Luxury without guilt: service innovation in the all-inclusive hotel industry

With more than 500 all-inclusive resorts around the world, competition in this sector is intense and resorts are constantly trying to gain a sustainable competitive advantage through innovation. The main aim of this article is to investigate the issue of non-technological innovation in the holiday resort industry, in general, and, in particular, how such innovation has enabled the success of ultra all-inclusive concept. The article is based on the case of the Excellence group, analysing the factors behind the success of their business model and its sustainability.

[1]  Ian Miles,et al.  Patterns of innovation in service industries , 2008, IBM Syst. J..

[2]  Judy A. Siguaw,et al.  Best Practices in Information Technology , 1999 .

[3]  B. Tether Do Services Innovate (Differently)? Insights from the European Innobarometer Survey , 2005 .

[4]  R. Barras Towards a theory of innovation in services , 1986 .

[5]  J. Fagerberg,et al.  The Oxford handbook of innovation , 2006 .

[6]  Giorgio Sirilli,et al.  Measuring innovation in services , 1995 .

[7]  F. Gallouj Innovation in services and the attendant old and new myths , 2002 .

[8]  Donald O. Neubaum,et al.  Corporate Innovation and Competitive Environment , 2005 .

[9]  Ian Miles,et al.  Services and the Knowledge-Based Economy , 2000 .

[10]  M. Allen Strategic management of consumer services , 1988 .

[11]  I. Buick Information technology in small Scottish hotels: is it working? , 2003 .

[12]  M. Ottenbacher,et al.  How to Develop Successful Hospitality Innovation , 2005 .

[13]  I. Miles,et al.  Innovation, Measurement and Services: the new problematique , 2000 .

[14]  L. Rubalcaba Which policy for innovation in services , 2006 .

[15]  R. Coase The Nature of the Firm , 1937 .

[16]  Faïz Gallouj,et al.  Services and the search for relevant innovation indicators: a review of national and international surveys , 1999 .

[17]  Giorgio Sirilli,et al.  Innovation in the service sector. Results from the Italian Statistical Survey , 1998 .

[18]  J. Tirole The Theory of Industrial Organization , 1988 .

[19]  Francina Orfila-Sintes,et al.  Internet innovation for external relations in the Balearic hotel industry , 2007 .

[20]  Faïz Gallouj,et al.  Innovation in services , 1997 .

[21]  K. Chon,et al.  Marketing resorts to 2000: review of trends in the USA , 1995 .

[22]  I. Miles Innovation in Services , 1995 .

[23]  T. C. Powell,et al.  Information technology as competitive advantage: the role of human , 1997 .