Contemporary issues in the hospitality industry

Introduction

The hospitality industry is one of the major players in economies around the world in terms of contribution to the GDP and creation of employment opportunities (Pragle, Harding and Mack, 2007). It also functions hand in hand with the tourism industry whose influence across the globe has been on a steady increase. The hospitality industry is affected by various issues that shape customers’ expectations of the industry players. For instance, in the contemporary times, consumers are more knowledgeable and more demanding than at any point in history (Hemmington, 2007). They seek to enjoy unique experiences while in the hotels with comfort being central to their needs.

Enjoyment of high levels of comfort requires that customers be assured of the quality of food being served. Customers look out for hygiene standards in hotels and restaurants with a view to forming opinions on whether such facilities could be trusted to provide safe food (Chow and Alonso, 2010). Governments on the other hand have been keen to come up with food safety policies that provide guidelines on practices to be considered in food handling. With rising terrorism threats mainly targeting recreational and hospitality facilities, hotels are increasingly under pressure to ensure that visitors are not under threat of attack (Goh and Law, 2007). Security concerns can also be extended to prevention of petty crimes such as the stealing of customers’ possessions. For instance, the smoking ban that is in force in many countries and this has forced hotels to disallow smoking within their premises (Schmidt, 2007). Where the ban is not total, smoking is restricted to designated areas with hotels having to invest in equipment that cleans the air of smoke.

This paper discusses contemporary issues affecting the hospitality industry. The issues highlighted are food safety, security and the smoking ban. Possible solutions to arising problems in relation to the issues highlighted have also been outlined.  

Contemporary issues in the hospitality industry

Food safety is one of many customers look out for in hotels. In most cases, customers will presume that the food being served to them is safe unless they have concerns about the levels of hygiene in the hotels and leisure centres. Statistics indicate that food related ailments such as travellers’ diarrhoea affect a significant proportion of tourists with 2000 statistics indicating that in Mexico alone, 25% of visitors were affected (Aksoydan, 2007). Concerns over the likelihood of more food related outbreaks have been heightened by the changing climatic conditions that have seen weather conditions shift from extreme to extreme in the last few years. Such changes create ground for the thriving of new strains of pathogens. There have been concerted efforts at the industry level to come up with acceptable guidelines on the handling of food.

Hospitality industries around the world develop industry standards with an aim of ensuring that there is confidence in such industries. Governments have also taken the lead role in many countries in order to regulate food handling procedures with an aim to secure the health of its citizens and visitors (Aksoydan, 2007). These government interventions include the conduct of regular inspections to guarantee compliance. In the US state of Florida, hotels and restaurants are inspected twice a year (Chow and Alonso, 2010). This procedure is similar in most countries around the world with health officials inspecting hospitality facilities at least once a year. The city of Sacramento inspects eateries twice a year. Among the issues regulated by policy are the qualifications of the nutritionists in various hotels, procedure for introduction of new recipes and ingredients, the testing of the food before consumption and procedures to be followed upon detection of any anomalies in the food on offer among others (Adams, 1995).

Players in the hospitality industries across the world have also been able to come up with early detection systems that enable them identify any outbreaks that could affect their entire supply chains as far as food safety is concerned. There have been debates in support and against routine inspections of eateries and hotels. The outbreak of food borne diseases in Los Angeles and California in 1992 was as a result of an inspection conducted by US health officials (Chow and Alonso, 2010). Similar cases have been cited around the world with health officials being able to pre-empt the occurrence of an outbreak. However, critics argue that hygiene is maintained by hotels and restaurants out of need for survival in the market. They back their arguments by citing various studies that have revealed that the outbreak of food-related illnesses has been relatively equal across the board irrespective of the frequency of inspection in some hotels (Almanza and Nesmith, 2004). This brings to the fore the question of consumer perceptions and food safety.

Like any other business entities, hotels and other industry players are bound to live up to customer expectations in order to attract and retail customers. Some of these expectations relate to hygiene. Customers presume the safety of the meals provided to them for as long as they are satisfied with the levels of hygiene maintained (Adams and Morrell, 1999). The knowledge of this fact has hotels coming up with various measures aimed at assuring customers that the highest standards are in place in hotels. For instance, some hotels have sought to alter their kitchen designs to allow customers to have a look at the manner in which their meals are prepared (Chow and Alonso, 2010). The provision of open kitchens works in two ways: it provides assurance to customers that their food is being prepared under high hygiene standards and it also provides the motivation for employees to maintain cleanliness standards at all stages of their work. These food safety concerns have therefore in a way presented industry players with a way to gain a competitive edge in the market. For instance, the designing of open kitchens is becoming a common practice among premium hotels in the USA (Chow and Alonso, 2010). The Japanese sushi chefs have also been able to create an edge in the market with the dish’s popularity seen to grow even among non Japanese customers (Knowles and Hartwell, 2002).

