Cha zipe ou, E ikleia; Va a opoulos, Kons an inos
A icle
Manage ial digi alisa ion cos in he ho el sec o : The case
o No he n G eece
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Ci a ion: Cha zipe ou, E ikleia,
and Kons an inos Va a opoulos.
2024. Manage ial Digi alisa ion Cos
in he Ho el Sec o : The Case o
No he n G eece. Adminis a i e
Sciences 14: 52. h ps://doi.o g/
10.3390/admsci14030052
Recei ed: 7 Janua y 2024
Re ised: 3 Ma ch 2024
Accep ed: 6 Ma ch 2024
Published: 8 Ma ch 2024
Copy igh : © 2024 by he au ho s.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land.
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adminis a i e
sciences
A icle
Manage ial Digi alisa ion Cos in he Ho el Sec o : The Case o
No he n G eece
E ikleia Cha zipe ou * and Kons an inos Va a opoulos
Depa men o Accoun ing and In o ma ion Sys ems, In e na ional Hellenic Uni e si y, P.O. Box 141,
57400 Thessaloniki, G eece; k. a a [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac :
The main pu pose o he esea ch is o measu e he manage ial digi alisa ion cos o he ho el
sec o in No he n G eece. Taking in o conside a ion he impac o he pandemic c isis on business
managemen and he lack o ich ele an li e a u e, he s udy ocuses on he cos o manage ial
digi alisa ion and i s possible ela ionship wi h ce ain ho el demog aphic cha ac e is ics, like s a
anking, pe iod o ope a ion, size and accommoda ion ype. The popula ion consis s o
2187 ho el
uni s, based on he egis e o he Hellenic Chambe o Ho els and o he local associa ions such as
Chalkidiki Ho els Associa ion. Da a we e collec ed h ough a s uc u ed ques ionnai e, egis e ed in
Google o ms, and sen by e-mail o al e na i ely ia social media like Facebook. The main inding
conce ns he low amoun o in es men ela ed o e enue, as he majo i y o ho el uni s spend less
han 2.5% o hei annual u no e on manage ial digi alisa ion. In addi ion o his, membe s o ho el
g oups, seasonal and summe accommoda ions in es mo e in he adop ion o digi al manage ial
ools. A posi i e co ela ion wi h he numbe o employees was also de ec ed. As digi alisa ion cos
in he G eek hospi ali y sec o is a comple ely unexplo ed scien i ic ield, his is he i s e o o deal
wi h i . Fu he mo e, as No he n G eece is no as popula a ou is des ina ion as o he pa s o
G eece (i.e., he Aegean islands), he p esen esea ch is a unique a emp o ocus on he ho el sec o
o a less well-known G eek ou is egion.
Keywo ds:
E-Managemen ; manage ial digi alisa ion cos ; No he n G eece; ou ism; ho el sec o ;
ho el demog aphic cha ac e is ics
1. In oduc ion
In ecen yea s, especially a e he co ona i us pandemic, o ganisa ions p oceeded o
a digi alisa ion o hei in e nal ope a ing models, acco ding o Pa eli e al. (2022), Toussain
and Jönsson (2022) and Hä ing e al. (2022). As Gyü üsi (2018) and O’Lea y (2023) men ion,
digi alisa ion is he necessa y s ep ha p ecedes digi al ans o ma ion and is closely ela ed
o sus ainable g ow h.
Despi e he ac ha en e ing he digi al e a was ecognized as a new hospi ali y end
be o e he onse o he ecen pandemic (Kundu and Cha e jee 2018), he co ona i us ou -
b eak ac ed as a ca alys (Boiko e al. 2022), hus accele a ing changes. The abo e s a emen
is con i med by he as majo i y o ho el owne s in Po ugal, who ag eed ha COVID-19
p omo ed he digi alisa ion o p ocesses, wi h mos o ganisa ions conside ing ha online
mee ings and echnology p oduc i i y ools a e he e o s ay (An onio and Ri a 2021).
The e o e, he cos o manage ial digi alisa ion o G eek ho els is a key ac o ha
needs o be examined. Especially o he ou ism sec o , which is pa icula ly a ec ed by
he es ic i e measu es o he pandemic, he cos is an impo an ac o , aking in o accoun
he un a ou able inancial si ua ion o he co po a ions. Fu he mo e, i should be no ed
ha he cos o adop ing new echnologies in gene al, and cos –bene i a ios in pa icula ,
is a signi ican inhibi ing ac o in he digi alisa ion o Ge man indus ies (Veile e al. 2019)
and SMEs (Zimme mann 2016).
