nnovation. Front-office functions may be minimized or eliminated. Universal service representatives may tend to virtually every guest need from a single work station. Such events may change the service staffing requirements and rechannel resources to more productive activities, such as better execution of guest requests. These events also hold true for many back-office functions. Through better uses of technology, many hotels can approach elimination of many of the clerical functions presently performed in the back offices of hotels.
Marketing opportunities exist for the development of mid-priced hotels in the Middle East region. The most likely scenario for such development appears to be through franchising by major hotel firms.
ABSTRACT .................................................. ii
1 - INTRODUCTION ..................................... 1
2 - HOTELS: AN INDUSTRY ANALYSIS ..................... 2
Hotel Industry Performance ....................... 2
Hotel Industry Structure ......................... 6
Organizational Behavior in the Hotel Industry .... 7
Theft Prevention in Hotel Environments ........... 14
Environmental Factors Affecting the Industry ..... 21
3 - CHANGE IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY ..................... 25
Communication and Technology ..................... 25
Change Related to Capital ........................ 29
The Changing Environment ......................... 30
Embracing New Concepts in the Hotel Industry ..... 33
4 - HOTEL FRANCHISING IN THE MIDDLE EAST ............. 38
General Considerations for Hotel Franchisers ..... 38
A Model Franchise Operation ...................... 41
Service Concepts ............................. 44
Financial Performance ........................ 46
Analysis of Stock Performance ................ 53
5 - NATIONAL HOTEL MARKETS ........................... 54
Bahrain and Dubai .....