Search Results (46)

This contribution examines the luxury real estate sector in the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten. Drawing upon an analysis of ethnographic observations, interviews, property market data and marketing materials, we pose two core questions to the data: (1) How are fragments of the Dutch-Caribbean past deployed in luxury real estate marketing? (2) How does cyclical hurricane damage influence the luxury real estate market and heritage preservation? Proportionally very few of the luxury real estate listings directly reference cultural history. Yet when “Dutch-style and “plantation-era” esthetics are referenced, they appear to add value to the properties while enhancing a sense of exclusivity but erase the history of colonial violence. In conjunction with these discursive effects are the material realities of the cyclical destruction of property by hurricanes through which distressed properties are sold at a discount to be redeveloped for luxury builds aimed largely at foreign purchasers. This disaster development model systematically destroys artifacts of tangible heritage while displacing residents from communal spaces. As climate change intensifies, we raise questions about the sustainability of this model on the island going forward. Full article

Sustainability has become a strategic priority in the hospitality sector, particularly in luxury hotels where environmental responsibility must be balanced with high service quality. This study explores hotel managers’ perceptions and experiences of implementing environmentally friendly practices in five-star hotels in Gauteng, South Africa. A qualitative research approach, guided by a constructivist paradigm, was employed using semi-structured interviews with seventeen middle-level managers from major departments in the hotels. Data were manually and software-coded, and thematic analysis produced nine interrelated themes: Adoption Culture, Collaboration Networks, Consumption Tracking, Guest Revenue Drivers, Operational Shifts, Operational Prioritisation, Staff Enablement, Structural Constraints, and Valued Pragmatism. The findings indicate that managers generally perceive sustainability as both an ethical responsibility and a business imperative, particularly in relation to brand reputation, guest expectations, and cost efficiency. However, implementation is constrained by infrastructural instability, high initial investment costs, limited supplier availability, and occasional resistance from staff and guests. The study highlights the importance of embedding sustainability within governance systems, staff practices, and organisational culture to support long-term adoption. This research offers context-specific insights into sustainability implementation in South African luxury hotels and provides practical value for hotel managers, policymakers, and sustainability stakeholders operating in resource-constrained environments. Full article

Leadership is a key predictor of employees’ well-being, especially in sectors with high labor intensity and role changes, such as the hotel sector. Leadership communication can act as a major job resource element in forming positive exchanges with employees. This research investigates the influence of leadership communication on employees’ well-being in luxury hotels across five Middle Eastern countries, namely Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain. Combining social exchange theory and the job demand-resources model, the indirect effects of trust in leader as a mediator and moderating influence of socioeconomic status are examined. Using a quantitative and deductive approach and a cross-sectional survey, a total of 380 employee data was collected and analyzed using a partial least squares–structural equation modeling technique in Smart-PLS software. (version 4). The dimensions of leadership communication had a significant link with the well-being of hotel staff. While the mediating influence of trust in leader was found to be partially significant, the inclusion of socioeconomic status as a moderator complements the findings. The results suggest that while appropriate leadership communication is essential and can establish trust, the socioeconomic status of employees in the high-demand, low-resource hotel sector is a crucial matter. The findings can be beneficial for scholars looking into regional and sectoral assessment as well as practitioners seeking to improve employees’ well-being in the Middle Eastern hotel sector. Full article

Background: Digital transformation has become a vital driver of competitiveness in the hospitality industry. This study investigates the role of digital agility in enhancing competitive advantage in Egypt’s luxury hotel sector, focusing on the parallel mediating effects of supply chain agility and supply chain resilience. Grounded in the Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), the research explores how digital capabilities promote flexibility, responsiveness, and strategic performance. Methods: Data were collected from 325 senior managers in supply chain, procurement, operations, logistics, and digital transformation across luxury hotels in Egypt. The conceptual framework was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via WarpPLS software. Results: Findings reveal that digital agility significantly enhances competitive advantage, as well as supply chain agility and resilience. Both supply chain agility and resilience positively influence competitive advantage and partially mediate the relationship between digital agility and competitiveness. Conclusions: The study highlights the strategic importance of digital agility in fostering agile and resilient supply chains, which serve as key mechanisms for achieving sustained competitive advantage in the luxury hotel industry. Investing in digital technologies and adaptive capabilities is essential for long-term success in a dynamic market environment. Full article

