The initiation, evaluation and development of a market information system in a hotel.

The main purpose of the thesis is to identify and describe the way in which a medium size luxury hotel can relate itself more effectively to the market by means of its information system. Part I, the theory, examines the conceptual basis of a systematic approach to the collection and use of market information, Fundamental terminology is defined and the social and scientific processes which are used to convert data into decisions are identified. The decision-making processes within the hotel both by employees and customers are set in context and the basic premises for the design of a system are described. Part II, the study, is concerned with the way in which the work was undertaken in the subject company. Although not further subdivided this section could also be considered in three stages. The preliminary stage shows how the list of data necessary to cope with decision-making in a hotel was generated. Examples are then given of the way in which this data was actually collected and used for solving problems. This involved implementing procedures to manipulate the very large volumes of data and their interpretation in a way that would have meaning to managers unaccustomed to structuring their thinking in terms of market information, Thus a limited strategic planning process was introduced that effectively bridged the gap between thinking (decision-making) and doing. Finally, a feedback mechanism designed to monitor the effects of these actions on the hotel's position in the market place was developed and applied through its sales force. Part III, the evaluation, assesses the methods used in the research and the results which they achieved. In, addition, the general viability of market information systems in other types of hotel is considered