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- Motivation as a lever for service excellencePublication . Silva, Ana Isabel; Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, SusanaIn recent years, we have seen a change in mentalities in the way organisations are managed. Day by day, we realize that an organization's human resources are the key to success. In this sense, human resources management assumes an essential position that will allow to achieve levels of motivation and satisfaction of employees central to the performance of the organization. In the hotel sector, we still observe organizations with little focus on human resources management. However, it is from the sectors where this management becomes vital. The satisfaction and motivation of employees are directly reflected in customer satisfaction, compromising the future of the hotel unit. This work aims to understand the impact of the employee's motivation on their performance, according to their perspective. Thus, the method used was the questionnaire survey, addressed to all employees of the InterContinental Porto — Palácio das Cardosas hotel. Data analysis was performed through descriptive and statistical analysis, with resources to the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program. The results obtained did not allow us to observe any direct relationship between employee motivation and performance, according to their perspective.
- Describing skills in hotel management syllabi: a view from the fieldPublication . Silva, Rosa; Soares, Gisela; Pataco, Teresa; Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, Susana; Silva, CândidaDeveloping a course curricula is a complex and difficult task since it must reflect the fundamental technical competencies and skills, but also the soft skills that students must develop to practice a specific profession. In this sense, Higher Education Institutions have been struggling to find strategies and incorporate methodologies into their course curricula that will promote the balanced development of these technical and transversal competencies and skills. Therefore, this paper describes an exploratory study on how the competencies and skills dynamic is featured in the description of the learning outcomes of a 3-year Bachelor in Hospitality Management degree in Portugal. It analysed the forty learning outcomes of the different subjects of the degree and framed in the Reference Framework by The Council of the European Union. Moreover, it also analysed the application of the taxonomy of Bloom in describing the learning outcomes. The preliminary results show that there are some explicit learning outcomes outlined in the reference framework of the European Union but they still lack those related to soft skills development. Furthermore, the application of the taxonomy of Bloom is adequate and fully present in the learning outcomes. These results highlight the need of reviewing the description of the learning outcomes, mainly its alignment with the content and teaching and assessment methodologies adopted by the different subjects.
- Expectations vs customer satisfaction: the case of luxury hotelsPublication . Santos, Sílvia; Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, SusanaCustomer expectations and satisfaction has been one of the most studied themes in marketing literature among several business areas. In the hospitality sector, these themes are crucial regarding the specific characteristics of the service but also the huge competitiveness in this field. Nowadays, in hospitality, it is current practice to evaluate customer satisfaction, but few studies relate this satisfaction with their expectations. This study aims to characterize the customer expectations with the services provided by luxury hotels and to characterize the luxury market in hospitality. To answer our objectives a quantitative study was conducted. Participated in our study 330 hotel customers, of both genders, with a mean age of 46,8 years (SD=13,9), from five luxury hotels. All the participants fulfilled a questionnaire with sociodemographic questions and several questions assessing the satisfaction level with the different services provided by the hotels. Statistical analysis, descriptive and inferential, were performed with SPSS 24.0. The preliminary results showed that luxury hotels customers made a positive or very positive evaluation of the services provided by the different hotels of the group. The relation between the same kind of service performed is significant, ie, when the customer considers the quality of the bar important also asses as important the quality and diversity of the restaurant. In the same way, the group seems to have some differences among the services provided by specific kinds of hotels. Thus, we can conclude that customers' satisfaction is very important to the services provided by hotels, namely in the luxury market. Moreover, the luxury market seems to be a tendency in the hospitality sector. We discuss the main practical and theoretical implications and offer some suggestions for further studies.
- Improving environmental sustainability in Hospitality and Tourism: the key strategiesPublication . Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, Susana; Silva, CândidaThe Hotel and Tourism Industry has experienced profound changes in recent years and has been one of the sectors most affected by COVID-19. With the return of tourist activity, many companies went back to their normal routines, but the sector has changed dramatically. Tourists have new expectations, needs, and priorities, and sustainability is the one that is most emphasised, particularly when it comes to excessive water consumption, misuse of energy, and poorly utilised waste. The industry has a unique opportunity to recognise the importance of sustainability and define strategies to guarantee customer satisfaction, in symbiosis with environmental concerns and the preservation of the planet for future generations. This study aims to characterise the good strategies and practices for environmental sustainability in Hospitality and Tourism, namely in terms of energy, water, and waste. The purpose is to present the procedures and processes that lead to greater sustainability performance and to accomplish this a focus group was organised, with 2 hospitality stakeholders, 2 environmental groups stakeholders, and 2 VET (Vocational Education and Training) stakeholders, to discuss and identify the main factors directly related to the excessive use of water and energy and the poor treatment of waste and ranked by the participants. The meeting was done face-to-face, lasted 3 hours, and was based on their expertise and good practices. The Hospitality and Tourism Industry is conscious of its ecological footprint, namely in terms of energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste management. Considering energy, some examples were given such as electricity-saving practices, using LED bulbs, occupancy sensors, and automatic light controls. With respect to water, it is mandatory to install low-slip faucets and shower heads, reduce laundry and cleaning, and recycle water that can be reused for irrigation or toilet flushing, reducing the use of fresh water. The research presented contributions to the growing Knowledge on this topic, and the findings propose a straightforward guide for managers in the Hospitality and Tourism industry. Further research is endorsed to reinforce the value of environmental sustainability and to involve a greater range of stakeholders with different profiles in the sector.
- Preface of 4th International Conference on Tourism Research, ICTRPublication . Silva, Cândida; Oliveira, Mónica; Silva, Susana
- The value of skills for a sustainable tourism and hospitality industryPublication . Silva, Susana; Silva, Cândida; Oliveira, MónicaSkills are one of the main themes in academic and labor environments. Nowadays, digital, green, and social and cultural skills are the key to achieving sustainable practices and sustainable development goals. Therefore, this study aims to characterize the current and future needs of digital, green, and social and cultural skills for the tourism and hospitality sectors. This was a quantitative study, with an online survey applied to students, teachers, and professionals. It was a convenience sample with 150 participants. Data were analyzed statistically with IBM SPSS version 28.0. Our results suggested that students, professionals, and trainers value digital, green, and social and cultural skills. With reference to digital skills, all participants considered themselves having an intermediate or advanced level of proficiency. All the participants considered themselves having an intermediate or advanced level of green skills. Regarding social and cultural skills, all the participants considered themselves having an advanced level of proficiency. Therefore, professionals reported higher levels of proficiency in all skills. In the same way, in the tourism sector, we observed higher proficiency levels of skills. To summarize, educational, sectorial, and entrepreneurial sectors recognize the relevance of digital, green, and social-cultural skills for the tourism and hospitality industry. With these skills, the sector will be more prepared to implement sustainability practices and achieve sustainability goals. Additionally, entrepreneurs should value these skills in professionals, and education institutions should integrate the development of these skills into their curricula.