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/admsci14030052 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/admsci
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52 2 o 12
As s a ed in he li e a u e (O’ Lea y and Spangle 2018), co po a ions a e eplacing,
ia digi alisa ion, manual sys ems wi h digi al app oaches and capabili ies, in o de o
p o ide e enue and c ea e alue. As manage ial digi alisa ion, we desc ibe he use o
any applica ion ha suppo s adminis a i e ope a ion in ho el uni s. Ap examples o
manage ial digi alisa ion ools men ioned by Pa eli e al. (2022) a e digi al ma ke ing (e.g.,
social media), dynamic p icing and cus ome ela ionship managemen (CRM) so wa e.
Ano he ex ension o digi aliza ion conce ns he in e connec ion and da a in e change
h ough applica ions like iCloud (Buhalis and Leung 2018;An onio and Ri a 2021;Zimme -
mann 2016;Boiko e al. 2022). Ano he aspec o digi alisa ion in he hospi ali y indus y
which became pa icula ly popula du ing he pandemic pe iod conce ns i ual mee ings
(An onio and Ri a 2021;Sox e al. 2016). Las bu no leas , in he con ex o he use o new
echnologies in he ho el sec o , Al awadieh e al. (2020) and Demi ci ci e al. (2020) deal
wi h e enue managemen (RM) so wa e in o de o inc ease p o i abili y.
Digi alisa ion has al eady a ec ed he indus y du ing he pandemic and he e is a
s ong endency no o e u n o he p e ious s a e (An onio and Ri a 2021). Fu he mo e,
as s a ed by Mo one e al. (2021), he e is a s ong co ela ion be ween COVID-19 and
he digi alisa ion o he indus y, which leads o inc eased e enues, educed cos s and
imp o ed co po a e b ands. The e o e, he cos o digi alisa ion implemen a ion o a
hospi ali y uni is undeniably an impo an issue. Al hough he e a e s udies ha examine
he digi iza ion aspec s o ho el uni s (Pa eli e al. 2022;Oliinyk e al. 2022;An onio and
Ri a 2021;Al awadieh e al. 2020;Kansaka e al. 2019), he digi alisa ion adop ion and
implemen a ion cos s a e no aken in o conside a ion. Mo eo e , he ho el indus y in
No he n G eece, as i is no a popula ou is des ina ion, is absen om any ele an
s udies. As a consequence, he p esen esea ch ocuses on hese unexplo ed a eas, by
e alua ing he digi alisa ion cos o ho el uni s in he egion o No he n G eece.
In ligh o he abo e discussion, he key esea ch objec i es a e wo old. Fi s , we
explo e he cos o manage ial digi alisa ion in he hospi ali y sec o , since only a limi ed
numbe o p e ious s udies (Pa eli e al. 2022;Al awadieh e al. 2020) ha e examined
ho el digi alisa ion om his s andpoin in e na ionally. Secondly, we aim a a deep unde -
s anding o he ole ha ho el demog aphic cha ac e is ics play in he ex en and cos o
digi alisa ion. Mos o he published wo k (Ca lisle e al. 2023;Oka o e al. 2023;Menegaki
2022;Sude e al. 2022) ocuses on he ole o manage s/ho el owne s and on he ele ance
o hei pe sonal alues and demog aphic cha ac e is ics wi h he digi alisa ion o ho els.
The p esen esea ch ies o u he ex end and complemen he exis ing li e a u e, by
highligh ing he ole o ho el ai s in he digi alisa ion p ocess. As he hospi ali y sec o is
cha ac e ized by a g ea di e si y (e.g., co po a e o m, size, s a anking) (Roy and Pyne
2011), ce ain cha ac e is ics we e selec ed, based on he ca ego isa ion o he indus y in
he exis ing li e a u e. Pa eli e al. (2022) link size o accessibili y o new echnologies,
while Zhu and Zhang (2021) use accommoda ion size as a c i e ion, ocusing on small
hospi ali y businesses. In addi ion, Al awadieh e al. (2020) use he co po a e o m, among
o he a iables, in o de o examine he co ela ion wi h e enue so wa e implemen a ion.
