[The Role of E-Hospitality in London Hotel Industry]

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would first like to express my gratitude for my research coordinator, colleagues, and peers and family whose immense and constant support has been a source of continuous guidance and inspiration.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names & surname here], declare that the following dissertation/thesis and its entire content has been an individual, unaided effort and has not been submitted or published before. Furthermore, it reflects my opinion and take on the topic and is does not represent the opinion of the University.

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Abstract

The aim of this research will be to investigate the role of E-Hospitality in the London hotel industries SME`s and Corporation chain hotels. Historically, word-of-mouth communication (WOM) has consisted of face-to-face conversation between consumers about product and service experiences. Consumers turn to WOM as a solution for purchasing problems when they feel that advertising is more of a sales tool than a source of information and guidance. Emergence of the Internet became a positive trend in the hotel industry. The World Wide Web became a way for hotel companies and their customers to acquire information and transact business. Marketers consider skill in using the Internet to be a significant core competency for the hotel business as many consumers search for information about hotels through the Internet. The research focuses on the research methods to be used and sources of data and availability. Be as specific as possible. Methodology plays a vital role in investigating a phenomenon. The concept of ICT is best understood in the service industry because of the fact that in service industry the product is intangible and the features are easily been described in words and the trade is very convenient without any physical interaction. The philosophy of ICT and E-hospitality is similar to the electronic money. This brings the whole world of tourism at one platform and this ultimately increases the customer satisfaction. The low performance in web accessibility of London based hospitality websites was mostly because of website designers' failure to provide alternative text for non-text elements.

TABLE OF CONTENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

Abstractiv

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Aims2

Objectives2

Rationale2

Ethical Concerns4

CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Traditional Word of Mouth Communication6

Word-of-Mouth Communication6

Impact of Word-of-Mouth Communication7

Personal influence8

Electronic Commerce and Web 2.09

Online Shopping9

Online Community10

Online Market in the Hotel Industry11

Web 2.012

UGCs Related with Consumer Motives13

Impact of UGCs13

Importance of User-Generated Contents14

Motives for Seeking UGCs15

Motives for Generating UGCs17

CHAPTER 03: METHODOLOGY20

Primary Data21

Interview21

Secondary data22

Literature Search24

Time Table24

Data24

Reliability and Validity25

Generalizability25

CHAPTER 04: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION27

Issues with the Acceptance29

Visual impairment29

Mental Impairment30

Discussion31

CHAPTER 05: CONCLUSION35

Rise of the Internet35

Future Research38

References39

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION

Background

Technological advances over the past decade have posed the concerns over the clients, producer and director of the mechanisms of exchange for transactions in customer service. Industries through a metamorphosis with the introduction of new technologies (Kostreva, 1990), as seen in the context of services. This has affected the core technologies used in the production of services and delivery process (Olsen et al, 1998). And so the pattern of services changed over the last decade as companies became more and more technology-oriented production and service delivery ...