Innovation radar in hospitality: a new procedure to evaluate the innovation in hotels

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to propose a new procedure called innovation radar in hospitality (IRH), which was specifically designed to measure the innovations in hotels. Design/methodology/approach Based on a systematic review, a structured questionnaire was developed with 31 questions. The questions covered 12 dimensions related to hospitality: offer, platform, solutions, customer, customer experience, value capture, processes, organization, supply chain, presence, network and brand. The developed IRH instrument allowed to identify five ordered stages of innovation in the hospitality industry: basic operational, advanced operational, basic innovator, intermediate innovator and advanced innovator. The IRH was tested in real environment in Brazilian Hotels. Findings The procedure proved to be stable and able to rank hotels by innovation. The IRH allocated hotels consistently into one of the five stages. By analyzing each survey hotel individually, the procedure showed no discrepancies between the individual rates and the allocated stage by IRH. Practical implications The IRH can be an automated and structured instrument to measure innovation by consumers, platforms, agencies, research studies and governments. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first structured and quantitative procedure to measure innovation in hotels. The radar was able to detect specific actions aimed at innovation that serve as a good prediction mechanism for innovation in the hospitality sector. In this context, the radar emerges as an important tool for innovation metrics in the tourism sector, offering analysis mechanisms and a way to evaluate and monitor companies.