Finally, ac o s such as accommoda ion ype, s a anking and geog aphical a ea we e used
by Pa la os and Paggios (2007), in hei esea ch ega ding cos ing accoun ing and he
adop ion o ac i i y-based cos ing (A.B.C.) sys ems in G eek ho els. Consequen ly, as he
ho el indus y o No he n G eece has no a ac ed esea ch in e es be o e, and since he
cos o digi izing manage ial ope a ions o ho els has no been quan i ied, his s udy opens
new ho izons.
In o de o achie e he abo e aims, he index BUD.BY.REV. (budge as a pe cen age o
o al e enue) is used, p oposed by Mahmood and Mann (1991), in he con ex o e alua ing
he cos o digi alisa ion in he 2187 egis e ed ho els o he egion in ques ion.
The emainde o he pape is o ganized as ollows: Sec ion 2desc ibes he esea ch
me hodology, posing he esea ch ques ion; Sec ion 3p esen s he indings and he analysis
o he esul s; and Sec ion 4 he discussion o he esul s. Finally, Sec ion 5desc ibes he
limi a ions and u he esea ch p oposals.
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52 3 o 12
2. Resea ch Me hodology
In an a emp o choose he mos app op ia e me hodology o ou esea ch, we
examined h ee schools, which ha e p e ailed in he ield o scien i ic esea ch: (a) he
quan i a i e o posi i ism; (b) he quali a i e, also ound as in e p e i ism; and (c) c i ical
science o pos mode nism (Swanson 2005). The pe spec i e o c i ical science o pos mod-
e nism was ejec ed o ou esea ch, as he e is no comple e and commonly accep ed
p ac ical guide o implemen a ion (Hallebone and P ies 2009). On he o he hand, he
quali a i e esea ch app oach ocuses indi idually on each phenomenon, aking in o ac-
coun he uniqueness ha dis inguishes i , emphasizing he cha ac e is ics associa ed wi h
uniqueness, aiming o d aw conclusions (K ale 1996). Be ween he quan i a i e and quali-
a i e esea ch me hodology, he i s one was chosen. This choice is connec ed wi h he
na u e o quan i a i e esea ch (posi i ism), as i calcula es he equency o obse a ions
in o de o o mula e laws, which a e conside ed objec i e due o he adop ion o s a is ical
ools and he hypo hesis ha he phenomenon exis s una ec ed by he esea che (Sp ague
2005). In he abo e decision, he possibili y o a ully s uc u ed ques ionnai e and easy
iden i ica ion o he a iables we e also aken in o accoun .
In he p esen s udy, he popula ion consis s o all ho el uni s loca ed in he egion o
No he n G eece. Th ough he egis a ions o he Hellenic Chambe o Ho els, Chalkidiki
Ho els Associa ion and Ka ala Ho elie s Associa ion, 2187 ho el uni s we e iden i ied,
which cons i u e he popula ion o he su ey. A 3.52% esponse a e is egis e ed. Acco d-
ing o he li e a u e, pa icula ly low a es a e ound in web-based su eys o in cases whe e
he ques ionnai e is sen by mail (Si o e al. 2006). Ne e heless, i is no ewo hy ha his
should no be pe cei ed as de imen al o esea ch ou comes. Exis ing esea ch (Fosnach
e al. 2017) indica es ha ele a ed pa icipa ion a es, such as 75%, do no necessa ily yield
mo e accu a e and unbiased popula ion es ima es compa ed o lowe a es, such as 5%.
Fu he mo e, he sample could be conside ed ep esen a i e, as i includes ho el uni s o
e e y s a ca ego y, size and ype, om all egions o No he n G eece.
The ques ionnai e was chosen as he esea ch ool o da a collec ion, as i is egu-
la ly used in quan i a i e esea ch (B ace 2008). A s uc u ed online ques ionnai e wi h
8 closed-ended
ques ions was d awn up. The choice o closed-ended ques ions is ela ed
o he de elopmen o coding schemes, as all expec ed answe s a e known in ad ance
(Weisbe g e al. 1996). The ques ionnai e was c ea ed elec onically h ough he Google
Fo ms applica ion, while he link was sen ia e-mail. The use o an elec onic ques ionnai e
in Google Fo ms was a s a egic choice in da a collec ion and analysis, as he da a we e
ecei ed classi ied in an Excel o ma . In cases whe e his was no possible, social media
such as Facebook, was also used. The ques ionnai e was sen g adually o each egional
uni om Feb ua y o Ap il 2023.
