Exploring current benchmarking practices in the Egyptian hotel sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current state, understanding and opinions of benchmarking in the Egyptian hotel sector in order to establish its perceived benefits, obstacles, and possible improvements. Design/methodology/approach – By way of a three part structured self‐administrated questionnaire, a representative sample of 128 two, three, four and five star hotels (giving a response rate of 29 percent) in Sharm El‐Sheikh, Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor were examined. Descriptive statistics were drawn from general hotel data, in addition to data pertaining to the understanding of benchmarking and the impressions or experiences of its barriers and future use. Findings – A generally positive attitude towards benchmarking predominated, with the majority of participants understanding benchmarking to be a quality enhancement tool that can bring about better service. Most perceived it to be a useful and inexpensive strategy to connect to other businesses. Furthermore, senior management staff were seen to play a crucial role in quality improvement. However, barriers to its wider or continuing use exist, with 25 percent of participants unwilling or unsure to consider its usage in the future. Limitations of benchmarking included too much data collection and the unwillingness of potential benchmarking partners in sharing data. Research limitations/implications – Identifying specific obstacles to effective benchmarking must be undertaken so that they may be practically overcome. In addition conducting multiple case studies to compare benchmarking practices around the Arab world, or in conjunction with the US and UK, would be of great value to the industry. Originality/value – There is an absence of empirical research into benchmarking applications in the hospitality industry, especially in North Africa and the Middle East. The present study addresses the lack of data regarding benchmarking within the context of the Egyptian hotel sector.