Summary of doctoral thesis in economics: Research on customer loyalty in Hanoi hotel industry

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The studies on customer loyalty presented different views and definitions of customer loyalty from different fields such as tourism; online shopping; homestay service or convenient shops system at the same time, these studies also show factors affecting loyalty such as service quality; satisfaction; tourist experience; switching costs,… However, most studies have not mentioned customer loyalty in the business performance of enterprises.

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Nội dung Text: Summary of doctoral thesis in economics: Research on customer loyalty in Hanoi hotel industry

MINISTRY OF EDUATION AND TRAINING THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY NGUYEN MINH TUAN RESEARCH ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN HANOI HOTEL INDUSTRY MAJOR: Business administration CODE: 934.01.01 Summary of doctoral thesis in economics
Hanoi, 2021
The work was completed at Thuongmai University Supervisor: Dr. Luc Thi Thu Huong Dr. Nguyen Thi Tu Reviewer 1:……………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………….. Reviewer 2:……………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………….. Reviewer 3:……………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………….. The thesis will be defended before School level thesis evaluation council meeting at Thuongmai University. At……. hour …… date ………. month………. year …………. The thesis can be found at: National Library of Vietnam Library of Thuongmai University
1 INTRODUCTION 1. Urgency of the topic In terms of practice, the market for accommodation business in Vietnam is increasingly competitive. In recent years, many large corporations in the hotel industry such as Hilton, Intercontinental, Marriott, etc. continue to target the Hanoi market in particular and Vietnam in general. At the same time, many famous domestic corporations such as FLC, VinGroup, Mount Than also constantly upgrade and expand branches. The entry of leading companies, along with the way of management, operation, and professional service has created competition among enterprises in the hotel industry which demand to change the operation method to improve service quality, increase their position, attract customers, and build customer loyalty. On the other hand, scientific and technical progress especially 4.0 technology, is applied in all fields, and the hotel is no exception. Domestic or international tourists tend to search for hotels, prices, and services, etc. on the internet for their trip before deciding which enterprise chose to provide their services. Social networks, online travel agencies, and websites are all bridges between customers and the hotel. In the period from 2015 to 2019, along with the upward development of Vietnam's hotel business, the number of tourist accommodation establishments in Hanoi increased rapidly. In 2015, the number of accommodation establishments in Hanoi was 2,871 accounting for about 9%, and 45,769 rooms accounted for about 10% compared to the whole country. In 2019, the total number of accommodation establishments in the city is 3,546, increasing by 1.24 times compared to 2015. The number of accommodation establishments in the area accounts for a high rate compared to the whole country reached 15.2%. Many 5 star hotels have come into operation such as JW Marriott Hotel, Lotte Center, Grand Plaza, InterContinental Westlake, etc. In addition, the demand, tastes, and quality requirements of customers are getting higher with more choices. Many hotel projects in Hanoi that have been built or are nearing completion have faced stiffer competition. At the same time, under the impact of the Covid19 pandemic, the Hanoi tourism industry in general and the hotel service business, in particular, were seriously affected by the decrease in international and domestic tourism demand. From this reality, what do hotel managers need to do to satisfy customers, and at the