The s a is ical analysis o collec ed da a was conduc ed wi h he suppo o he S a is i-
cal Package o he Social Sciences applica ion (S.P.S.S.).
The esea ch hypo hesis pu o wa d o e alua ion is he ollowing:
H0.
The in es men in manage ial digi alisa ion o he ho el indus y in No he n G eece is ela ed
o speci ic demog aphic cha ac e is ics.
By he e m in es men in manage ial digi alisa ion, in his esea ch, he g oss in es -
men is conside ed. To be mo e speci ic, he ini ial o al amoun o in es men is aken in o
accoun , be o e he deduc ion o dep ecia ion (Ha is and Roach 2018).
The e a e 8 a iables conside ed, in o de o e alua e he ela ionships o he esea ch
hypo hesis. Mo e speci ically, h ough s a is ical analysis, i was examined whe he he
7 independen a iables a ec he dependen a iable (Da id and Su on 2004). The
manage ial digi alisa ion cos o ho el uni s was de ined as he dependen a iable (Y),
while he demog aphic ac o s o ho el uni s we e used as he independen a iables (X)
(Appendix A).
As shown in Table 1below, he independen a iables (X) include ho el classi ica ion
c i e ia, and mo e speci ically s a a ing (Su i 2019), co po a e o m (Cunill 2003), numbe
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52 4 o 12
o employees and annual u no e as size cha ac e is ics (Eu opean Commission 2019),
seasonali y (Leslie 2012), ype o accommoda ion (Inskeep 1991) and egion o ac i i y
(Page 2003).
Table 1. Independen a iables.
Independen Va iable Re e ence
S a Ra ing Su i (2019) X1
Co po a e o m Cunill (2003) X2
Numbe o employees in 2022 Eu opean Commission (2019) X3
Annual u no e in 2022 Eu opean Commission (2019) X4
Ope a ing pe iod Leslie (2012) X5
Accommoda ion ype Inskeep (1991) X6
Region Page (2003) X7
As he amoun o in es men in manage ial digi alisa ion is qui e possible o be ela ed
o he size and inancial esou ces o each co po a ion, an indica o was chosen as he
dependen a iable (Y), ins ead o a mone a y amoun . In pa icula , he index BUD.BY.REV.
(budge as a pe cen age o o al e enue) was chosen, which p esen s in es men as a
pe cen age o annual u no e (Mahmood and Mann 1991). Fu he mo e, he base p ice
was se a 2.5%, acco ding o S a ko (2022).
3. Analysis o Resul s
As shown in Table 2, 61 ho els o he sample (79.2%) ope a e in Cen al Macedonia,
14 (18.2%)
in Eas e n Macedonia and Th ace and 2 (2.6%) in Wes e n Macedonia. Rega ding
s a anking, 36.4% (n = 28) o ho el uni s we e in he ca ego y 3*, 22.1% (n = 17) we e in he
ca ego y 4* and 16.9% (n = 13) we e in he ca ego y 5*. Acco dingly, 16.9% (n = 13) we e in
he ca ego y 2* and 7.8 (n = 6) in he ca ego y 1*. As o he co po a ion o m, 89.6% (n = 69)
o ho els we e ope a ing independen ly and 10.4% (n = 8) we e membe s o a ho el g oup.
Table 2. Sample demog aphics.
(n) %
S a anking
* 6 7.8%
** 13 16.9%
*** 28 36.4%
**** 17 22.1%
***** 13 16.9%
Co po a e o m Membe o ho el chain 8 10.4%
Independen ho el 69 89.6%
Numbe o employees in 2022
≤10 36 46.8%
11–50 27 35.1%
51–250 11 14.3%
≥251 3 3.9%
Annual u no e in 2022 (in EUR)
≤2000.000 57 74.0%
2,000,001–10,000,000 12 15.6%
10,000,001–50,000,000 3 3.9%
≥50,000,001 5 6.5%
Ope a ing pe iod Twel e mon hs 40 51.9%
Seasonal 37 48.1%
Accommoda ion ype
Summe 42 54.5%
U ban 24 31.2%
Win e 4 5.2%
O he (e.g., mo el) 7 9.1%
Regional uni
Cen al Macedonia 61 79.2%
Eas e n Macedonia and Th ace 14 18.2%
Wes e n Macedonia 2 2.6%
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52 5 o 12
Fu he mo e, 46.8% o he sample employed less han 10 wo ke s du ing 2022 and
35.1% had be ween 11 and 50 employees. A smalle pe cen age o ho el uni s epo ed 51 o
250 employees (14.3%) o mo e han 250 employees (3.9%). Rega ding he annual income,
he esul s showed ha 74% o hem had a u no e o less han EUR 2 million, 15.6%
coun ed a u no e o EUR 2 o 10 million and 10.4% had an income o o e EUR 10 million.
