent Pads. In the accommodation and food and beverage industry the organizations are able to advertise seasonal specials, make online bookings, address any customer complaints or dissatisfactions through business websites and receive payments. Organizations are able to keep up with the continuous latest trends by viewing what their customers want, what the latest technologies are worldwide and how to incorporate them into the business.

Social media in the hospitality industry makes opportunities available for organizations to identify their core values, attract customers to the business, create brand awareness and brand equity. Organizations can benefit from incorporating social media with their marketing to be ahead of their competitors. Every organization in any industry has the ability to either respond or ignore any positive or negative remarks made on social media networks. Although technology is continuously evolving at a haste rate and is making it impossible for any hospitality organization to ignore the social media. It is up to the organizations to create strategic plans to be able to exploit the social media in a way that can be beneficiary to the brand image and increase company growth.

Reference

Khan, A. (2012) Social media’s influence on hospitality and tourism management, Journal of business and hotel management. [Online]. Available at: http://www.scitechnol.com (Accessed: 11 April 2014).

Withiam, G. (2014) Social media and the hospitality industry: holding the Tiger by the tail, Faculty and research center for hospitality research, vol (3), [Online]. Available at: http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/reports/abstract-15500.html (Accessed: 12 April 2014).

 

Demographic issues in the hospitality industry

Demographic issues in the hospitality industry

There are many issues in the hospitality industry such as long working hours, and health and safety. Demographics is a broad segment in the industry that also has issues which are causing an impact in the industry. Demographics means ' the structure and profile of the population along with the concept of disposable income' (Jones, 2002:32). Powers and Barrows (2006: 34) further define demographics as 'measurable characteristics of the population in terms of age'.

One protruding issue that is impacting the industry involves the younger and older population in the work force. The older population is retiring earlier and the younger population has become more successful at early ages.

The aging generation are more active and have more disposable income. This is leading the generation in to retirement leaving a void in the workforce. The aging population is also causing a challenge in the accommodation sector as they have a demand for more comfortable and full- serviced rooms (Jones, 2002:34). This population tends not to be as responsive to price and monetary appeals as compared to the younger population. The younger population puts a strain on the industry as they have a higher demand for greater service quality and are brand and price conscious ( Jones, 2002:33).

Jones (2002:33) has realized the changing trend of the older generation moving into early retirement and the younger generation are becoming more successful at early ages. Fewer graduates want to work for organizations in the industry due to reasons such as low wages and long hours. This increases the void the older generation has created and leads to fewer young and fresh qualified possible employees (Classof1, 2002). As many graduate students prefer to work in other industries or become entrepreneurs this has lead employers to settle for cheaper unskilled labour.

Conclusion

Demographics is of paramount importance as it deals with people and that is what the hospitality industry is about. Without the people there is no service to offer and there is no recipients of the service. That is why it is important for organizations to make their employees feel secure with their jobs, keep track of trends and be flexible enough to accommodate the trends. Marketers are also advised to find other value- added goods and services that target the older retired generation.

Reference

Classof1. (2002) Issues and problems concerning hospitality industry. [Online]. Available at: http://www.classof1.com (Accessed: 9 March 2014).

Jones, P. (2002) Introduction to hospitality operations. 2^nd edn. Hampshire: South- Western Cengage Learning.  

Powers, T. & Barrows, C.W. (2006) Introduction to management in the hospitality industry. 8^th edn. Canada: John Wiley &Sons Inc.

 

Most Hospitable city

Budapest

 

 

A few adjectives to describe hospitable are welcoming, friendly along with being fond of entertaining. This is a brief criteria of what the most hospitable city should be.

From my judgment and research I believe that Budapest is the most hospitable city. It is the capital city and the largest city in Hungary. Budapest has the most five star rated reviews, beating Lisbon and Amsterdam as stated in an article from Mail Online by Chris Leadbeater.

Budapest is divided into two by Europe's most iconic river Danube. The two halves, Buda and Pest are linked together by Szechenyi Lanchid, the Chain bridge opened in 1849.

Buda is located on the west bank of the river. It holds most of the city's history and has been preserved in the Renaissance with palaces, historic castle district, medieval cobbled streets and houses.

Pest is the newer, more modern half of the city. It holds the largest Parliament building in Europe. It has bundles of flea markets, antique stores and café houses.

Europe's first underground railway was built in Budapest. This city holds a vast amount of culture and history of the front-line World War II battles in 1944. In 1945 the entire Budapest was under strict Soviet lines after being captured by the Soviet troops (Germany). This rich history is preserverd in the city's multiple museum, castles, palaces and statues that attract many tourists in thousands mostly from the Eastern and WesternEurope.

There are many attractions such as the Freedom bridge, Buda castle, Chain bridge, Fisherman's Bastion and Parliament house just to name a few. The city's beauty, rich history, diverse culture and warm hospitality, is truly convincing that Budapest is said to be the most hospitable city and I wish to one day experience it myself.

References:

• Chris Leadbeater(2013) Hungary for more: Budapest comes top in poll of welcoming cities for weekend breaks [online] available at: http://visit-hungary.com/budapest. Accessed 17 February 2014
• Chris Leadbeater(2013) Hungary for more: Budapest comes top in poll of welcoming cities for weekend breaks [online] available at: http://visit-hungary.com/budapest. Accessed 17 February 2014. Accessed 17 February 2014  

 

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