2 same time achieve sales, growth, and customer retention goals? There are many options to answer the above question, but currently, most managers do not understand the real wants and needs of customers. Therefore, to make tourists continue to use the products and services at the hotel, the managers need to find out the factors that affect the customer's loyalty. Building customer loyalty will create many benefits to the tourism industry in general and the hotel business in particular. Specifically, customer loyalty makes an important contribution to increasing the profitability of the hotels, and the cost of retaining customers is much lower than the cost of finding new customers. With the loyalty of customers, enterprises will obtain high profits and reduce marketing costs (Reichained and Sasser, 1990). Theoretically, customer loyalty in the hotel industry has been studied by many domestic and foreign scientists. The empirical studies on customer loyalty in the hotel system mainly focus on factors such as service quality, satisfaction, empathy, tangible means, and service capacity (Rousan et al., 2010; Xiangyu and Jarinto, 2012; Kofi et al., 2013; Galib, 2013; Saleem and Raja, 2014; Tefera and Govender, 2016). However, these studies were all conducted in cities of developed countries where have many economic and cultural differences compared to Hanoi, Vietnam. On the other hand, domestic studies on customer loyalty in the hotel system in Ho Chi Minh and Vinh Long (Le Gia Bao et al. 2017; Nguyen Son Tung, 2019) are also different from the hotel system in Hanoi. The research on hotels in Hanoi such as the study of Nguyen Van Huy and Pham Van Hanh (2017) investigates the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. The results indicate that service quality directly and positively affects customers satisfaction. Moreover, the study shows that in 5 scales of service quality, assurance and reliability play the most important role in influencing the quality of service provided by Hanoi hotels. All of the above analysis shows that customer loyalty in the Hanoi hotel industry has not been studied popularly. Building and developing customer loyalty is very necessary for the hotel business greatly affected by the Covid19 pandemic. Therefore, the research on customer loyalty in the Hanoi hotel industry is the topic, which meets the theoretical and practical requirements of the hotel business in Hanoi. 2. Overview and research gaps The studies on customer loyalty presented different views and definitions of customer
3 loyalty from different fields such as tourism; online shopping; homestay service or convenient shops system at the same time, these studies also show factors affecting loyalty such as service quality; satisfaction; tourist experience; switching costs,… However, most studies have not mentioned customer loyalty in the business performance of enterprises. Previous studies on customer loyalty to hotels have been conducted in developed countries such as Rousan et al. (2010);Research on customer loyalty in hotels with service quality as studies of Jordan or Kofi et al (2013) about the 5star hotel system; researching the impact of service quality on customer loyalty in the hotel sector in Ghana;In different cities in Vietnam, Phan Thanh Long (2018) researches factors affecting customer loyalty using services at 4.5star hotels in Ho Chi Minh, in Can Tho, and Vinh Long. Thus, there have not been many studies that deeply research the understanding of maintaining and developing customer loyalty for hotels in Hanoi, this is a research gap in both theoretical and practical aspects. 3. Research objectives and tasks The overall goal of the thesis is to study the theoretical issues of customer loyalty in the hotel industry and propose solutions and recommendations to build and develop customer loyalty in the Hanoi hotel industry and propose directions and solutions to build and develop customer loyalty in the hotel system in Hanoi until 2025, with a vision to 2030. To achieve the research objectives, the thesis must perform three tasks including (1) Establishing a theoretical basis for customer loyalty in the hotel system; (2) Surveying and evaluating customer loyalty in from 3 to 5star hotel system in Hanoi; (3) Proposing some feasible solutions for the hotel industry in Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general. 4. Object and scope of research Research object is customer loyalty to the hotel in Hanoi. Scope of the study: Regarding the research space, the actual data used in the thesis were surveyed from hotels rated from 3 to 5stars in innercity districts of Hanoi. Regarding research time, the thesis conducts research on data related to customer loyalty in the period from 2016 to 2020, proposes solutions to 2025, vision to 2030. About research content, the thesis focuses on researching and assessing customer loyalty to the hotel according to 4 groups consisting of disloyalty; false loyalty; implicit loyalty, and loyalty.