The majo i y o he sample ope a ed con inuously ( wel e-mon h pe iod)
(n = 40,
51.9%),
while 54.5% (n = 42) we e summe accommoda ions. A smalle pe cen age o ho el uni s
had a seasonal ope a ion (n = 37, 48.1%), 31.2% we e cha ac e ized as u ban
(n = 24),
5.2%
as win e (n = 4) and 9.1% as o he ypes o accommoda ion (n = 7). Taking in o accoun he
Eu opean Union ca ego isa ion o small and medium-sized en e p ises (SMEs) (Eu opean
Commission 2019), 33 ho el en e p ises a e ca ego ised as e y small, 26 as small, 12 as
medium sized and only 6 as la ge en i ies.
Table 3p esen s s a is ics ega ding he pe cen age o ho el uni s’ in es men in he
implemen a ion o digi al manage ial ools. The esul s show ha 36.4% o ho els ha e
in es ed in he implemen a ion o digi al managemen ools a a a e o less han 1.25%,
while 46.8% ha e in es ed in he implemen a ion o digi al managemen ools a a a e
be ween 1.25% and 2.5%. A signi ican ly smalle pe cen age o ho el uni s ha e in es ed in
he implemen a ion o digi al managemen ools a a a e be ween 2.51% and 3.75% and a
a a e abo e 3.75%.
Table 3. In es men in he adop ion o manage ial digi alisa ion ools.
n %
Pe cen age o ho el uni ’s in es men in
implemen ing digi al manage ial ools
Less han 1.25% 28 36.4%
F om 1.25% o 2.5% 36 46.8%
F om 2.51% o 3.75% 9 11.7%
Abo e 3.75% 4 5.2%
The indings ega ding he ela ionship be ween he in es men a e o ho els in he
adop ion o digi al manage ial ools and hei demog aphic cha ac e is ics (s a a ing,
co po a e o m, numbe o employees, annual u no e , seasonali y, ype o accommoda ion
and egion o ope a ion) a e p esen ed below. In o de o in es iga e he ela ionship
be ween he in es men a e and demog aphic cha ac e is ics, he
χ2
independence es
is used. Table 4shows ha he in es men pe cen age o ho el uni s in he applica ion o
digi al manage ial ools depends, o a s a is ically signi ican ex en , on he ollowing:
i. The co po a ion o m (χ2(3) = 9272, p= 0.026);
ii. The numbe o employees (χ2(9) = 28,105, p= 0.001);
iii. The pe iod o ope a ion (χ2(3) = 8738, p= 0.033);
i . The ype o accommoda ion (χ2(9) = 19,688, p= 0.020).
Table 4. In es men in manage ial digi alisa ion and co po a e o m.
Budge as a Pe cen age o To al Re enue
χ2p
<1.25% 1.25–2.5% 2.51–3.75% >3.75%
Co po a e o m 9.272 0.026 *
Membe o a chain.
n 0 5 3 0
% 0.0% 62.5% 37.5% 0.0%
Independen uni . n 28 31 6 4
% 40.6% 44.9% 8.7% 5.8%
* The p obabili y (p- alue) is less han he p ede e mined signi icance le el (0.05 o 5%), indica ing a s a is ically
signi ican inding.
The abo e esul s om he ela ionship be ween he BUD.BY.REV. index and ho els’
co po a e o m show ha om he o al o ho els being membe s o a chain, 62.5% in es
in he adop ion o digi al manage ial ools be ween 1.25% and 2.5% o hei o al e enue,
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52 6 o 12
while 37.5% in es be ween 2.51% and 3.75%. Acco dingly, ega ding independen ho els,
40.6% in es in he applica ion o digi al managemen ools less han 1.25% o hei budge ,
44.9% in es om 1.25% o 2.5%, 8.7% in es be ween 2.51% and 3.75% and 5.8% in es
mo e han 3.75% o hei o al e enue. I is ob ious om he abo e ha membe s o
ho el g oups a e expec ed o in es highe p opo ional amoun s in hei adminis a i e
digi alisa ion compa ed o independen ho el uni s. This inding con i ms he indings o
Al awadieh e al. (2020), who a gue ha membe s o ho el g oups a e mo e esponsi e o
cos s and ha e ewe es ic ions on digi al ans o ma ion han independen ho el uni s.
