VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Nicolau, Juan Luis"

Browsing by Author "Nicolau, Juan Luis"

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A motivation-based study to explain accommodation choice of senior tourists: Hotel or Airbnb
Nicolau, Juan Luis; Rodríguez-Sánchez, Carla; Ruiz-Moreno, Felipe (Elsevier, 2024-10-01)
Senior tourists, traditionally known for using offline methods and staying in hotels, are increasingly using new technologies and opting for alternative accommodation forms. Based on the push and pull theory of motivation, the generational cohort and lifespan development theories, this study fills a gap in the literature and examines senior tourists’ choice between Airbnb and hotels. A random parameter binomial logit applied to data from six European countries finds that the same motivation can act differently in this decision choice process. Rather than assuming that a motivation has an exclusive effect on each accommodation type, we propose the notion of a “differential fulfillment paradigm” to reflect the idea that two accommodation types can relate to the same motivation with different approaches. While both hotels and Airbnb can fulfill a common motivation, they do so through distinct features or attributes, offering consumers diverse avenues to achieve their desired outcome.
A Time-lagged Examination of Voluntary and Task-related Green Behavior in the Travel Industry
Dhir, Amandeep; Talwar, Shalini; Raj, Sahil; Sampat, Brinda; Nicolau, Juan Luis (Sage, 2024-02-09)
With climate change continuing to threaten the earth’s ecosystems, the travel industry is under increased pressure to adopt green policies. The effective implementation of these policies is largely dependent on employee commitment, but research offering insights into employees’ green behavior in the travel industry is sparse. We addressed this gap using the value-belief-norm theory to conceptualize the drivers of employees’ task-related and voluntary green behaviors. We examined the impact of values (biospheric, altruistic, and egoistic), beliefs (the new environmental paradigm, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility), and pro-environmental personal norms on these outcomes. Analyzing time-lagged data collected in three waves from 186 hotel employees, we found a positive sequential association of biospheric values with beliefs, norms, and green behaviors. From a theoretical viewpoint, our study grounds hotel employees’ green behaviors in a prosocial theory, thereby offering a relatively new yet pertinent explanation of these behaviors.
Advance booking across channels: The effects on dynamic pricing
Bigne, Enrique; Nicolau, Juan Luis; William, Edu (Elsevier, 2021-10-01)
This research analyzes the effects of advance booking and channel type on hotel rates. While this relationship has been addressed in the literature, most studies take a partial approach by focusing only on one distribution channel or one destination. This study fills this gap by analyzing the price dynamics for four channels and multiple destinations. The data set consists of 39,363 bookings for 1085 hotels over 27 consecutive months. We used two-stage least squares to solve potential endogeneity issues, and the results proved that distribution channel, hotel type and hotel size have an influence on the effect of advance booking on hotel rates. Critical managerial implications are discussed.
Airbnb vs hotel? Customer selection behaviors in upward and downward COVID-19 trends
Nicolau, Juan Luis; Sharma, Abhinav; Shin, Hakseung; Kang, Juhyun (Emerald, 2023-04-04)
Purpose: To provide a dynamic view on accommodation choice behaviors during the pandemic, this study aims to examine the impact of recent trends on prospective travelers’ preferences for hotels and Airbnb. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a mixed methods approach that incorporates three independent studies (experimental analysis, online search pattern analysis and an econometric event study) to understand customer decision-making behaviors. Findings: The findings indicate that travelers prefer Airbnb entire flats/apartments to hotels when the pandemic is trending upward. This result externally validates travelers’ preference toward Airbnb during periods of high risk. Interestingly, when the trends go downward, however, the same behavioral pattern was not identified. Research limitations/implications: This study provides important empirical insights into how the evolution of health crises influence customer decision-making for hotels and Airbnb. Future research needs to consider the role of socio-demographic factors in accommodation selection behaviors and examine how travelers react to cleanliness levels between Airbnb and hotels. Originality/value: As one of initial studies that empirically examine Airbnb customers’ decision-making behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic’s trends, this study provides a dynamic view on how the evolution of the pandemic influences accommodation choice behaviors.
Anomaly in Spanish tourist sensitivity to price
Nicolau, Juan Luis (Sage, 2010-12-01)
The literature suggests that the effect of price on destination choice can be either positive or negative and income is considered an important determinant of tourist decisions, so that tourism products are thought to behave like 'normal goods'. Given that studies have paid little attention to the relationship between income and sensitivity to price, this paper analyses the relationship between income and tourists' sensitivities to price. The author identifies and measures these sensitivities - individual by individual - from real choices made by tourists: that is, tourist sensitivity to price is estimated for each individual by observing the destination he or she actually selects. The empirical application is carried out on a sample of 2,127 individuals and the operative formalization used to estimate individual sensitivities to price follows a random coefficient logit model. To detect how the sensitivities relate to income, a regression analysis is employed. The results show an anomalous relationship: income levels moderate tourist sensitivity to price such that increases in the first levels of income reduce the negative effect of price (as expected), but there is a 'saturation point' - that is, beyond a threshold, tourist sensitivity to price increases again (the negative effect of price reappears) - against expectations for these high-income earners.