This study investigates the challenge of affordable housing in Riyadh, a city undergoing rapid transformation aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. It aims to bridge the structural gap in the housing market by developing a comprehensive analytical framework that measures housing suitability for emerging middle-income families, linking it to economic, spatial, and behavioral dimensions. The research employs a sequential mixed-methods design. The first phase involved a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) of 106 residential neighborhoods, constructing a Housing Suitability Index (HSI) based on financing cost (≤SAR 880,000), quality of urban life, and geographical accessibility. The second phase utilized focus groups with 16 participants from real estate developers and new families to explore behavioral drivers and subjective trade-offs. Quantitative results identified “convenience clusters” primarily in the city’s southeastern and southwestern sectors, offering an optimal balance between price and accessibility. Qualitative analysis revealed a significant trust gap and a misalignment of priorities: new families are increasingly willing to sacrifice unit size for central location and construction quality, a preference that conflicts with developers’ strategies focused on luxury units or peripheral projects for higher margins. The study concludes that achieving the 70% homeownership target requires a hybrid policy model, combining supply-side stimuli (e.g., subsidized land) with demand-side management (e.g., progressive mortgages). It recommends integrating the HSI into urban planning to direct investment towards logistically connected areas, fostering sustainable communities. Full article

This paper presents a hybrid fabrication method for producing anti-counterfeit optical elements on plastic products and surfaces targeting multidiscipline applications such as food, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, and electronics industry. Our proposition combines the design flexibility and rapid prototyping capabilities of stereolithography three-dimensional (SLA 3D) printing with nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to create unique optical security tags onto plastic surfaces. The proposed approach is cost-effective, scalable, and tailored for mass production, addressing the increasing demand for secure and reliable authentication solutions. NIL is substrate agnostic, offering material selection versatility and realization of security tags onto polymer surfaces, which are widely used across various sectors such as packaging industry, medical devices, and flexible electronics. This enables integration into a wide range of materials, further enhancing applicability on flat and 3D shape surfaces. An evaluation method based on digital reconstruction has been used to ensure robust performance and verification of the produced optical security features. The results demonstrate that this hybrid approach provides a reproducible and technically feasible path for the development of optical anti-counterfeiting tags suitable for large-scale implementation, particularly within fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Full article

The maritime industry faces increasing pressure to improve energy efficiency, a challenge that extends to the luxury yacht sector. This study presents a comprehensive hydrodynamic assessment for retrofitting a bespoke Energy Saving Device (ESD) onto a 45 m motor yacht. A full-scale self-propulsion Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was developed and validated directly against dedicated sea trial data, ensuring high fidelity and bypassing traditional scaling uncertainties. The validated model was then utilized to design and optimize a custom pre-propeller duct system. A parametric study varying the duct’s angle of attack identified an optimal configuration of ${20}^{\circ }$, which achieves a definitive power saving of 4.7% at the vessel’s cruise speed of 12.3 knots. Analysis of the propulsive factors reveals that the gain is primarily driven by a substantial increase in the hull efficiency, ${\eta }_H$, achieved by conditioning the propeller inflow. This improvement successfully compensates for the corresponding decrease in the propeller’s open-water efficiency, ${\eta }_o$. This work demonstrates a successful end-to-end numerical workflow for designing and verifying an effective, retrofittable ESD, highlighting a practical solution for reducing fuel consumption in existing motor yachts. Full article

Perceived organizational support (POS) is critical for fostering discretionary service behaviors, particularly in demanding contexts such as luxury hospitality. This study examines how POS influences extra-role behavior (ERB) among frontline hotel employees by testing the mediating roles of job embeddedness (JEM), leader–member exchange (LMX), and work engagement (WEN), along with the moderating role of transformational leadership (TFL). Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, survey data were collected from 170 full-time employees in five-star luxury hotels in Bangkok, Thailand, and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results indicate that POS significantly predicts JEM, LMX, and WEN, and that each of these mechanisms, in turn, positively affects ERB. Moderation analysis further shows that TFL weakens the JEM–ERB link but strengthens the LMX–ERB relationship, while its interaction with WEN is nonsignificant. These findings suggest that structural mechanisms (POS and JEM) and relational quality (LMX) exert stronger effects than affective engagement in shaping discretionary service contributions. The study supports COR theory by showing that resources such as POS, JEM, and LMX foster discretionary service behavior. However, these effects are context-dependent, with transformational leadership serving as a boundary condition that may either enhance or diminish the translation of resources into extra-role contributions. Full article

