Tourism

Chapter 1 Introduction.

1.1 Introduction.
Times have changed and as the generations continue to pass numerous things change. There are technological changes, fashion trends change and the tastes and preferences of people continually change. This therefore indicates that the factors that could be considered by the earlier generations when selecting a hotel for business purposes have changed and that is why this paper seeks to determine the key factors that generations X and Y could consider.

1.2 Statement of the problem.
The rapid changes occurring on a daily basis have affected the activities in the business sector and the hotel industry has not been spared.

1.3 Rationale of the study.
This study is aimed at looking at the factors necessary either when one is looking for a hotel to carry out business or a hotel to eat from or for accommodation. The study is therefore important to travelers either on leisure or on business and for businessmen or entrepreneurs seeking to invest in the hotel industry. The study will provide a guideline for the customers since they will know how to establish whether a hotel is fit for them to book in or whether the entrepreneur will do good business if he or she invests in a certain hotel.

1.4 Objectives of the study.
The study is aimed at
Establishing whether there is any change in the hotel industry.
How the changes have impacted on the hotel business.
Are there any foreseeable changes in the near future

1.5 Research questions.
Are there changes that have occurred in the hotel industry in the recent years
How have the changes impacted on the activities of the hotel industry
Are the changes positive or negative
Does the hotel industry have any future
As time passes are there going to be more and new changes
How are customers impacted by these changes
What must the hotels do in order to survive

1.6 Hypothesis.
The factors entrepreneurs used to consider have changed with time.

1.7 Definition of terms.
According to the businessdictionary.com a hotel is any business enterprise providing guest services, meals, drinks and lodgings. For a business to qualify as a hotel it should have at least six bedrooms to let. In addition, the business should also have at least three of the bedrooms with private bathroom facilities.

According to Yourdictionary.com a hotel can be defined as any commercial enterprise with the aim of providing meals and lodging especially to people on transit.

Factors can be defined as something that contributes to the accomplishment of a task. Something that leads to another occurrence. This definition is derived from the free online dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia.

1.8 Assumptions.
The study is restricted to a few number of people who are interview but then their response is used to generalize that it applies too all the people born between early 70s and late 80s.

1.9 Limitations.
Due to the other activities the researcher is expected to attend to during the semester he or she cannot be able to involve a large number of respondents. Secondly, the time is not enough to interview so many respondents.

Chapter 2 Literature review.
Shaw (2010) states that in addition to the price customers consider location, safety and the amenities in the hotel. This means that the X and Y generations should select a hotel which is easily accessible through road, air and if possible water. The hotel should also be near other facilities such as lodgings for the users of the hotel to get additional rooms if they are not enough. With the recent advancements in technology it is also important that the hotel offer internet connection in the rooms. This is because most travelers nowadays carry their laptops or palmtops wherever they are.

Additionally, she states that adequate security measures should be put in place so that the customers feel secure during their stay in the hotel. The reception desk should be manned twenty four hours and no private information should be given to anyone seeking the customers. The guest rooms should not be accessed by intruders who would otherwise cause insecurity. To cater for customers who move around with large sums of money there should be safes located in the guest rooms.

The world has become a global village and any business enterprise should aim at reaching the wider global market. Therefore it will be necessary to consider globalization at this juncture. Globalization has enabled people to travel far and wide and thus anyone starting a business should understand its impacts. It has the following positive impacts There is a larger market since people travel for business and leisure purposes among other reasons. Secondly, the hotels have to use up to date technology in order to satisfy its customers. Globalization also boosts the economy because visitors from all over the world visit various destinations and therefore foreign exchange increases. It also leads to people being exposed to a variety of cultures. It additionally creates more jobs as more visitors visit different countries and employees are required to serve the visitors. It in turn boosts the travel industry in that the travel industry has to grow to cater for the growing numbers of travelers.

