Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet—The state of eTourism research

This paper reviews the published articles on eTourism in the past 20 years. Using a wide variety of sources, mainly in the tourism literature, this paper comprehensively reviews and analyzes prior studies in the context of Internet applications to Tourism. The paper also projects future developments in eTourism and demonstrates critical changes that will influence the tourism industry structure. A major contribution of this paper is its overview of the research and development efforts that have been endeavoured in the field, and the challenges that tourism researchers are, and will be, facing

Homogeneous landscape: The American motel as a cultural indicator

The following research is an exploration of the American chain motel as a cultural indicator. Through the lens of the homogenized chain motel, connections are made between the American consumer and a general awareness of the power of marketing architecture in the United States. The motel\u27s evolution and meaning is further explained in terms of how the consumers\u27 needs are identified, clarified, and satisfied within a commodity driven society. In the past 40 years the market\u27s importance on the hospitality and housing industries have proven to be highly successful, as shown through the purchasing decisions of millions of Americans continuing to favor mass-produced goods and services in the architectural realm. The premise of this thesis resonates within the collective success of the mass-produced hospitality industry and how today\u27s architect must respond positively towards the emerging trends of today\u27s consumer in an effort to continue professional subsistence

Homo Datumicus : correcting the market for identity data

Effective digital identity systems offer great economic and civic potential. However, unlocking this potential requires dealing with social, behavioural, and structural challenges to efficient market formation. We propose that a marketplace for identity data can be more efficiently formed with an infrastructure that provides a more adequate representation of individuals online. This paper therefore introduces the ontological concept of Homo Datumicus: individuals as data subjects transformed by HAT Microservers, with the axiomatic computational capabilities to transact with their own data at scale. Adoption of this paradigm would lower the social risks of identity orientation, enable privacy preserving transactions by default and mitigate the risks of power imbalances in digital identity systems and markets

Greater Space Means More Service: Leveraging the innovative power of architecture and design

Organizational structures certainly are of great importance in order to determine employees’ behaviour and performance. On the other hand, physical structures also significantly influence the way staff and customers view any company and interact with it. In service based activity, such as in retailing, banking, hospitality, and so, firms and institutions are competing thanks to innovations in products/services, delivery processes, and management styles. Innovative approaches may also materialize into the design of facilities. Service providers are in a position to significantly improve convenience, productivity, and attractiveness by designing space and defining appropriate layout carefully. This pattern also has to include identification of the meanings, characterization of size and qualification of the process by which any service facility delivers messages. In the last session of the paper, we address a particular type of service facilities, namely the buildings of institutions for higher education in management. The objective is then to analyze how facilities have evolved in order to cope with the change affecting business education.Service; innovation; architecture; working place; corporate symbols

The Tannhäuser Gate. Architecture in science fiction films of the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century as a component of utopian and dystopian projections of the future.

The Tannhäuser Gate. Architecture in science fiction films of the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century as a component of utopian and dystopian projections of the future. The films of science fiction genre from the second half of the 20th and early 21st century contained many visions of the future, which were at the same time a reflection on the achievements and deficiencies of modern times. In 1960s, cinematographic works were dominated by optimism and faith in the possibility of never-ending progress. The disappearance of political divisions between the blocs of states and the joint exploration of the cosmos was foreseen. The designers undertook cooperation with scientists, which manifested itself in showing cosmic constructions far exceeding the real technical capabilities. Starting from the 1970s, pessimism and the belief that the future will bring, above all, the intensification of negative phenomena of the present began to grow in films. Fears of the future were connected with indicating various possible defects and insoluble contradictions between them. When, therefore, some dystopian visions illustrated the threat of increase in crime, others depicted the future as saturated with state control mechanisms and the prevalence of surveillance. The fears shown on the screens were also aroused by the growth of large corporations, especially by their gaining political influence or staying outside the system of democracy. The authors of the films also presented their suspicions related to the creation of new types of weapons by corporations, the use of which might breach the current legal norms. Particular objections concerned research on biological weapons and the possible spread of lethal viruses. The development of robotics and research into artificial intelligence, which must have resulted in the appearance of androids and inevitable tensions in their relations with humans, also triggered fear. Another problem for film-makers has become hybrids that are a combination of people and electronic parts. Scriptwriters and directors likewise considered the development of genetic engineering, which led to the creation of mutant human beings. A number of film dystopias contemplated the possibility of the collapse of democratic systems and the development of authoritarian regimes in their place, often based on broad public support. This kind of dystopia also includes films presenting the consequences of contemporary hedonism and consumerism. The problem is, however, that works critical of these phenomena were themselves advertisements for attractive products

Price, exclusivity and luxury: Exploring London’s luxury hotels

Luxury is commonly said to be in the eye of the beholder. It typically relies upon the comparison with the given norms, and reflects the consumption patterns of society’s economic elite. Research into the luxury retail industries have grown in popularity over the past two to three decades, with little research being conducted into luxury hotels and variations between them. It is traditionally suggested that three features work with one another; as price increases, levels of exclusivity and luxury also increase. Luxury hotels are said to be built on the same premises. The quality of the tangible and intangible offer is greater than the norm. The aim of this investigation was to critically explore the relationships between the constructs of luxury, price and exclusivity within hotels. Three hotels in the city of London were selected to take part in this small-scale, multi-method investigation, with specific attention being dedicated to each of the three hotels’ top suites. All hotels and rooms were defined as luxurious, and service levels were similar, yet each of the three hotels charged £5 000, £15 000 and £22 000 per night for their top suite. The three hotel suites used in this investigation suggested a negative correlation between the relationship of price and luxury, and a positive relationship between price and exclusivity. These findings suggest that a hotel room that is more expensive does not necessarily mean it is correspondingly more luxurious. Further research is recommended to examine the proposition of the concept called conspicuous pricing (similar to that of prestige pricing) used as a method chosen by hotels within the pricing strategies, as well the possibility of conducting similar research within different geographical locations to compare and contrast the three constructs (luxury, price and exclusivity) under different cultural environments.Keywords: luxury hotels, price, exclusivity, conspicuous consumptio