4 5. Research methodology To ensure comprehensiveness, objectivity, and accuracy, the thesis used a combination of primary and secondary data collection methods. Secondary data was collected from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, General Statistics Office, Hanoi Department of Tourism, and textbooks, books, and magazines related to the research topic. Primary data was collected by two methods: 1) Survey with a sample size of 691 customers; 2) Indepth interview including hotel managers, the business and marketing department. With the collected data, the thesis uses two methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis to make judgments and assessments about the status of customer loyalty to hotels in Hanoi. 6. New contributions to science and practice of the thesis 1) Regarding research methods, the thesis has combined both primary and secondary data collection methods, two qualitative and quantitative research methods, in which, the new contributions of the thesis shown in the research framework include tools to maintain and develop customer loyalty; 2) In terms of theory, the study complements and completes the theoretical framework on customer loyalty in the hotel industry through a direction of little previous research done. In addition, the study gives evaluation criteria of customer loyalty. 3) In practice, the thesis has analyzed and assessed objectively and reliably the status of customer loyalty to hotels in Hanoi such as vision and strategy of hotel industry; technical facilities; service quality; accommodation rates and payment terms; and loyalty program. 7. Structure of the thesis In addition to the parts such as the declaration, table of contents, list of abbreviations, list of tables and figures (8 pages), general conclusion (2 pages), list of references (9 pages), and appendix (45 pages), the thesis consists of 159 pages. The structure of the thesis includes Introduction; Chapter 1: Theoretical basis of customer loyalty in the hotel industry; Chapter 2: Assessing the status of customer loyalty in Hanoi hotel industry; Chapter 3: Solutions to maintain and develop customer loyalty in Hanoi hotel industry. CHAPTER 1 THEORETICAL BASIS OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY 1.1. Overview of hotel industry and its customers
5 1.1.1. Concept and classification of hotel * Concept of the hotel Hotel is an accommodation establishment, with the size of ten bedrooms or more, ensuring the quality of facilities, equipment, and necessary services to serve guests staying and using. The hotel is the most popular and typical type in the system of tourist accommodation establishment. The hotel is built systematically, and synchronously meeting necessary quality and comfort standards to serve the needs of accommodation, meals and other needs during their stay in order to make profit. * Classification of hotel Hotels are classified according to the following criteria: According to geographical location, hotels include five types such as city hotels; resort hotels; floating hotels; roadside hotels, and transit hotels. About hotel size, hotels can be divided into three categories consisting of largescale hotels; mediumsized hotels; smallsized hotels For the level of service provision, hotels are divided into four categories: Highclass and luxury hotels; hotels with full services; hotel with limited service and budget hotel. About the rating standard, the hotel is ranked from 1star to 5star according to the standard of facilities, equipment, service quality, and amusement park. 1.1.2. System of providing customer service at the hotel Hotel services are regulated by the type of hotel business, the size, the location, the organizational structure and business policies in the market of the hotel. The service delivery system at the hotel is divided into 3 lines including the customer interaction line is at the top, followed by the visible line, the internal interaction line at the bottom. This arrangement shows that customer satisfaction is the end result of the system. Internal interaction line is the line representing the activities happening inside the hotel business to create service quality, service experience for customers including reservation and registration system. Visible line separates the activities visible to the customer and the activities invisible. Customer interaction line is the interaction flow between the service provider and the customer, where the customer will become a coproducer of the service experience. Activities on this line will determine if guests return to use the service or not. By surveying
6 activities above the customer interaction line, hotel managers can identify important activities, which influence on customer satisfaction. As a result, hotel managers will focus on these activities such as booking, check in, and check out in order to improve the service quality and experience of guests so that they return come back. 1.1.3. Guests * Concept of guests Guests are customers of the hotel's products, who are not limited by the purpose, time and space of consumption. * Classification of guests Hotel guests include four categories: Pure guest is a person who makes a trip with the main purpose of rest and relaxation. Official guest is a person who makes a trip for business purposes; attends conferences, seminars, and fairs, research the market, or sign contracts. Relative guest makes a trip with the main purpose of visiting relatives, resolving family and social relationships. Other guests make a trip for other purposes such as attending sports events, going for medical purposes, studying, researching, etc. 1.2. THEORETICAL OF CUSTOMER Loyalty 1.2.1. Theory of customer behavior According to Kotler (2006), consumer behavior is considered as the response of customers to marketing stimuli and other stimuli. Kotler (2006) also uses a conscious black box model to represent consumer behavior. Factors affecting customer behavior: Customer behavior is influenced by many different factors, and researchers divide the factors affecting customer behavior into four groups: (1) cultural factors; (2) social factors; (3) personal factors, and (4) psychological factors. Decisionmaking process: A consumer decisionmaking process consists of five stages that actual consumers go through when purchasing a product/service. In these stages, the consumer recognizes a need, gathers information, evaluates alternatives, makes a purchase decision, and evaluates postpurchase. The theory was developed by Oliver (1997) and is used to study customer satisfaction
