Determinants of performance in the hotel industry - an empirical analysis of Italy

Among the diverse services of the tourism sector, this paper concentrates on the hotel industry, which includes a set of companies that is homogenous in production and competitive setting. The hotel industry is a key component of the tourism sector since it is fundamental to the provision of all other tourism services. The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between performance and its determinants in the Italian hotel industry. The findings aim to verify whether variables such as size, category and variety of services provided, positively influence the performance of the hotels. Methodologically, the research starts with theoretical work, comprising mainly a literature review on the subject, with special focus on the concept of performance in the hotel industry. Subsequently, it describes the empirical research undertaken, which includes the selection process of a sample of 450 hotels, and a questionnaire survey based on this sample. Finally, the research results are presented, which show a clear relationship between category and performance, while size and variety of the services provided do not appear to be linked to performance.