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

ABSTRACT

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Effects of the disasters
• disaster preparedness
• hospitality industry
• hotels’ quality rate
• Tehran

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Notes

1. Based on the index-based approach proposed by Khan et al. (2020) for risk perception

2. They had all the essential materials but not provided the emergency kits and store them in a safe place for a disaster

3. Not a general emergency guidance; a comprehensive one that covers all the information that guests may need in a disaster requiring a crisis management expert to provide it.

4. Safe places in the hotel and safe places – determined by the Tehran municipality- in the zone that the hotel is located

5. Including all the necessary stuff for the disaster time, such as a battery-powered radio, whistle, nonperishable food and water for at least 72 hours (2) such as the stuff used in a disaster not for everyday use (3) kits that are accessible in the time of a disaster.

6. Tehran Hotels Guild & the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism,and Handicrafts

7. Different scenarios, such as occurrence of a disaster at night when the guests are asleep, or the possibility of a electricity cut off or gas leakage during a disaster; or considering other situations