Strategies of Employee Engagement in Franchise Hotels from the Perspectives of Frontline Employees and Their Managers

摘要

Employee engagement is a pinnacle concept in any business. The hospitality industry depends on the behavior and work of its employees. Hotels use the service of employees to gain and keep guests, remaining relevant and growing the facility. Employment engagement in the literature contributed little attention to franchise hotels. With this in mind, the research focused on four research questions: (a) How do hotel employees describe engagement at work? (b) How and why have engagement strategies influenced hotel employees' perspectives of their jobs and their performance? (c) How do hotel managers describe employee engagement strategies and their impact on employees? (d) How do employee engagement strategies in franchise hotels affect the perceived organizational performance? General employees answered Research Questions (a) and (b) through in-depth interviews, while management employees answered Research Questions (c) and (d) during a focus group. This dissertation was conducted using a qualitative, holistic, single-case study methodology. Triangulation included information from the literature, the interviews, and the focus group to add to the validity. Individuals who were employed in a hotel and had worked in a guest-facing position participated. These positions were most likely to have human interactions which influence how guests view a franchise hotel. Key findings were: (a) employees felt morale improved with engagement activities; (b) employees felt they must trust managers to feel connected to the hotel; (c) an indication that management employees felt that communication is key to employee performance; and (d) managers believed employee engagement initiatives improved guest ratings and review.