Author: Zhao, Jingxin
Title: Stakeholders' perceptions of the hotel star rating system in China as a quality indicator
Advisors: Wang, Dan (SHTM)
Degree: DHTM
Year: 2019
Subject: Hotels -- Evaluation -- China
Hospitality industry -- China -- Quality control
Hotel management -- China
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Department: School of Hotel and Tourism Management
Pages: 160 pages
Language: English
Abstract: Star ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. The concept of hotel star rating and its associated definitions developed in parallel. From the initial purpose of informing travelers of the basic facilities to expect, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded to include a reflection of the hotel experience as a whole. Established in 1998, China's star-rating system has a shorter history than those of other countries. Moreover, hotels in China face many challenges to participating in the star-rating process. This research paper systematically evaluates the effectiveness of the hotel star-rating system in China; explores the implications of China's system in terms such as popularity, acceptance, and practicality; and examines the usefulness of star ratings from various stakeholders' perspectives by interviewing different groups of stakeholders involved in the star-rating process. Information on the key stakeholders of the star-rating system are collected. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the hotel star-rating system in China, especially whether hotel star ratings are a reliable quality indicator from various stakeholders' perspectives. The study had the following objectives: - To investigate the extent to which the China star rating is a reliable indicator of hotel service quality from the consumer's perspective; - To examine the relationship between the star-rating system and hotel quality improvement from the perspective of management and owners; - To explore the effectiveness of the star-rating system from the perspective of government officials; - To provide practical solutions for improving the hotel star-rating system in China. Qualitative method is adopted for the study. The overall design philosophy and guidelines of the interview questions, as well as the data analysis are detailed. Information is gathered from four stakeholder groups: government officials, hotel general managers, hotel owners, and hotel customers. The interview questions for each group were based on three aspects: credibility, usefulness, and usability. This paper also considers whether the star ratings of hotels in China are reliable indicators of quality from various stakeholders' perspectives. Furthermore, insightful solutions and suggestions to problems regarding the star-rating system are provided, as well as practical implications that can be considered and used to strengthen implementation of the hotel star-rating system in China.
Rights: All rights reserved
Access: restricted access

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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/10609