Factors Affecting the Adoption of Big Data Analytics in Hotels

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Sadat City University

2 Sinai High Institute for Tourism and Hotels, Ras Sidr

Abstract

Constant changes in the technological environment and the growth of digital transformation are forcing hotels to develop technological capabilities and invest more in information and communication technologies to keep pace with the competition. Therefore, Big Data Analytics (BDA) adoption is required to better predict the future, make accurate and efficient decisions, maximize the efficacy and success of the organization, gain a competitive advantage, improve market performance, improve the quality of decisions, etc. As BDA adoption brings wide-ranging benefits to hotels, it is crucial to investigate the factors that influence it. Therefore, this research examines the impact of three different types of capabilities (i.e., infrastructure, human resources, and management capabilities) and data-driven culture on BDA adoption. Besides, it investigates the effect of BDA adoption on the operational and economic performance of hotels. To achieve these objectives, 168 questionnaire forms were distributed to IT department staff (IT managers, assistant IT managers, and IT engineers) in the 28 five-star hotels in Greater Cairo representing the entire population in the study. A total of 135 usable questionnaire forms were received, with a response rate of 80.3 percent. To analyze these forms, descriptive, correlation, and multiple regression analyses were used. The findings revealed that the three types of BDA capabilities as well as the data-driven culture were found to positively influence BDA adoption. In addition, the results showed that BDA adoption has a positive impact on the two hotel performance dimensions (operational and economic). Therefore, hotel practitioners are recommended to improve IT infrastructure through its maintenance and update. Also, they should provide various types of training (e.g., lectures, role play, and workshops) to their IT staff to enhance their capabilities to use BDA applications.

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