7 with the quality of the company's services or products. That theory includes two sub processes that have an independent impact on customer satisfaction: service expectations before purchase and service perception after the experience. TH1: PV = EV: Perceived value is equal to the expected value TH2: PV EV: The perceived value is greater than the expected value. Customers are satisfied with the products/services of the business 1.2.2. The concept and role of loyalty 1.2.2.1. The concept of customer loyalty So far, there are many different approaches to customer loyalty in general and customer loyalty in the hotel industry in particular. Within the scope of this research, the author inherited the study concept of Dick & Basu (1994); Oliver (1999); Zineldin (2000); and Caruana (2002). Then the author proposed the concept of customer loyalty as follows: "Customer loyalty is the commitment in customer behavior and attitude that emphasizes intentions or plans coming back in the future, and recommend, encourage others to use your products/services”. 1.2.2.2. The role of loyalty Customer loyalty plays an important role, and hotel businesses are trying to increase their customer loyalty through retention programs, loyalty programs, experiences and marketing strategies (Hallowell, 1996). Customer loyalty is important because loyal customers bring many benefits to businesses such as reduced advertising costs, increased profits, etc. 1.2.3. The level of Customer loyalty According to Dick & Basu (1994), customer loyalty is seen as the strength of the relationship between an individual's relative attitude and repeat purchases. Relative perceptions, feelings, and attitudes contribute to loyalty along with cognitive and behavioral outcomes… Loyalty is classified as follows: (1) Disloyalty: A low attitude associated with Low repeat behavior indicates a lack of loyalty. (2) False Loyalty: A low attitude that accompanies high repeat behavior is false loyalty characterized by disproportionate influences on behavior; (3) Latent loyalty: Relatively high attitude with low repeat patronage, reflecting latent loyalty, an important relationship for marketers. Because the
8 nonrelational market influences such as subjective norms and situational effects are at least equal if not more influential than attitudes in determining patronage behavior. (4) Loyalty: the most preferred of the four conditions, indicating a favorable correspondence between relative attitude and repetitive behavior. 1.2.4. Customer loyalty cycle The loyalty cycle offers a way to build customer loyalty, including 3 processes that are building a loyalty foundation; creating loyalty value and reducing the conversion ability of customers through digital marketing programs, customer management, specifically as follows: To build customer loyalty, hotels need to segment the market by the needs of the target market and the hotel's resources. At the same time, hotels need to select customers in line with their core values and ensure service quality for customers. To create a bond between the customer and the hotel, through customer reward programs such as financial rewards, financial fees... at the same time, it is necessary to provide additional services and package selection services for customers. The hotel wants customers to use its products/services without switching to competitors, customer managers take actions to reduce the likelihood of customers converting such as handling complaints 1.3. MAINTENANCE, DEVELOPMENT TOOLS, AND CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING CUSTOMERS LOYALTY To HOTEL 1.3.1. Tools to maintain and develop customer loyalty 1.3.1.1. Service quality Service quality creates an impact on the development of customer loyalty. Service quality considers as one of the most frequently analyzed factors that determine customer loyalty. The tangible and intangible nature of service quality is very important in assessing the customer's view of the service provider or the customer's trust in the business. Five criteria to evaluate service quality are listed in order of relative importance to customers, which are: 1) Reliability: Reliability is the ability to provide service as promised reliably and accurately. Reliable service performance is one of the basic expectations of customers; 2) Responsibility: The willingness to actively help customers and provide service with enthusiasm. In the event of service failure, the ability to recover quickly can create a positive perception of quality. 3) Assurance: Is performing service politely and respectfully to