As a as he ela ionship be ween he in es men a e and he numbe o employees,
he ollowing Table 5p esen s he ele an esul s.
Table 5. In es men in manage ial digi alisa ion and s a numbe .
Budge as a Pe cen age o To al Re enue
χ2p
<1.25% 1.25–2.5% 2.51–3.75% >3.75%
Numbe o
employees in 2022 28.105 0.001 *
≤10 n 19 11 3 3
% 52.8% 30.6% 8.3% 8.3%
11–50 n 7 18 2 0
% 25.9% 66.7% 7.4% 0.0%
51–250 n 2 7 2 0
% 18.2% 63.6% 18.2% 0.0%
≥251 n 0 0 2 1
% 0.0% 0.0% 66.7% 33.3%
* The p obabili y (p- alue) is less han he p ede e mined signi icance le el (0.05 o 5%), indica ing a s a is ically
signi ican inding.
The ela ionship be ween he BUD.BY.REV. index and he numbe o employees shows
ha 52.8% o ho el uni s wi h up o 10 employees in es less han 1.5% o hei o al
e enue, 30.6% in es be ween 1.25% and 2.5%, 8.3% in es be ween 2.51% and 3.75% and
8.3% in es mo e han 3.75% o hei e enue. Fu he mo e, 25.9% o ho els wi h 11 o
50 employees
in es less han 1.25%, 66.7% in es om 1.25% o 2.5% and 7.4% in es om
2.51% o 3.75%. In addi ion, 18.2% o ho el uni s ha ha e 51 o 250 employees in es
less han 1.25%, 63.6% in es be ween 1.25% and 2.5% and 18.2% in es om 2.51% o
3.75%. Finally, 66.7% o ho els wi h mo e han 250 wo ke s in es be ween 2.51% and
3.75% o hei o al e enue, while 33.3% in es mo e han 3.75%. These esul s show ha
he e is a posi i e co ela ion be ween he in es men a e and s a numbe , while ho el
uni s wi h mo e han 250 employees a e mo e likely o in es a g ea e pe cen age in he
implemen a ion o digi al manage ial ools. The abo e con i ms he conclusion o Pa eli
e al. (2022), who a gue ha co po a e size is posi i ely ela ed o accessibili y o new
echnologies.
The ela ionship be ween he in es men a e and he ope a ing pe iod o he ho els is
p esen ed in Table 6.
Table 6. In es men in manage ial digi alisa ion and pe iod o ope a ion.
Budge as a Pe cen age o To al Re enue
χ2p
<1.25% 1.25–2.5% 2.51–3.75% >3.75%
Ope a ing pe iod 8.738 0.033 *
Seasonal n 10 19 8 3
% 25.0% 47.5% 20.0% 7.5%
Twel e mon hs n 18 17 1 1
% 48.6% 45.9% 2.7% 2.7%
* The p obabili y (p- alue) is less han he p ede e mined signi icance le el (0.05 o 5%), indica ing a s a is ically
signi ican inding.
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52 7 o 12
The abo e esul s show ha 25% o seasonal ho els in es up o 1.25% o hei o al
e enue, 47.5% in es be ween 1.25% and 2.5%, 20% in es be ween 2.51% and 3.75% and
only 7.5% in es mo e han 3.75%. Acco dingly, 48.6% o ho els wi h con inuous ope a ion
in es less han 1.25%, 45.9% in es om 1.25% o 2.5%, 2.7% in es om 2.51% o 3.75%,
while 2.7% in es mo e han 3.75%. The abo e indings show ha seasonal ho els a e mo e
likely o in es a g ea e pe cen age in manage ial digi alisa ion han wel e-mon h ho el
uni s. This inding is consis en wi h Naumik-Gladka e al. (2023), a guing ha seasonal
s a ing is associa ed wi h a highe use o in o ma ion and communica ion echnologies
(I.C.T.).
Finally, he ela ionship be ween he in es men a e and he accommoda ion ype o
he ho el uni s is p esen ed in Table 7.
Table 7. In es men in manage ial digi alisa ion and ype o accommoda ion.
