Key performance indicators in European hotel properties: general managers’ choices and company profiles

Abstract

This paper presents the development process, methodology and findings from the first stage of an ongoing collaborative research project undertaken to determine the performance indicators employed by hotel general managers. The main focus of the study is to gain a greater understanding of the decision‐making context in which general managers of national and international hotel chains use performance measures (with properties located in Europe). In particular, interest is directed at assessing the match between the “key indicators” used by general managers, their “interpretation” of the indicators and the use made of the indicators for “decision‐making”. By drawing upon theoretical concepts and empirical evidence in the literature, the content examines performance measurement in a hotel industry context and presents the analysis and evaluation of quantitative results.