9 customers, communicating effectively with customers, genuinely caring, and keeping them confidential. 4) Empathy: Shows attentive care, individual attention to customers. Empathy includes the ability to reach out and make an effort to understand the needs of the customer. 5) Tangibility is the presence of working conditions, equipment, people, and media. 1.3.1.2. Price and terms of payment Hotel businesses can charge as many different rates as they want, but if customers perceive the hotel's price policy and payment method as not suitable for customers, this will affect their satisfaction, and they will not return to the hotel in the future. Hotel businesses do not just set a single price, but must develop a pricing structure that reflects changes in demand and costs according to market requirements, seasonality, and product/service volume ordering, and other factors. Methods of determining rates in hotels, in particular: Based on the cost of the hotel; Discounts; Promotional rates; Distinguished rates according to the list of products/services the hotel provides to customers. 1.3.1.3. Loyalty program Loyalty program is a marketing plan designed to increase customer loyalty by providing customer promotions with added benefits. Most loyalty programs are designed with 3 types: (1) the gift card with the lowest purchase price; (2) is a customer discount card (including gift cards, special discounts for members, great benefits programs for members); (3) are lottery programs. There are five value components of loyalty programs: value for money, redemption options, desirable value, relevance, and convenience. 1.3.2. Criteria for evaluating customer loyalty Attitudinal loyalty evaluation criteria: Measurement aspects of attitudinal loyalty include: trust, commitment, price insensitivity, response to service unavailability of the hotel, does not convert behavior and response to hotel service incidents (except for repurchase behavior). The criteria for evaluating behavioral loyalty: the first is the rate of hotel visits; second, positive word of mouth, third, a partnership that is working together to achieve common goals and a customer's willingness to help the hospitality business (active cooperation to create emotional commitment). 1.4. FACTORS INFLUENCE CUSTOMERS’ LOYALTY TO HOTELS 1.4.1. Customer behavioral factors determine loyalty 1.4.1.1. Demographic characteristics
10 Demographics continue to be one of the popular and accepted bases in market and customer segmentation. By specifically identifying the key demographics of a target market, a baseline data of target customers emerges. Even when other types of segmentation variables are used (e.g., behavioral, psychographic), managers must know and understand the demographics to assess the size, scope, and efficiency of the market. Evaluate the influence of sociodemographic factors on customers' perception of loyalty in the hotel system. The results show that the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty is strongly influenced by sociodemographic characteristics. In which, factors such as age, gender, marital status, occupation, education, income, length of stay, frequency and purpose of visit are the moderators that have an important influence on service quality and customer loyalty. 1.4.1.2. Customer experience at the hotel Customer experience is a set of interactions between a customer and the products/services of a business or part of a hotel business organization. Building customer experience intrinsically relates to customers' perceived, emotional, and physical reactions to the hotel business. This experience is created not only by factors that the business can control (e.g. service interface, assortment, pricing), but also by factors beyond the company's control such as: shopping purposes, influence from others… Customer experience is the internal subjective response of customers when directly or indirectly interacting with products/services of enterprises. Thus, customer experience is also the interaction between the organization providing the product/service and the customer, which is a combination of actions, senses, and emotions compared with customer expectations in the process, and contact process. 1.4.1.3. Customer's Commitment Customer commitment is the desire to buy and have a clear priority with the business. Common values for possible commitment are beliefs, shared values, and beliefs about the difficulty of replacing products or services by businesses or consumers. Commitment is a twoway structure, and both customers and service providers want to come to a commitment with a closer, closer relationship. Commitment is considered as the "glue" in the relationship between customers and suppliers to create stability such as: 1) Attitudinal loyalty positively relates to behavioral loyalty, 2) Customer satisfaction positively relates to trust,
11 3) Affective commitment positively relates to attitudinal loyalty, 4) Computational commitment negatively relates to attitudinal loyalty, 5) Public image also positively relates to loyalty mediating the relationship between trust and attitude loyalty, 6) Computational commitment mediates the relationship between trust and loyalty with attitude, 7) Corporate image mediates the relationship between trust and attitudinal loyalty. 1.4.2. Competitors According to Motherbaugh and Hawkins, (2016) KS enterprises need to clearly identify their competitors, thereby assessing the objectives, strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and reactions of competitors to choose the way to compete. Confront or avoid competitors. 