Author: Shih, Chia Loo Louis
Title: Is back-of-house back of mind in China?
Advisors: McKercher, Bob (SHTM)
Degree: DHTM
Year: 2017
Subject: Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Hotels -- Design and construction
Hotels -- China -- Planning
Hotel management -- China
Department: School of Hotel and Tourism Management
Pages: 288 pages : color illustrations
Language: English
Abstract: The purpose of this thesis research is to explore whether or not hotel's back-of-the-house design (BOH Design) has been ignored in China. If so, what were the causes and could the ignoring of the BOH Design in China be corrected. Not many research reports on back-of-the-house (BOH) have been published, even less on BOH Design. The thesis was based on the primary data collected through in-depth interviews. The data were then analyzed qualitatively by adopting grounded theory together with content analysis. The research confirmed that BOH Design had been ignored in China due to 12 direct causes including overly tight cost control; not allowing enough time to design; paying more attention to front-of-the-house (FOH) than BOH, and interfering design by the hotel owners, to name some of them. But more importantly, the research also identified, behind all these direct causes, the basic causes of the ignoring of BOH Design were hotel stakeholders' lack of the conceptual knowledge of modern hotel operations, consumer services, and above all, forgetting hotels were primary invested for direct financial profit. Hotel was not tourism infrastructure or incentive for higher real estate selling price. The thesis also found formulating a prescription to correct the ignoring of BOH Design for better hotel service quality was not at all difficult. Yet, establishing the determination to correct might not be as easy. While some hotels in China today have paid attention to the BOH Design but it still seems the majority have not given the BOH the attention needed and deserved. The thesis concluded, until the mindset of the stakeholders in China were given a fresh start, to improve the BOH Design could be easy said than done.
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/200/9267