Applying image recognition techniques to visual information mining in hospitality and tourism
Liu, Xianwei; Nicolau, Juan Luis; Law, Rob; Li, Chunhong (Emerald, 2022-10-31)
Purpose: This study aims to provide a critical reflection of the application of image recognition techniques in visual information mining in hospitality and tourism. Design/methodology/approach: This study begins by reviewing the progress of image recognition and advantages of convolutional neural network-based image recognition models. Next, this study explains and exemplifies the mechanisms and functions of two relevant image recognition applications: object recognition and facial recognition. This study concludes by providing theoretical and practical implications and potential directions for future research. Findings: After this study presents different potential applications and compares the use of image recognition with traditional manual methods, the main findings of this critical reflection revolve around the feasibility of the described techniques. Practical implications: Knowledge on how to extract valuable visual information from large-scale user-generated photos to infer the online behavior of consumers and service providers and its influence on purchase decisions and firm performance is crucial to business practices in hospitality and tourism. Originality/value: Visual information plays a crucial role in online travel agencies and peer-to-peer accommodation platforms from the side of sellers and buyers. However, extant studies relied heavily on traditional manual identification with small samples and subjective judgment. With the development of deep learning and computer vision techniques, current studies were able to extract various types of visual information from large-scale datasets with high accuracy and efficiency. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to offer an outlook of image recognition techniques for mining visual information in hospitality and tourism.
Assessing advertising in a hierarchical decision model
Park, Sangwon; Nicolau, Juan Luis; Fesenmaier, Daniel R. (Pergamon-Elsevier, 2013-01)
Many destination marketing organizations in the United States and elsewhere are facing budget retrenchment for tourism marketing, especially for advertising. This study evaluates a three-stage model using Random Coefficient Logit (RCL) approach which controls for correlations between different non-independent alternatives and considers heterogeneity within individual's responses to advertising. The results of this study indicate that the proposed RCL model results in a significantly better fit as compared to traditional logit models, and indicates that tourism advertising significantly influences tourist decisions with several variables (age, income, distance and Internet access) moderating these decisions differently depending on decision stage and product type. These findings suggest that this approach provides a better foundation for assessing, and in turn, designing more effective advertising campaigns.
Assessing new hotel openings through an event study
Nicolau, Juan Luis (Elsevier, 2002-02)
The main objective of this paper is to analyse the impact that the announcement of the opening of a new hotel has on the performance of its chain. For this evaluation, an event study is carried out on a hotel chain that trades on the Spanish Stock Exchange. The results that the empirical application arrives at are noteworthy as, on average, the reaction to such news releases is highly positive. Additionally, and from a first-approach perspective, several factors seem to exert an influence on the firm´s performance, the most important of these being its geographical location.
Assessing the effects of interaction with attractions and types of visit on day trippers' satisfaction
Nicolau, Juan Luis; Casado-Diaz, Ana B.; Navarro-Ruiz, Sandra (Routledge, 2023-05-06)
Day trippers are visitors spending only a few hours at the destination without staying overnight, and they represent a significant number of visitors in many destinations. However, some facets of the behaviour of this type of visitors remain under-researched topics. Accordingly, the present study analyzes day trippers’ satisfaction by focusing on a novel set of determinants related to their interaction with the tourist attractions visited (intradestination behaviour) in the context of cruises. The research was conducted in the city of Valencia (Spain). Through a combination of GPS tracking technologies and traditional surveys, this study considers the spatial patterns, tourist attractions visited, perceived experience, duration of the visit, and expenditures, to find that the effects of these determinants vary according to the type of visit: independent or guided. Moreover, for visit duration and expenditures, the study builds on prospect theory to propose an innovative approach by exploring inverted U-shaped effects which represents a theoretical advance with managerial implications for the destinations.
Asymmetric effects of extreme-moderate online reviews in the language-satisfaction relationship
Nicolau, Juan Luis; de Carlos Villamarín, Pablo; Alén, Elisa; González, Ana Pérez (Elsevier, 2022-08)
The intercultural nature of tourism makes interpersonal communication a critical element that influences individuals’ experience and, in turn, their satisfaction. The existing research predominantly focuses on indirect communication (such as advertising). This study contributes to the literature by examining the effect of the reviews of language use on overall satisfaction and by looking into the dyad formed by the extreme vs. moderate character of the reviews and their sign (positive vs. negative). The analysis of 48,491 online reviews shows the effect of language use opinions on overall satisfaction, with extreme opinions having a more significant impact than moderate opinions. A more interesting and relevant impact is the departure from the well-established cognitive negativity bias characteristics of online reviews: extreme reviews have a symmetric impact on satisfaction, and moderate reviews present asymmetric effects. Both outcomes are a deviation from this cognitive bias, and relevant implications are derived.