1.4.3. Hotel interior 1.4.3.1. The hotel's vision and strategy Positioning strategy is the process by which hospitality businesses try to develop a distinctive and favorable position in the mind of the target market, relative to their competitors. The goal of positioning is to ensure that the target market clearly understands the product, service or brand in the market. Market research and analysis of market segments will help hotel managers better understand their customers and know what they really want from the business. Thereby, managers can evaluate the strengths of the hotel which can be developed into product or service with different points, at the same time, and identify the weaknesses of competitors. From there, it is possible to create effective product or service differentiation. The following positioning strategies in hospitality businesses have been identified such as: 1) Product features or special attributes; 2) Price/quality; 3) Customer's benefits; and 4) Product purpose. 1.4.3.2. The hotel's physical and technical facilities Facilities are the provision of physical facilities to provide convenience to customers in performing actions or activities to be able to meet their needs. Facilities are the physical resources available that support the existence of a business for goods or services. Therefore, many aspects of the facility are considered by owners in their business operations. Starting from the completion of facilities, the attractiveness of interiors, and exteriors design to the hygiene of facilities in the hotel business. Empirical studies show that consumers consider
12 the availability of facilities in making purchase and service decisions. Facilities have a significant influence on purchasing decisions, customer behavior such as customer commitment, customer experience, and also influence retention and development of customer loyalty (quality of service, loyalty program, price and payment terms, which means that if the hotel has good facilities, customers will be interested in using the product/service and creating trust, good experience for customers. 1.4.3.3. Hotel resources The resources of the hotel business are divided into tangible, intangible and human resources. In particular, tangible resources include tangible assets of business that can bring advantage in production costs such as size, location, flexibility of equipment and input materials. Intangible resources include technology, brand, and culture of hotel business. In which, technological resources include intellectual property, patents…Human resources include relational, management and organization resources in the hotel business. 1.4.4. Macro environment The thesis has synthesized macroenvironmental factors affecting customer loyalty, including: Economy, politics law; technology; sociocultural. CHAPTER 2 ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN THE HANOI HOTEL INDUSTRY 2.1. OVERVIEW OF THE HOTEL INDUSTRY IN HANOI 2.1.1. Overview of Hanoi city and the role of the hotel industry 2.1.1.1. Overview of Hanoi city Hanoi city is the capital, the economic political social center of Vietnam. Therefore, the tourism hotel industry in Hanoi not only attracts tourists but also diplomatic and business guests participating in economic political social events. Hanoi has great potential for tourismhotel with hundreds of scenic spots, historical and cultural relics, traditional craft villages, and festivals. 2.1.1.2. The role of the Hanoi hotel industry The hotel business plays a significant position in the socioeconomic development in general and the hotel industry in particular. In fact, operating revenue of the hotel business accounts for a large proportion in the tourism industry about 50 to 70% that reflects the importance of hotel service. Thus, the hotel system cannot be separated from
13 tourism industry, where has major contribution to the economy and employment. In 2019, the hotel industry contributed 12.54% GDP of Hanoi city, of which the direct contribution of 5.16% and the indirect of 7.38%; at the same time, supplied 151,823 workers, accounting for 24.9% of the total workforce in the tourism industry. 2.1.2. Overview of the hotel industry in Hanoi 2.1.2.1. Number of accommodation service establishments in Hanoi In Hanoi, there are currently 3,578 accommodation establishments with 64,887 rooms and apartments, bringing the total number of rated accommodation establishments to 576 hotels with 23,676 rooms, accounting for 16.3%. There are 76 hotels/apartments rated from 35 stars with 11,863 rooms, reaching 13.19%). Specifically, 5star hotels consist of 16 hotels with 5,153 rooms accounting for 2.78%; 4star hotels have 19 hotels with 2,784 rooms, accounting for 3.30%; 3star hotels include 33 hotels with 2,392 rooms, accounting for 3.73%. 2.1.2.2. Average occupancy of hotels in Hanoi In 2016, the average occupancy of hotel rooms in Hanoi reached 59.02%. In 2017, the average occupancy of hotel rooms attained 62.28%; and in 2018, the rate was 64.86%. In 2019, the average capacity accounted for 67.9% higher than 0.13% in 2018. International guests stay mainly including Korea, China, and Japan. In the first eight months of 2020, the average hotel occupancy estimated at 29.6%, decrease 40.8% over the same period in 2019. 2.1.2.3. Revenue from accommodation activities Total revenue from accommodation services was VND 18,182 billion, of which VND 10,400 billion from international guests, accounting for 57.2% and from domestic tourists by VND 7,782 billion, accounting for 42.8%. At the same time, the proportion of accommodation services gain 25.98% of the total revenue from tourists in Hanoi. 2.1.3. Market and customer characteristics of hotels in Hanoi 2.1.3.1. Market characteristics of hotels The hotel's guest market is mainly Korea; China; Japan; America; Taiwan; British; France; Australia; Malaysia and Germany. In which, the tourist market in Korea took the lead with 789,243 arrivals, an increase of 90,269 arrivals compared to 2018; followed by the Chinese market in 2019 with 699,752 arrivals, down from 69,973 arrivals in 2018, and the Japanese market in 2019 reached 338,945 arrivals, up from 35,299 arrivals in 2018.