Contrary to the positive effects of globalization the following are some of its negative impacts The hotels employ people from different parts of the world. Therefore there are communication problems between the customers and the service providers in the hotels. Secondly there are seasonal jobs which occur during the peak periods when the visitors are so many. Globalization has also led to an increase in crime rate. This issue has also led to cultural erosion in some cases. The youth for example are influenced negatively by the visitors for other countries. They may be recruited into homosexual, drug trafficking and promiscuous behavior.
Globalization is therefore a very important factor that should be considered when starring a hotel business.
Location is another very important consideration that needs to be made. In order for one to choose the best location he or she should consider carefully since the hotels image and where it is situated are linked. To be able to locate your hotel properly one should consider the following factors ( HYPERLINK httpwww.allbusiness.comoperationsfacilities-real-estate-office-leasing11153-1.html httpwww.allbusiness.comoperationsfacilities-real-estate-office-leasing11153-1.html)

You should seek to understand your target market. Will they be using cars, what are there favorite dishes according to their cultures This enable you to ensure that you have enough parking space and what dishes to prepare. Secondly, one should also visit other hotels in the area in order to get some information about the venture before going into it. One should also know the business well. Additionally it is important to establish how many hotels are in neighborhood in order to know whether your business will get customers. This information is important since it helps one to modify or repackage his services and goods in a more appealing manner in order to have a competitive edge over the other hotels in the area.

It is also necessary to consider the building in which one is to start the hotel. The roofs should not be leaking nor the walls cracked. The building should also have electricity installed as this is important in a hotel. Some gadgets such as the microwaves require it and the travelers who reside in the hotel also use it.

It is important to consider the cost of the hotel in relation to other factors such as the accessibility of the hotel by the customers and if the internet can be connected. Though a good location is expensive to lease or buy it pays off in the long run. This is because the business does well and the income increases with time.

When starting a business the entrepreneur should consider the four Ps which are place, product, promotion and price. Place in this case means distribution which is where the customers gets the products and services. Product could be goods or services as in this case. Promotion mainly deals with the ways or measures put in place to ensure that the goods and services are known by many customers in a bid to increase sales. Finally, price is the value attached to goods or services.

He continues to state that the location of the hotel or any other enterprise is of paramount importance. One should consider the state she wants to invest in since taxes such as the sales and income vary according to states. The part of town or city also influences the availability of labor, government incentives and rent cost among others. He also emphasizes the fact that a hotel should be located in a place where it can be easily accessible and has enough parking spaces.

Dev (2002), states that when starting a hotel one should consider the future prospects of the business. The world has become a global village due to the technological advancements and as a result the business should have prospects of going international. Dev states that there are two ways trough which it can do so. Hotel companies could go international through the use of contracts or franchising.

Additionally an entrepreneur should consider the availability of the transport infrastructure such as roads and airports. These are important since most customers coming to the hotel travel by those means of transport. On the same note the entrepreneur should consider setting up the hotel in a place where there is electricity and network connectivity is possible. It is of paramount importance to ensure that there are cabs or taxis for hire in the nearby area to be used by customers who do not have their own vehicles.

Jennings (2001) notes that the hospitality industry has grown considerably and for the visitors to be satisfied with the services they arte offered the entrepreneurs must consider the location, facilities available in the hotels and their service quality as well.

Chapter 3Research methodology.

3.1 Research design.
A randomized design will be used since not all the respondents available in the age bracket will be questioned. It will be used because Trochim (2006) advocates its use especially in studies where cause and effect relationships are being considered. The study at hand is such a one and hence it is needed.

3.2 Independent and dependent variables.
 According to Saunder (2003) an independent variable is one that stands on its own and is not altered by the other values. On the other hand a dependent variable is one that depends on other things and is affected by their changes.

Hiray (2008) further elaborates that an independent variable can also be said to be the item that is manipulated during an experiment. It is the presumed cause. On the contrary the dependent variable is the response gotten from the experiment or the presumed effect.

3.3 Sampling.
According to Trochim (2006) sampling is the process of selecting a few units from a larger group which in this case is known as a population for the purpose of conducting a study. The results gotten from the study of the sample are then generalized to the whole population. The sample for this study should be anybody born in the period of early 70s and late 80s. Black (2004) also defines sampling as a process of extracting a few units from a population for the purpose of research. In this study the population is all the people born from early 70s to late 80s. However all these cannot be respondents in this research and as a result a few people in the age bracket in an area close to the researcher will be interviewed. The results gotten from the research will be generalized to the whole population.

3.4 Data Collection procedures.
Data for this study will be collected using personal interviews. The personal interviews will be used to collect data from the respondents near to the researcher.

Questionnaires will also be used which will be given to the respondents who will answer the questions and the researcher will collect them later. The questions will be open ended to allow the respondents give more information.

3.5 Data analysis.
 Bordens (2002) defines data analysis as the process of inspecting modeling and transforming data with an aim of getting useful information which could be used by organizations and governments for the purposes of decision making.