The challenge of food waste poses significant economic, environmental, and ethical concerns worldwide, with the hospitality sector being particularly affected. This study explores food waste prevention and management practices in five-star hotels in Serbia, focusing on the knowledge, attitudes, and resourcefulness of head chefs as key actors in implementing sustainable solutions. A qualitative exploratory design was applied, combining semi-structured interviews with eight head chefs and hotel managers, in-kitchen field observations, and food waste audits conducted in eight luxury hotels in Belgrade. The food waste hierarchy framework was used to assess how head chefs understand and act upon food waste issues. Findings reveal that while food waste policies vary across hotels, head chefs demonstrate varying levels of awareness and resourcefulness, often shaped by corporate policies, training, and personal experience. Despite limitations in policy enforcement, many head chefs apply practical strategies such as FIFO stock rotation, local sourcing, and creative reuse of ingredients. This study advances the theoretical understanding of food waste management in hospitality by linking practice theory with culinary knowledge and corporate influence. It also provides practical implications for training, policy development, and sustainable hospitality operations in transitional economies. Full article

Accelerated digital transformations and the evolution of consumer behavior in recent years underscore the need for a systemic perspective in marketing analytics to better comprehend the complex interplay between technology, data, and the profound changes triggered by global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed a massive shift toward digitalization and transformed e-commerce from an option to a necessity for both businesses and consumers. This paper analyzes the total store and non-store sales, as well as total e-commerce sales, of the US retail trade across six main business categories and nine subcategories from the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2024. The data was divided into three time spans, corresponding to pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods, to examine the changing behavior of US consumers over time for different business categories. The statistical and econometric methods employed are the partial autocorrelation function (PACF), autocorrelation function, autoregressive integrated moving average model, inferential statistics, and regression model. The results indicate that the pandemic significantly increased non-store retailer sales compared to the pre-pandemic period, underscoring the importance of e-commerce. When physical stores reopened, e-commerce sales did not decline to pre-pandemic levels. The PACF analysis showed seasonality and lagged correlations. Thus, the pandemic-induced buying behaviors of US consumers continue to influence current sales patterns. The pandemic was more than just a temporary disruption, which permanently changed the retail sector. Retailers that quickly adapted to online models gained a competitive edge, whereas US consumers became accustomed to the convenience and flexibility of e-commerce. The behavior of US consumers adapted not only in response to immediate needs during the pandemic but also led to longer-term shifts in spending patterns, with each category reacting uniquely based on product type and perceived necessity. The analysis of how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed consumer behavior in the US reveals several important implications for both consumers and trade policymakers. First, the long-lasting and structural shift toward e-commerce is confirmed, representing a fundamental change in the dynamics of demand and supply. For consumers, the convenience, flexibility, and accessibility of digital channels have moved beyond mere situational advantages to become a behavioral norm. This shift has empowered consumers by giving them greater access to price comparisons, more diverse options, and increased informational transparency. Additionally, the data shows the emergence of hybrid consumption models: essential goods are mainly purchased online, while purchases of branded clothing, electronics, furniture, luxury items, and similar products continue to favor the traditional retail experience. Full article

