Locational Dynamics of Luxury Hotels in Shanghai Metropolis, China: A Spatial-Temporal Perspective

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the spatial associations of luxury hotels by using geographical information system (GIS) tools and the multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model to examine the relationships between the distribution of luxury hotels and exogenous (regional) determinants of urban subdistricts in which the luxury hotels are located. Shanghai City is used as an example. The study first introduces the spatial-temporal characteristics of luxury hotels in Shanghai City, and the key exogenous determinants that contribute to luxury hotel location choice are identified with the MGWR model. The nearest neighbor index decreased from 1.01 to 0.47 and Moran’s I statistics increased from 0.268 to 0.452, revealing that the spatial-temporal evolution pattern of luxury hotels presents a cluster trend from 1995 to 2015. The significance level of the standard regression coefficient shows that the institutional proximity, room rate, green space and the World Expo are the primary determining factors that influence the distribution of luxury hotels in Shanghai City. The analysis is important theoretically, as it presents new and novel methodologies for shedding light on the influencing factors of the locational dynamics of luxury hotels. Meanwhile, it enriches the methodologies for analyzing the relationships between luxury hotels and urban structures, and it is important for practitioners, as it provides strategic information that would enable them to globally select appropriate locations for luxury hotels.