Challenges in Tackling Technological Changes at Hilton Hotels

By

[Date Year]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my supervisor for supporting me throughout my project and giving his valuable suggestions. Finally thanks to all my friends and family for their utmost support and inspiration.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, & this dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It also represents my own views & not essentially the ones associated with university.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION1

Introduction1

Background1

Competitive Advantage2

Innovation3

IT in the Hotel Industry3

Location of Research5

Five Star Luxury Market7

Current Trends in the Hotel Industry8

Rationale of the Study8

Objectives9

Incorporation of Technology in Hotels9

Major Challenges in Tackling Innovation & Technology10

Current Trends in the Hotel Industry12

Objectives of the Study12

Rationale of the Study13

CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW14

Hilton Hotels- An Overview14

Major Technological Advancements in the Hotel Industry17

Incorporation of Latest Innovations & Technology at Hilton Hotels19

Format changes in Small Hotels21

Information Technology22

Usage of Modern Innovations & Technology at Hilton Hotels23

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY26

Research Design26

Research Method26

Participants27

Sample Selected27

Data Analysis Method28

Literature Search29

Keywords29

Validity29

Ethical Consideration31

CHAPTER 4- FINDINGS & ANALYSIS33

Findings33

Descriptive statistics33

Analysis38

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS41

Conclusion41

Recommendations for Future Research45

REFERENCES47

APPENDIX52

Questionnaire52

CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Technological advancements and modern innovation has always played a vital role in the hospitality industry. In this chapter, we would outline the focus of this dissertation. This chapter would include a background on the topic, general practices in the hotel industry with respect to technology and prospects of gaining competitive advantage over Hilton's competitors. It would also include the recent trends and major challenges faced by Hilton hotels. The dissertation would be focusing on the technological changes particularly in the avenues of information technology (Bryman et. al, 2007).

The dissertation would be based on primary research i.e. use of questionnaires. Later in the dissertation, a vast amount of relevant literature on the topic would be discussed and then the findings of the research would be analyzed. The last chapter of the dissertation would comprise of a conclusion on the topic in which important elements would be discussed and recommendations would be based on tackling technological changes at Hilton hotels. Every attempt has been made to justify our research objectives and to ensure that the data and statistics discussed in the dissertation are obtained from authentic sources.

Background

Hilton Hotels & Resorts previously known as Hilton Hotels is one of the top hotel chains in the world. It comprises of many resorts and luxury hotels. Hilton hotels also operate many select service hotels. The franchise was founded by Mr. Conrad Hilton, but it is now owned and operated by Hilton Worldwide (Joseph, 2010, pp. 16). The Hilton hotels are mostly managed and owned by independent operators working under the Hilton Worldwide banner. It is also famous for becoming the first coast-to-coast hotel franchise in the United States in 1943. According to the statistics of 2010, there are more than 530 Hilton branded hotels around the globe in more than 78 countries; covering six ...