14 2.1.3.2. Number and structure of guests From 2016 to 2019, the number of tourists to Hanoi increased quickly and stably that the following year was higher than the previous year with the average increase reached 10.1%/year, specifically: In 2016, tourists to Ha Noi reached 21.83 million, in 2017 reached 23.83 million, in 2018 reached 26.30 million and in 2019 reached 28,945 million visitors. The average growth rate of tourists reached 10.1%/year, exceeding the target of 810%/year average growth rate. Regarding the total number of tourists, until to 2019, the rate has reached 96.49% compared to the set target in 2020. However, due to the impact of the Covid19 epidemic, the number of tourists to Hanoi in 2020 is estimated at 8.65 million visitors, bringing the average growth rate of the whole period of decline (6.0%). 2.1.3.3. Guest features In general, guests staying at hotels mainly come for pure tourism purposes (international guests: 83.5% and domestic guests: 48%). (1) International visitors: Coming to Hanoi to combine conferences and seminars accounted for 5.2%; trade accounted for 5.9%; festivals and beliefs accounted for 1.6%; other purposes accounted for 1.5%; visiting relatives accounted for 1.2%; press information accounted for 1.1%. (2) Domestic visitors: Coming to Hanoi for commercial purposes accounted for 14.1%; visiting relatives accounted for 12.1%; conferences, seminars, training, shortterm study accounted for 8.3%; medical treatment accounted for 6.3%; festivals and beliefs accounted for 4.6%; other purposes accounted for 4.5% and press information accounted for 2.1%. 2.2. ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS AFFECTING CUSTOMERS’ LOYALTY TO HOTELS IN HANOI 2.2.1. Influence of customer behavior 2.2.1.1. Demographic characteristics
15 Guests staying in the hotel system in Hanoi are very diverse. This is shown through criteria such as: Regarding gender, the proportion of men accounts for about 53% of the proportion of women; Occupation: Customers of the hotel system in Hanoi have the most occupations as public service guests, business accounted for 24.6% and office staff accounted for 19%. These are customers with stable income, so they have conditions to combine work with sightseeing; Regarding nationality: The majority of international guests staying at the hotel system in Hanoi are Korean nationals, accounting for about 22.5%, Chinese guests accounting for about 15.5% and Japanese guests accounting for about 12. , 6%. At the same time, the thesis also tested the difference between gender, age, job and nationality on customer loyalty, the results are as follows: 1) Gender variable: Sig Levene's Test is equal to 0.857 > 0.05 shows that the variances of the two sexes are the same; 2) Age variable: Sig Levene's Test equals 0.162>0.05 loyalty is higher in the age group from 4650; over 55 and from 5155, the lowest is the age group from 2130 years old; 3) Job variable: Sig Levene's Test is 0.237 > 0.05, loyalty is higher in other occupational groups, researchers and business, the lowest is management. 2.2.1.2. Customer experience Customers are quite satisfied with their experiences at hotels with an average value from 3.32 points to 3.57 points. In which, 15.9% of guests rated level 5 as completely agreeing with the level of the guest experience as positive when staying at hotels in Hanoi and 13.1% of customers rated it. Customer's stay is well taken care of, polite and comfortable when staying at the hotel, and 12.9% of customers agree to have beautiful and memorable experiences when staying at the hotel. . For the group of 3star hotels, some criteria are not satisfied by customers with a relatively low score such as that the customer has no good and memorable memories with 2.73 points and has positive experiences at the hotel with 2.84 points. Meanwhile, these criteria are highly appreciated in the group of 4 to 5star hotels with 3.9 points and 4.55 points, respectively. 2.2.1.3. Customer commitment The average value of customer commitment in the Hanoi hotel industry ranges from 3.13 points to 3.87 points. This is a fairly high level of customer commitment. In which, 16.8% of customers rated level 5 completely agree that they like to stay at hotels in Hanoi and 15.6% of customers commit that they will not change their place of stay when they arrive. In Hanoi, at the same time, 14.4% of customers pledged not to change hotels. For the
