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The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of demographic factors (age, gender, education, income) on consumer attitudes and their intentions to use radio frequency identification (RFID) in the hotel industry.

Quantitative research methodology was used in this study. The methods used for this study are both descriptive and causal modeling tests. This research study used web‐survey method for collecting and analyzing data. The measurement model was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis using the maximum likelihood method and structural equation modeling was used to estimate the parameters of the structural model.

The results indicate that there are few differences in consumer attitudes and intentions in terms of the demographic factors. It can be concluded that consumer differences can be associated with consumer attitudes that are determined by age. The results for demographic factors, gender, income, and education levels indicate no difference in the attitudes and intentions of consumers to use RFIDs.

Considering the fact that “trendy and hip” hotels are emerging in the industry, it is vital to understand the perceptions of Gen Y and Gen Z on specific RFIDs. A future research to study the influence of consumer demographics on security and privacy concerns is highly recommended in the hotel industry. The study may not have the complete list of population members who are frequent travelers in the US hotel industry.

Older consumer may consider themselves too old, less innovative, and having low cognitive capabilities to use RFIDs. Hotel organizations may provide familiar RFIDs to young consumers. The costs of RFID technologies are diminishing and hotels can offer RFIDs that enhances user benefits and experience. On the other side, hotels can use RFIDs to improve efficiency and employee performance.

This study provided significant insights by empirically investigating consumer differences and its influence on attitudes and intentions to use RFIDs. The results of this study fill the gaps in understanding consumer behavior to use RFIDs in the hotel industry. In addition, exploring consumer attitudes and intentions to use RFIDs could facilitate hotel organizations to make right investment decisions on RFIDs.

Sustainable tourism demands a positivistic and holistic look at the true costs and benefits of the industry to host communities. To aid leaders in starting the process, the article proposes a tourism options navigation model looking at varying number of visitors, their average daily spend and leakages, on the socio‐economic, cultural and environmental landscape of island communities. The article aims to identify various tourism options, their expected effects and potential strategies to mitigating negative outcomes and to later apply the model to the case of the rural parish of St Thomas, Jamaica.

To achieve the objectives outlined a comprehensive review of related literature was conducted. The researcher interviewed six of Jamaica's national tourism leaders and analyzed their responses.

It was posited that by employing strategies that impact the number of visitors to the area, their average daily spend and industry‐related economic import leakages, leaders can control the economic, social, cultural and environmental effects of tourism on communities but the process must begin with a clear articulation of the desired effects.

The model could be a useful decision‐making tool for leaders considering tourism as a developmental option or in analyzing the current state of their communities' tourism industry. It could also form the basis for a more objective look at tourism success by researchers.

The model is unique as it provides a single comprehensive look at the causes and effects of tourism and possible ways forward.

Today’s successful restaurant manager needs to possess a diversity of talents, abilities, and skills. Presents profiles of successful managerial recruits for quick service, midscale and upscale restaurants in the US. Factor analysis was used to reduce the number of attributes and traits that were identified for being a successful manager in the restaurant industry. Seventy‐two success attributes and traits were reduced to 12 identifiable components. The components’ relationships with the demographic factors were then studied using Chi‐square tests. Profiles for being a successful manager in quick service, midscale and upscale restaurants were developed.

Many lodging operators in the USA might intuitively, or through long experience, be aware of the more important socio‐demographic market segments of their business. This research quantifies the significance and the contribution of such market segments to aggregate lodging demand in the USA. Finds that age distribution, income distribution, occupation and gender are the most significant socio‐demographic factors that have an effect on lodging demand. The aggregate lodging demand contribution of specific market segments obtained by combining the above factors pairwise, i.e. age and income, age and occupation, etc. is also discussed in the study.

The goal of this study is to identify behaviors linked to hotel managers who report a high degree of work‐related learning. To achieve this the researchers seeks to determine whether the extent to which managers were intrinsically motivated to learn, their perceived risk‐taking abilities, their attitudes towards learning and their attitudes towards the hospitality industry could determine their level of individual work‐related learning.

The study was conducted on the island of Jamaica. The survey was completed by 154 hotel managers and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data.

Of the four behaviors examined, two predicted the hotel managers' individual work‐related learning levels, i.e. their perceived risk‐taking abilities, and their attitudes towards learning. Managers who reported high work‐related learning levels also reported high risk‐taking abilities and more positive attitudes towards learning. The extent to which they were intrinsically motivated to learn and their attitudes towards the hospitality industry were not significant determinants of their work‐related learning levels.

The exercise had a number of limitations and these should be taken into consideration when reviewing the findings.

The study therefore pointed to two behaviors linked to intense individual learning amongst managers in hotels. Hotel managers wishing to display high levels of work‐related learning should therefore determine the extent to which they possess the behaviors connected and make the adjustments necessary.

The study was one of a small number which examined objectively individual learning in hospitality business.

The internet has significantly changed the ways hotels distribute and price their products. The imminent success of online intermediaries caused financial problems for hotel chains since online travel agencies offered better prices than the hotel brand websites. The existing literature on hotel online distribution has focused on pricing strategies and room availability issues for different segments of hotels. This paper, however, aims to compare online room prices of global hotel chains across online distribution channels and their own brand websites.

By using only the internet, 2,800 room rates were collected and analyzed. Descriptive statistics such as means and percentage were used to answer the research questions. Personal interviews with a CEO of an e‐business company and an area revenue director of a global hotel chain were conducted to confirm our findings and to gain additional insights in the related issues.

Descriptive statistics indicated that US properties are doing a much better job than their international partners in regards to “best rate guarantee,” “rate parity,” and room availability across online channels. Rate consistency still remains a problem within US properties.

A limitation of this study is the use of convenience sampling methods, sample size, and currency conversion instruments.

Findings of this study would benefit revenue managers, general managers, hotel owners, and corporate brand managers to make decisions and to formulate new policies concerning their online distribution, revenue, and brand optimization strategies.

The purpose of this study is to determine the value a convention center provides its customers, the brand the center offers, and the importance of the customer/business relationship. Value, brand, and relationship equity (RE) are components of customer equity (CE).

Interviews were conducted with meeting planners related to their experiences with top‐tier convention centers in the USA.

Meeting planners confirmed value equity (VE) as the most important in the customer to business exchange. RE followed with brand equity (BE) as the least important of the three. Meeting planners identified the sub‐drivers of VE as location, quality and price received from the convention center. BE sub‐drivers included: reputation and the awareness of the convention center. RE sub‐drivers included: the interactions, responsiveness, and special treatment received from the convention center personnel. A CE model is presented.

The application of the CE model to the convention center's strategic planning process can provide a roadmap for increasing CE across value, brand and relationship activities.

This is the first study to identify the drivers and sub‐drivers of CE in the convention industry.