The Impact of LGBT Friendliness on Sexual Minority Travelers Perceptions

There is a rise in niche travel for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. However, few studies have investigated how the hotel industry can best appeal to these customers. At UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Dr. Heejung Ro has undertaken the first study focusing on how LGBT friendliness and the attitudes of service employees may impact upon LGBT customers\u27 perceptions and future intentions. While the findings revealed these two factors are regarded independently, it is important that hotels signal LGBT friendliness, as well as ensuring these travelers are treated respectfully

Mind the Service Gap: LGBT+ Customers\u27 Hospitality Experience

Hospitality managers could be missing out by not paying enough attention to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LBGT+) guests. New research by Associate Professor Heejung Ro, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, looks at this growing and valuable customer segment, and studies how sexual minority guests perceive they are welcomed by hospitality staff. In one of the first studies of its kind, Dr. Ro finds that delivering the right service experience is about more than just flying the rainbow flag

An Empirical Study Of Hospitality Management Student Attitudes Toward Group Projects: Instructional Factors And Team Problems

The development of positive attitudes in team-based work is important in management education. This study investigates hospitality students’ attitudes toward group projects by examining instructional factors and team problems. Specifically, we examine how the students’ perceptions of project appropriateness, instructors’ support, and evaluation fairness influence their attitudes toward group projects. Also the effect of students’ team problems on their attitudes toward group projects is examined. This study has highlighted the criticality of the instructor’s role in group project management for achieving a high level of positive attitudes toward group projects among the hospitality management students

Are students Real People ? The Use of Student Subjects in Hospitality Research

The objective of this study is to examine the service failure evaluations by sample group and failure type. Specifically, we examine three sample groups (hospitality major students, other major students, and non-students) in two service failure types (outcome and process). Understanding a possible systematic bias in the sample groups with a moderating factor (failure type) can provide useful insights for researchers to use student subjects in research and evaluate research findings more cautiously . Since the proportion of the total population is unknown, quota samples (100 for each group) of 300 respondents were collected for the comparison analysis. During this research, experimental study was designed using quasi-experimental design. This study can address some issues relating to the use of student samples in hospitality research. The findings can reveal patterns of service failure evaluation by different sample groups and they can guide researchers with possible systematic bias insights in conducting future research and evaluating previous research findings with hospitality student subjects

Customer Dissatisfaction Responses to Restaurant Service Failures: Insights Into Noncomplainers From a Relational Perspective

This research investigates the reasons for noncomplaining and compares the return intentions of complainers and noncomplainers after a service failure in the restaurant context. Particularly, this research focuses on differentiating the two types of dissatisfaction responses from noncomplainers: loyalty and neglect. A survey of 171 respondents (81 complainers and 90 noncomplainers) is analyzed. Regarding the reasons for noncomplaining, four dimensions are identified and two dimensions (compassionate trust and lack of responsiveness) provide evidence for distinguishing loyalty from neglect. The loyalty customers show higher compassionate trust for and higher perception of responsiveness from the company than neglect customers. Customers’ return intentions are examined via two types of complainers (recovery satisfied and recovery dissatisfied) and two types of noncomplainers (loyalty and neglect). The findings suggest that loyalty customers have higher return intentions than neglect customers and their return intentions are as high as those of complainers who received satisfactory service recoveries

Complaint, Patience, and Neglect: Responses to a Dissatisfying Service Experience

This study examines the responses of complainers and non-complainers after a service failure in the auto repair and medical service contexts. In particular, this study focuses on differentiating the two types of dissatisfaction responses of non-complainers, patience and neglect, from complaint. The results, based on a survey of 230 respondents, indicate that attitudes toward complaining and emotional bonding differentiate neglect from complaint, and the criticality of the service failure differentiates patience from complaint. The findings suggest that patience customers have higher return intentions than neglect customers, and as high as those of complainers with satisfying service recoverie

Sexual Orientation Identity Matters: Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-sexual Customers\u27 Perceptions of Service Encounters

This research focuses on Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-sexual (LGB) customers\u27 perceptions of hospitality service encounters in regard to sexual orientation identity. A survey is developed and 177 participants are recruited from a large LGBT event in the Unites States. The MANCOVA results show that LGB customers who are more open about their sexual orientation indicate a higher importance in being acknowledged for their sexual orientation by service employees, believe that service employees are aware of their sexual orientation, and are more likely to reveal their sexual orientation when service employees misidentify them as heterosexual, compared to those who are less open about their sexual orientation. This research contributes to hospitality research by providing a better understanding of LGB customers\u27 perceptions of hospitality service encounters from a sexual orientation identity perspective. This research also guides hospitality practitioners to increase sensitivity in catering for sexual minority customers through effective communication and training

Student Team Project: Gender Differences in Team Project Experience and Attitudes Toward Team-Based Work

The development of favorable behaviors and attitudes in team-based work is crucial in hospitality and tourism education. In this article, the authors examine the gender difference in team project experience and attitudes toward team-based work among students majoring in hospitality management. Female students have attitudes toward team-based work that are more negative than male students. Also, gender is a significant moderator in that female students\u27 perception of a group\u27s teamwork, in comparison with that of male students, is more significant in predicting student attitudes. Implications of these findings for hospitality and tourism educators are discussed

Richmond, Virginia is Out: A DMO Case Study of LGBT Marketing

This case study illustrates how Richmond Region Tourism in Virginia positioned the destination as Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) friendly. After initial success with the campaign, Richmond Region Tourism faces the challenge of deciding what is next. The study takes the students through the segmentation challenge facing a destination marketing organization after success with an initial campaign to develop refined marketing strategies for maintaining LGBT tourists. Utilizing LGBT tourism literature and current LGBT marketing trends, this case study explores the opportunities and challenges in creating a LGBT marketing campaign