16 group of 3star hotels, the average score was only 3.12 points, and for the group of 4 to 5 star hotels, it was 4.11 points. 2.2.2. The influence of competitors In the period from 20162020, along with the upward development of Vietnam's tourism industry, the number of tourist accommodation establishments of localities increased rapidly, including Hanoi, from which many appeared. businesses in the hotel industry. At the same time, in the era of technology 4.0, the application of technology and sharing economy has had a significant impact on hotel business such as roomsharing service and crossborder online travel service Booking.com, Agoda. or Traveloka attracts a lot of attention from tourists. 2.2.3. Internal influence of the hotel 2.2.3.1 Vision and strategy of the hotel industry in Hanoi The strategy of developing a system of hotels in Hanoi was issued by the Hanoi Party Committee in Resolution No. 06 NQ/TU in 2016 that is not to develop smallscale motels with less than 10 rooms, prioritize the development of highclass accommodation establishments of 3 stars or more and the type of homestay tourism in tourist clusters that are: 1) Focus on building a system of accommodation establishments in core pool – Center of Hanoi; 2) Developing accommodation system along the development axes of satellite cities; 3) Developing a system of accommodation establishments associated with ecology along with the green belts; 4) Develop a system of accommodation establishments located in different regions. 2.2.3.2. Actual situation of material and technical facilities of hotels in Hanoi As of the end of August 2020, the number of 35 star accommodation establishments in Hanoi ranked 4th nationwide, after Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, while Hanoi ranked 2nd in terms of accommodation. attract international visitors. Facilities have an average value of 3.73. In which, the observation variable full and convenient utility services and the hotel rooms that are always ready and fully equipped are rated the highest (mean is 3.75 and 3.74, respectively), the observed variable is 3.75 and 3.74, respectively. has the lowest rate is convenient hotel location is 3.70. At the same time, 36.3% of guests rated level 5 as completely agree with full and convenient services when staying at hotels in Hanoi and 32.3% rated at level 5. 5 with beautiful and attractive landscapes when staying at the hotel, and at the same time, 21% of customers agree that the hotel's location is convenient during
17 travel and sightseeing while staying at the hotel. 2.2.3.3. Current status of labor resources Labor in the field of hotels, restaurants (the sets of tables, rooms, bars, kitchens, receptionists) account for about 80% of the total number of employees in the tourism hotel industry, according to the results of a sociological survey on tourism human resources. Highquality hotel of Hanoi Department of Tourism: the number of employees with high qualifications (university degree) in the hotel industry accounts for 37.8%, of which 23.5% of the employees have specialized university degrees. otherwise, only about 14.3% of the employees working in the hotel system are trained in the right major. 2.2.4. The influence of the macro environment Groups of external environmental factors affecting customer loyalty include: 1) Political environment, including the degree of political stability; attitude of State agencies and support policies of the State towards hotel businesses; 2) Economic environment, including economic growth; investment and development capital in Hanoi; 3) Technology environment, in which technology is applied to the actual experience at the hotel. 2.3. THE STATUS OF CUSTOMERS’ FOR HOTELS IN HANOI 2.3.1. A tool to maintain and develop customer loyalty to hotels in Hanoi 2.3.1.1. Status of service quality of hotels in Hanoi Service quality has an average value of 3.93 compared to the base of hotel selection of 3.67. In which, the observation variable of fast and clean room service is rated the highest with 4.22 points, the second most appreciated criterion is the simple, accurate and easy booking process with a score of average is 4.12; The criterion with the lowest level is that the front desk department works quickly and professionally with only 3.74 points. At the same time, 32.3% of the respondents completely agree and are satisfied with the complete and clear instructions of the hotel, making it convenient for customers during their stay at the hotel and 30.4% of Respondents completely agree and are satisfied with the quality of quick and clean room/room service when staying at the hotel, and 29.7% of the surveyed customers agree and are satisfied with the problems. , my love is quickly and effectively resolved by the hotel staff and with that attitude, the careful and sincere care and responsibility of the staff at the hotel are also highly appreciated by customers with 29, 2% of the respondents completely agree and are satisfied with the attitude of the hotel staff during and after their stay.