An investigation of hotel property renovation : The external parties' view

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an empirically‐based insight into the practice and perception of architects, interior designers and building contractors who make up the external parties involved in the hotel renovation process. Design/methodology/approach – In the paper a survey is used to elicit and represent existing practices as well as external parties' perceptions regarding renovation as a product development tool in the hotel industry. Findings – The paper reports findings of a survey conducted with external parties' firms in Egypt on the challenges of renovation in the hotel industry. Practical implications – The paper shows that, from the interpretation of the data reflecting responses of the external parties' companies in Egypt, the analysis shows that “lack of money” and “limits by owners” are perceived by external companies to be the main obstacles to renovation in all hotel categories. Surprisingly, the training of the external parties did not include marketing and the majority were found to have a limited understanding of marketing concepts, such as new product development and innovation. All the external parties referred most frequently to their design being for “the client”, meaning the hotelier, however, rather than the hotel customer. Originality/value – In the paper, implications for both external parties and hoteliers are offered.