Budge as a Pe cen age o To al Re enue
χ2p
<1.25% 1.25–2.5% 2.51–3.75% >3.75%
Accommoda ion ype 19.688 0.020 *
Summe n 11 20 8 3
% 26.2% 47.6% 19.0% 7.1%
U ban n 9 14 1 0
% 37.5% 58.3% 4.2% 0.0%
Win e n 4 0 0 0
% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
O he n 4 2 0 1
% 57.1% 28.6% 0.0% 14.3%
* The p obabili y (p- alue) is less han he p ede e mined signi icance le el (0.05 o 5%), indica ing a s a is ically
signi ican inding.
The esul s show ha 26.2% o summe accommoda ions in es up o 1.25%, 47.6%
in es be ween 1.25% and 2.5%, 19% in es om 2.51% o 3.75% and 7.1% in es abo e
3.75% o hei o al e enue. Acco dingly, 37.5% o u ban ho els in es less han 1.25% and
58.3% in es be ween 1.25% and 2.5%, while 4.2% in es om be ween 2.51% and 3.75%.
Fu he mo e, all win e eso s (100%) in es less han 1.25% in he adop ion o digi al
manage ial ools. Finally, as a as o he unca ego ised ho els a e conce ned (e.g., mo els),
57.1% in es up o 1.25%, 28.6% in es be ween 1.25% and 2.5% and only 14.3% in es mo e
han 3.75%. These esul s show ha summe eso s and o he ype o ho el uni s a e mo e
likely o in es a g ea e pe cen age in manage ial digi alisa ion compa ed o u ban and
win e ho el uni s.
4. Discussion
This s udy con ibu es o he g owing li e a u e su ounding digi alisa ion in he
hospi ali y sec o , by highligh ing digi aliza ion cos s and hei ele ance wi h ce ain ho el
demog aphic cha ac e is ics. This is a signi ican con ibu ion o he li e a u e, gi en ha
he e a e a limi ed numbe o published pape s ha ocus on he ole o ho el ai s a he
han he pe sonal demog aphic cha ac e is ics o manage s and/o ho el owne s.
F om he s a is ical analysis o he sample, i eme ged ha he amoun o in es men
in manage ial digi alisa ion depends on he ho els’ co po a e o m (independen , membe
o a g oup, anchisee), on he numbe o employees, on he seasonali y and on he ype o
accommoda ion (summe , u ban, win e , o he ). In pa icula , he ollowing conclusions
eme ged ega ding manage ial digi alisa ion cos and he ac o s a ec ing i .
Fi s o all, as shown in Figu e 1, i is ob ious ha he ‘lion’s sha e’ o he sample,
almos 83%, in es less han 2.5% o hei annual u no e in new echnologies, which is
smalle han he pe cen age ha S a ko epo s (2022), while only 17% o he ho els spend
mo e han 2.5% o hei u no e on manage ial digi alisa ion.
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 52 8 o 12
Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 o 13
a e mo e likely o in es a g ea e pe cen age in manage ial digi alisa ion compa ed o
u ban and win e ho el uni s.
4. Discussion
This s udy con ibu es o he g owing li e a u e su ounding digi alisa ion in he hos-
pi ali y sec o , by highligh ing digi aliza ion cos s and hei ele ance wi h ce ain ho el
demog aphic cha ac e is ics. This is a signi ican con ibu ion o he li e a u e, gi en ha
he e a e a limi ed numbe o published pape s ha ocus on he ole o ho el ai s a he
han he pe sonal demog aphic cha ac e is ics o manage s and/o ho el owne s.
F om he s a is ical analysis o he sample, i eme ged ha he amoun o in es men
in manage ial digi alisa ion depends on he ho els’ co po a e o m (independen , membe
o a g oup, anchisee), on he numbe o employees, on he seasonali y and on he ype
o accommoda ion (summe , u ban, win e , o he ). In pa icula , he ollowing conclu-
sions eme ged ega ding manage ial digi alisa ion cos and he ac o s affec ing i .
Fi s o all, as shown in Figu e 1, i is ob ious ha he ‘lion’s sha e’ o he sample,
almos 83%, in es less han 2.5% o hei annual u no e in new echnologies, which is
smalle han he pe cen age ha S a ko epo s (2022), while only 17% o he ho els spend
mo e han 2.5% o hei u no e on manage ial digi alisa ion.
Figu e 1. In es men in manage ial digi alisa ion by annual u no e .
