How Does the Hotel Quality Rate Influence the Preparedness against the Effects of Disasters?

• Published in: Journal of quality assurance in hospitality & tourism 2021-09, Vol.22 (5), p.591-613
• Main Authors: Badri, Seyed Ali, Kazemi, Nasrin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: disaster preparedness; Disasters; Effects of the disasters; Emergency preparedness; hospitality industry; Hotels & motels; hotels' quality rate; Tehran
• ISSN: 1528-008X; 1528-0098
• DOI: 10.1080/1528008X.2020.1818357

Heretofore, hotels have experienced different disasters in various places; and the effects have proven the vulnerability of the hospitality industry and the importance of disaster preparedness. Although studies in the field of hotels and disasters have shown the ill-preparedness to the extent that the hoteliers were shocked by the disasters, none of them have considered a framework to measure the disaster preparedness, and the differences in this industry. Therefore, an index-based approach was proposed by a systematic review on the disasters' effects on the hotels to measure the disaster preparedness. Findings obtained from the hotels located in Tehran suggested that the preparedness measures among the star hotels can be classified into three classes; measures taken by all the hotels, measures refused by all the hotels, and measures that are different among them. Results confirmed a correlation between the hotels' preparedness and their quality rate. In this regard, financial resources, human resources, management approaches, hotels' facilities, and structure were among the main reasons for the differences existing between the hotels. The lack of crisis management knowledge, risk perception, and priority for preparedness against the disasters were determined as the factors that must be considered in the disaster plans for hotels.