Publications

April 1995 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Choice Hotels International, 1995

By: Tarun Khanna and Israel Yellen Ganot

Illustrates the various ways in which Choice Hotels, the franchiser for seven mid-market hotel chains, can realize economies of scope across its multiple products. Also provides an opportunity to discuss the benefits and limitations of various organizational forms... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Competition; Franchise Ownership; Accommodations Industry; United States

September 2002 (Revised May 2008)
Case

The Arts Property and Hotel

By: Arthur I Segel and Ani M Vartanian

Julio Martinez finds himself as one of the owners of the Arts Hotel Project in Barcelona, Spain. The 455-room hotel is managed by the Ritz Carlton and is in a 44-story tower along Barcelona's beachfront. Julio needs to figure out a strategy to maximize his investment,... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Agreements and Arrangements; Property; Strategy; Accommodations Industry; Accommodations Industry; Barcelona

February 2011
Case

Barceló Hotels and Resorts (A)

By: John T. Gourville and Marco Bertini

Barcelo Hotels and Resorts must decide whether to allow its many hotels to continue to undertake separate promotional campaigns or to run, for the first time, a broad corporate-level promotion. Complicating the decision is the fact that the many hotels in its portfolio... View Details

Keywords: Brand Management; Sales Promotions; Brands and Branding; Price; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Accommodations Industry

January 2008 (Revised April 2008)
Teaching Note

Orient-Express Hotels (TN)

By: Frances X. Frei

Teaching Note for [603024]. View Details

Keywords: Accommodations Industry

2012
Working Paper

An Exploration of Luxury Hotels in Tanzania

By: Diego A. Comin

Tourism is a tradable service activity that could allow some African countries to generate significant growth. Tanzania, given its unique natural assets, is an ideal candidate. However, despite being so richly endowed in touristic resources, Tanzania receives very few... View Details

Keywords: Natural Environment; Business Ventures; Luxury; Revenue; Price; Developing Countries and Economies; Accommodations Industry; Accommodations Industry; Tanzania

September 2006
Teaching Note

Taj Hotel Group (TN)

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Jaan Margus Elias and Terence Heymann

Keywords: Accommodations Industry

September 1992 (Revised March 1994)
Case

Warsaw Marriott: New Competition for Warsaw's Marriott Hotel

A very successful luxury hotel in Warsaw, Poland is faced with its first serious competition as new luxury hotels enter the Warsaw market. The case raises the general issue of how to sustain a competitive advantage in an international service business. A variety of... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Globalized Markets and Industries; Accommodations Industry; Poland

May 2010 (Revised September 2023)
Case

Qingdao Sea View Garden Hotel

By: Robert G. Eccles, Das Narayandas and Cheng-Hua Tzeng

Keywords: Travel Industry; Travel Industry; China

June 2000
Case

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Four Seasons has a love/hate relationship with technology, including the best Web site in the industry. This case examines how a leading service delivers high-tech/high-touch, and looks at its progressive human resource strategy. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Service Operations; Accommodations Industry

January 2002
Teaching Note

Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, The TN

By: Sandra J. Sucher

Teaching Note for (9-601-163). View Details

Keywords: Accommodations Industry; Accommodations Industry

May 2007
Case

Westin Hotels and Resorts: Operations of a Lifestyle Experience

By: Frances X. Frei, Chekitan S. Dev and Laure Mougeot Stroock

Westin Hotels and Resorts adopted a new "lifestyle" brand strategy which provided guests with a new service experience. The dilemma Westin faced was how to operationally build a brand that delivered consistent service on intangible values. View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Service Operations; Value Creation; Tourism Industry

28 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

How Racial Bias Taints Customer Service: Evidence from 6,000 Hotels

Hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in the service industry often thrive or die depending on whether they provide exemplary customer service, but new research shows that the color of a customer’s skin can determine whether the... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

January 1998 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Fitzpatrick Hotel Group (B-2): Paddy Fitzpatrick

By: Paul A. Gompers and Catherine M. Conneely

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Perspective; Financing and Loans; Accommodations Industry; Republic of Ireland

Find at Harvard

October 2014 (Revised August 2018)
Case

Caesars Entertainment

By: Janice H. Hammond and Aldo Sesia

This case describes the introduction of a regression analysis model for forecasting guest arrivals to Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company will use the forecast to staff the front desk in the hotel. The staff is unionized and the company has little... View Details

Keywords: Forecasting; Staffing; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Hotel Industry; Decision Making; Forecasting and Prediction; Human Resources; Selection and Staffing; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Operations; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Accommodations Industry; Accommodations Industry; Accommodations Industry; Accommodations Industry; Las Vegas