The smoking ban is an issue that has seen hospitality industry get pensive. The road to the smoking ban has been long and incremental as public opinions changed from adoring smoking habits, to suspicion, conditional acceptance, and ultimately to complete rejection (Dearlove, Bialous and Glantz, 2002).  Debate on smoking was sparked off when it became apparent that cases of lung conditions were prevalent among heavy smokers. Subsequent researches would later establish a connection between smoking and health problems such as lung cancer and others. With increased efforts from lobbyists, it became possible to raise public awareness on the dangers of smoking and the importance of moderating or avoiding it (McNabb and Hearns, 2005). Subsequent attention would be turned towards the protection of the passive smokers. It was established that those near smokers would inhale the harmful smoke and therefore be just as exposed as the actual smokers. Vested interests in the tobacco industries around the world would step in to suppress debate with the industry seeking to control the rate and design of the smoking bans. Some of the earlier regulations on smoking related to the maintenance of smoke free air indoors and later followed by progressive legislations to culminate in the total smoking ban that is currently in force in many countries around the world (Nagelhout, Willemsen and Vries, 2010).

The smoking ban was imposed on the premise that smoking affects both the smokers and non smokers. This ban affects all public places and entertainment joints, eateries, hotels and others (Nagelhout, Willemsen and Vries, 2010). It puts the hospitality industry at the centre of the ban. As a result, industry players are forced to effect anti smoking measures in their premises. This introduces a new dilemma to hotel owners: the tradeoffs between customer retention and compliance (Tomlin, 2009). Smoking is a habit cherished by many smokers and they would therefore want to relax in spots where they can smoke. Disallowing smoke is therefore seen as a way of chasing these customers from the hotels. On the other hand, the price of non compliance is high for those apprehended with fines running into thousands of dollars per offense. The hospitality industry had in the yester years sought to avoid the total ban by taking advantage of legal loopholes to set up smoking zones (Tomlin, 2009). This was done with an aim to accommodate the smoking clients. However, concerns over employee health had such measures discarded and industry players are almost unanimous in their resolve to enforce the smoking ban.

Several surveys have been conducted in hospitality industries across the world to establish the economic impact of the smoking ban. Findings have in the most part showed that there is minimal or no negative effect with many of the smokers either quitting the habit or coming into terms with the fact that they cannot enjoy the luxury within hotel and motel premises (Schmidt, 2007). In fact, some surveys have stated that the ban may actually have worked out in favour of the hospitality industry. In a survey on the Canadian hospitality industry, it was noted that many non smokers that had avoided certain leisure joints due to their displeasure with the smoking customers began visiting such joints after the smoking ban was implemented (Nagelhout, Willemsen and Vries, 2010). Similar studies were conducted on the US hospitality industry and revealed that there was little or no negative economic impact on the industry players (Nagelhout, Willemsen and Vries, 2010). In fact, it was noted that the ban helped portray the hotels and other leisure joints as safe and suitable for use by health conscious customers.

Security in the hospitality industry is very crucial. Recent years have seen threat of terrorism in the hospitality industry increase (Hemmington, 2007). Hotels have for the most part been forced to come up with measures to heighten security and protect their visitors. Frisking for persons accessing the entertainment joint premises is becoming common with surveillance cameras being set up to allow for the viewing of almost all areas in the premises. Cooperation between hotel security teams and national intelligence systems has become imperative in the recent past. There is also need to increase the presence of security officers in order to ensure that visitors and their belongings are secured (Hemmington, 2007). However, these measures must be taken in moderation. Visitors of hotels and recreation facilities are persons with an intention to relax and have a good time (Hemmington, 2007). They tend to be uneasy when there are security personnel all around them watching their every move. Hotels with an unusually large number of security guards have not been found to inspire more confidence than their counterparts and this is an indication that such a measure could be fruitless or even counterproductive. Developments in technology and communication systems provide a befitting solution to this dilemma: the practice of surveillance using invisible agents.

Many recreation centres, hotels, restaurants and other players in the hospitality industry have embraced the surveillance camera technology to help in enhancing security (Goh and Law, 2007). These cameras would normally be located strategically within the premises and are useful instruments in conducting surveillance without making guests uncomfortable. With modern technology, it is possible for less visible cameras with amazing resolution capacities to be installed. The surveillance systems however bring forth some dilemma with considerations of privacy taking centre stage (Goh and Law, 2007). This is especially so where surveillance is done within rooms in which the guests are accommodated. Hotels have in many cases been forced to offer an assurance to their customers that information collected by such cameras is to remain confidential and therefore not expose them to unnecessary public scrutiny.