Globalization and market saturation have led Portuguese textile companies to seek international markets not only for growth but also to contribute to their country’s international image. This study aims to explore how the internationalization of the Portuguese textile sector into the Chinese market contributes to Portugal’s destination image and identify the critical success factors in this process. The research follows an inductive, qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews with two groups of companies: those already operating in China (n = 5) and those preparing to enter the market (n = 5). The interviews were thematically analyzed to extract key patterns and insights. The findings reveal that successful companies operate in the luxury segment, rely on prior international experience, and often use local intermediaries. Firms planning to internationalize highlight quality differentiation, brand authenticity, and innovation as strategic advantages. These insights support the role of niche positioning and cultural adaptation in building both commercial success and a refined international image of Portugal. This study contributes to the literature by linking internationalization and destination branding through industry-specific case evidence and offers practical implications for managers targeting emerging markets like China. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant global impacts. In Japan, consumers refrained from going out, and dining out decreased significantly, which strongly affected the restaurant industry and resulted in a shift in food demand from eating out to home consumption. The seafood industry is no exception to this trend. This study surveyed 300 individuals with experience in seafood transactions across wholesalers, restaurants, and retailers to examine how the pandemic influenced supply and demand patterns from a distribution perspective. Results indicated that while the volume of luxury seafood handled by restaurants and wholesalers decreased, the volume handled by retailers increased. Conversely, the volume of inexpensive popular seafood declined across all three sectors. The findings suggest that some of the luxury seafood previously sold to restaurants was redirected to retailers as consumer demand shifted from dining out to home consumption during the pandemic. Full article

This study investigates the impact of wellness tourism motivation (WTM) on tourist satisfaction (TS) and tourist experience (TE), while also examining the mediating role of TE in the relationship between WTM and TS in the context of luxury spa resorts situated in the Himalayan regions of India. Drawing on an extensive review of the literature, this study proposes a conceptual model that hypothesizes the influence of WTM on TS and TE, as well as the impact of TE on TS. Data were collected through 260 questionnaires distributed to tourists visiting prominent spa resorts to validate the proposed model empirically. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships between the constructs. The results revealed that wellness tourism motivations have a positive impact on both TS and TE. Additionally, TE serves as a mediator, further enhancing the connection between WTM and TS. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on wellness tourism by providing empirical evidence on the unique dynamics of WTM, TE, and TS in Himalayan spa resorts, which cater to a distinct segment of wellness tourists. The results offer valuable insights for tourism operators and policymakers, enabling them to design tailored wellness experiences that enhance customer satisfaction and meet the specific needs of wellness-focused travelers. This research underscores the importance of prioritizing tourist experiences as a strategic tool for fostering satisfaction and loyalty in the luxury wellness tourism sector. Full article

This study examines how Chinese tourists perceive the value of sustainable practices implemented in five-star hotels in Phuket, Thailand, through the lens of the perceived value theory and the service experience framework. While luxury hotels increasingly adopt green initiatives, research exploring how tourists evaluate these efforts across the full guest journey is limited. Addressing this gap, this study aimed to examine how attitudinally distinct tourist segments perceive sustainable practices across three service stages: pre-consumption, consumption, and post-consumption. A cross-sectional survey of 400 Chinese tourists was conducted, applying k-means clustering to segment respondents by sustainability attitudes, followed by multi-group structural equation modeling. Two segments emerged: environmentally engaged travelers and conventional comfort travelers. The results indicate that the emotional value dominates during the stay, the functional value drives pre-stay decisions, and the ethical/social value shapes post-stay reflections. Environmentally engaged tourists were more responsive to ethical and social cues. The findings highlight sustainability as a multidimensional, stage-specific construct moderated by guest attitudes. Theoretically, this research extends perceived value frameworks by mapping sustainability perceptions across the guest journey. Practically, it offers actionable insights for hotel managers seeking to design value-aligned green strategies and segmented communication. Tailoring sustainability initiatives to tourist profiles can enhance satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy in the luxury hospitality sector. Full article

In today’s hyperconnected world, disaster announcements—regardless of actual impact—can significantly shape consumer behaviour and brand perception in the hospitality sector. This study investigates how customers respond online to disaster-related signals, focusing on digital marketing activities by luxury hotels in Santorini, Greece. Drawing on a case study of the Santorini Earthquake in February 2025—during which the Greek government declared a state of emergency—we use big data analytics, including web traffic metrics, social media interaction and fuzzy cognitive mapping, to analyse behavioural shifts across platforms. The findings indicate that disaster signals trigger increased engagement, altered sentiment and changes in advertising efficiency. This study provides actionable recommendations for tourism destinations and hospitality brands on how to adapt digital strategies during crisis periods. Full article