In ela ion o he ac o s ha affec he in es men in manage ial digi alisa ion, he
ollowing s and ou :
Co po a e o m
As shown in Table 4, i has been ound ha a membe o a ho el g oup is mo e likely
o in es a highe pe cen age o income in manage ial digi alisa ion han independen ho-
el uni s and membe s o a anchise chain, (p = 0.026 < 0.05), which is in line wi h he wo k
o Ya uz and Mesci (2021) and Al awadieh e al. (2020). I is sugges ed ha his inding is
connec ed wi h he b oade s a egy o he ho el g oup and he mo e complex manage-
men and con ol p ocess. Being an in e na ional ho el chain has ad an ages, and hus
hey can implemen new sys ems mo e easily.
Fi m size (Numbe o employees—Annual u no e )
A posi i e co ela ion was obse ed in Table 5 be ween he numbe o employees and
he in es men in manage ial digi alisa ion (p = 0.001 < 0.05). On he o he hand, he e was
a ma ginal ejec ion o he hypo hesis ega ding annual u no e s (p = 0.059 > 0.05). Mo e
speci ically, acco ding o he indings p esen ed in Appendix A, al hough a posi i e
36%
47%
12% 5%
In es men in manage ial digi alisa ion
<1.25% o annual u no e
1.25%–2.5% o annual
u no e
2.5%–3.75% o annual
u no e
>3.75% o annual u no e
Figu e 1. In es men in manage ial digi alisa ion by annual u no e .
In ela ion o he ac o s ha a ec he in es men in manage ial digi alisa ion, he
ollowing s and ou :
Co po a e o m
As shown in Table 4, i has been ound ha a membe o a ho el g oup is mo e likely
o in es a highe pe cen age o income in manage ial digi alisa ion han independen ho el
uni s and membe s o a anchise chain, (p= 0.026 < 0.05), which is in line wi h he wo k o
Ya uz and Mesci (2021) and Al awadieh e al. (2020). I is sugges ed ha his inding is
connec ed wi h he b oade s a egy o he ho el g oup and he mo e complex managemen
and con ol p ocess. Being an in e na ional ho el chain has ad an ages, and hus hey can
implemen new sys ems mo e easily.
Fi m size (Numbe o employees—Annual u no e )
A posi i e co ela ion was obse ed in Table 5be ween he numbe o employees and
he in es men in manage ial digi alisa ion (p= 0.001 < 0.05). On he o he hand, he e
was a ma ginal ejec ion o he hypo hesis ega ding annual u no e s
(p= 0.059 > 0.05).
Mo e speci ically, acco ding o he indings p esen ed in Appendix A, al hough a posi i e
co ela ion was ound be ween he dependen (BUD.BY.REV. a io) and an independen
a iable (annual u no e in 2022), i was conside ed bo de line no s a is ically signi ican .
Such a co ela ion, combined wi h he al eady iden i ied posi i e ela ionship wi h he
numbe o employees, es ablishes a hypo hesis ha he in es men in manage ial dig-
i alisa ion is posi i ely associa ed wi h he size o a i m, which is consis en wi h he
indings o Jaumo e e al. (2023) and Pa eli e al. (2022). The ela ionship be ween size and
digi alisa ion has al eady been epo ed in o he esea ch (Raimo e al. 2022;Zimme mann
2018). Py oh e al. (2021) highligh he signi ican gap be ween la ge companies and small
and medium-sized en e p ises, which exis s no only o ad anced echnologies bu also
o basic digi al solu ions.
Seasonali y
As pic u ed in Table 6, ou esea ch e i ies ha he e is a co ela ion be ween sea-
sonali y and he cos o digi alisa ion in he ho el sec o . I shows ha ho el uni s ha
ope a e seasonally seem mo e likely o in es highe amoun s in manage ial digi alisa ion
compa ed o 12-mon h ope a ing ho els (p= 0.033 < 0.05). This inding, howe e , is no
suppo ed by he wo k o I ano ic e al. (2022), who s a e ha ho el companies wi h
seasonal ope a ions ind i di icul o ob ain he necessa y inancial esou ces on he capi al
ma ke o cu en and in es men ope a ions; he e is a low e u n on in es men and a
low le el o esou ce u iliza ion in he ho el indus y. As a consequence, u he e alua ion
o his a iable in a di e en o la ge sample is conside ed aluable. F om he e on, as
he selec ed index akes in o accoun he annual income, i is necessa y o examine he
seasonali y in he u no e and by ex ension in he BUD.BY.REV. a io. A his poin , i