Security considerations also extend to emerging trends in the market with online reservation and transactions becoming more prevalent by the day (Hemmington, 2007). With the establishment of infrastructure to facilitate online transactions, more and more customers are opting to capitalise on the convenience offered and make their payments from the comfort of their homes. Increased sophistication also helps enable these industry players to come up with systems that minimise the risk of cyber crime (Goh and Law, 2007). Customers need the assurance that the information they submit to hotels and other industry players will be safe and will not be hacked into and used to steal money from them. Web security also refers to the maintenance of a strict policy of confidentiality. Information shared by customers should remain strictly confidential and should not be released unless through the channels outlined by law.

As is the case with food security, security in the hospitality industry is assured and used as a means of attracting and retaining customers. Under normal circumstances, a customer who losses their possessions while at a given premise is likely to shun the place in future (Groenboom and Jones, 2003). Customers need the assurance that their possessions will not be snatched away as soon as they turn their backs on them. Even more critical is the security in rooms where the industry player offers accommodation. A customer would be petrified to even suspect that their lodges could be invaded while they’re asleep. Similar concerns apply to the security of their credit card information for those that opt to transact online.

Conclusion

Food safety, security and the smoking ban are among the contemporary issues affecting the hospitality industries. Concerns over food safety arise when it is considered that many food borne illnesses tend to stem from the hospitality industry. Governments around the world have been at the forefront in effecting food safety policies which include the provision of guidelines on food handling practices and the establishment of standards as far as hygiene is concerned. Hotels are therefore hard-pressed to comply with these regulatory requirements. Many hotels around the world have also been keen to capitalise on the desire of customers to receive assurance on the safety of their food by making it easy for them to view how their food is prepared. Hotels are increasingly embracing the open kitchen design in order to allow customers to watch the food preparation processes and provide them with the assurance they seek.

The smoking ban has been an issue was introduced incrementally with the initial stages only emphasising the maintenance of smoke-free atmosphere indoors. Subsequent push by lobbyists around the world would later yield fruits despite stiff opposition by the tobacco industry. Compliance placed the industry at the risk of losing some of their customers. However, surveys indicate that the economic impact of the ban was minimal with some industry players actually reaping considerable benefits. Security issues on the other hand arise from the growing threat to terrorism; the growing preference by customers to minimal disturbance and privacy; and the security of online transactions. Security is a big issue in the industry with cases of insecurity being known to drive away customers. Paying keen attention to these issues could make the difference between a successful and a failing industry player.

References

Adams, A., 1995. Food safety: the final solution for the hotel and catering industry? British Food Journal, 97(4), pp. 19-23

Adams, A., Morrell, S., 1999. Food safety enforcement and the hospitality industry. Nutrition and Food Science. 99(1), pp. 37-41

Aksoydan, E., 2007. Hygiene factors influencing customers’ choice of dining-out units. Journal of Food Safety, 27, pp. 300-316

Almanza, B.A., Nesmith, M.S., 2004. Food safety certification regulations in the United States. Journal of Environmental Health, 66(9), pp. 10-14

Chow, A.J., Alonso, A.D., 2010. Exploring open kitchens impact on cleanliness perceptions. Journal of Retail and Leisure Property, 9, pp. 93-104

Dearlove, J.V., Bialous, S.A., Glantz, S.A., 2002. Tobacco industry manipulation of the hospitality industry to maintain smoking in public places, Tobacco Control, 11, pp. 94-104

Goh, C.L., Law, R., 2007. Applying the cloak of invisibility technology to security and privacy in the hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 19(7), 600-605

Groenenboom, K., Jones, P., 2003. Issues of security in hotels. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 15(1), pp. 14-19

Hemmington, N., 2007. From service to experience: understanding and defining the hospitality business. The Service Industries Journal, 27(6), pp. 1-19

Knowles, T., Hartwell, H.., 2002. Food safety in the hospitality industry. Food Service Technology, 2(3), pp. 151-152

McNabb, J., Hearns, N., 2005. The smoking ban in hospitality: a cross-border perspective from Ireland.  International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 17(2), pp. 181-190

Nagelhout, G.E., Willemsen, M.C., Vries, H., 2010. The population impact of smoke-free workplace and hospitality industry legislation on smoking behaviour. Findings from a national population survey. Addiction. 106(4), pp. 816-823

Pragle, A., Harding, A., Mack, J., 2007. Food workers’ perspectives on hand-washing behaviours and barriers in the restaurant environment. Journal of Environmental Health, 69(10), pp. 27-32

Schmidt, C.W., 2007. A change in the air: smoking bans gain momentum worldwide. Environmental Health Perspectives. 115(8), pp. 412-415

Tomlin, J.T., 2009. The impact of Smoking bans on the Hospitality Industry: New Evidence from Stock Market Returns, The B.E Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, 9(1)