Asymmetric effects of online consumer reviews
Park, Sangwon; Nicolau, Juan Luis (Pergamon-Elsevier, 2015-01-01)
Consumers tend to seek heuristic information cues to simplify the amount of information involved in tourist decisions. Accordingly, star ratings in online reviews are a critical heuristic element of the perceived evaluation of online consumer information. The objective of this article is to assess the effect of review ratings on usefulness and enjoyment. The empirical application is carried out on a sample of 5,090 reviews of 45 restaurants in London and New York. The results show that people perceive extreme ratings (positive or negative) as more useful and enjoyable than moderate ratings, giving rise to a U-shaped line, with asymmetric effects: the size of the effect of online reviews depends on whether they are positive or negative.
Asymmetric effects of WiFi on overall satisfaction
Mellinas, Juan Pedro; Nicolau, Juan Luis (Elsevier, 2019-09)
This article analyzes asymmetries in positive and negative effects of WiFi on different overall satisfaction measures. Based on four theories of customer satisfaction (importance-performance theory, dissonance theory, equity theory and contrast theory), the empirical application conducted on a sample of 3,210 hotels from 18 different countries shows that, while asymmetries are observed in all cases, the inclusion of the money paid in the measurement of satisfaction leads people to exaggerate the negative effects. Also, according to the relative thinking model, the impacts of WiFi on satisfaction vary in descending order of size over the distribution of the hotel’s overall rating score: the effect of WiFi accounts more for the lowest levels of overall satisfaction, and less for the highest levels.
Asymmetric rivalry between strategic groups: Response, speed of response and ex ante vs. ex post competitive interaction in the Spanish bank deposit market
Mas-Ruiz, Francisco J.; Nicolau, Juan Luis; Ruiz-Moreno, Felipe (Wiley, 2005-08-01)
The objective of this study is to examine asymmetric rivalry between strategic groups in a given industry. Two research hypotheses argue for the existence of asymmetric rivalry in the sense that strategic groups of small companies have a greater degree of response but a slower speed of response to the actions of strategic groups of large companies, than vice versa. To test this, we use an ex post approach that examines the news releases published on the strategic actions and reactions of firms. A third hypothesis compares ex ante competitive expectations with ex post asymmetric rivalry between strategic groups. To test this, we compare ex post news on actions/reactions with an ex ante approach that estimates conjectural variations. The empirical application carried out on bank deposits in the Spanish market defines strategic groups in terms of size due to the historical and institutional conditions of the industry (deregulatory change). The results obtained show that rivalry patterns between strategic groups in terms of company size can be predicted as asymmetric in the sense that smaller bank strategic groups have a greater degree of response (Stackelberg 'leader-follower' competitive interaction), and a slower speed of response to the actions of larger bank strategic groups than is found the other way around. Moreover, ex ante expectations of aggressiveness on the part of larger strategic groups characterize greater ex post reactions from the smaller-size strategic groups. Therefore, the size distribution of strategic groups is valuable to research on complex industries with deregulation changes.
Asymmetric Tourist Response to Price: Loss Aversion Segmentation
Nicolau, Juan Luis (Sage, 2012-02-27)
The objective of this article is to look into heterogeneity in loss aversion in order to detect how dispersed loss aversion is in tourism and to observe whether different degrees of loss aversion can lead to the identification of loss-aversion-based segments. Loss aversion is a prominent psychological human trait that causes asymmetric price reactions. Tourism literature has shown it is a critical characteristic with a significant, but heterogeneous, effect on tourist destination choice. However, so far no attempt has been made to look into loss aversion heterogeneity, and this article contributes to the literature by exploring, for the first time, the potential existence of groups of tourists that show differentiated asymmetric responses to price. The empirical application estimates the individual degree of loss aversion for each tourist, and detects five segments with different sensitivities. Relevant managerial implications are drawn in terms of implementing pricing strategies.
Battle royal in biotechnology: R&D vs. product vs. process innovations
Nicolau, Juan Luis; Santa-María, María Jesús (Routledge, 2015-02-13)
Companies regard innovation as a central element of their business. However, as not all innovation types are the same, the central question is: should their announcements bring about the same effect on performance? This article analyses potential differences in firm value derived from the innovation-type announcements ‘R&D’, ‘product’, and ‘process’, made by intensive news-generating firms such as biotech companies. The empirical application shows a significantly positive reaction to innovation announcements, with the prospect of future innovation (‘R&D’ investment announcements) having greater impact on firm value than ‘product’ and ‘process’ innovations. Firm experience also acts as a moderator in this innovation–performance relationship, which is particularly relevant for entrepreneurs who need to develop and send credible signals indicating the value of the firm's intangible assets to the market.
Battle royal: Zero-price effect vs relative vs referent thinking
Nicolau, Juan Luis (Springer, 2012-03-17)
This article confronts three psychological influences: relative thinking, referent thinking, and the zero-price effect. The experiment conducted in the context of bundles with complementary components, confirms previous evidence around the dominance patterns between relative and referent thinking when the bargain is a discount; however, when the discount is changed to a free product (worth the same as the discount), the zero-price effect arises. Specifically: (1) if actual price coincides with expected price, relative thinking is the norm, unless the zero-price effect appears; (2) if actual price moderately deviates from expected price, referent thinking is superior to any other effects, relative thinking and the zero-price effect; and (3) if the deviation is extreme, a battle royal among influences takes place: relative thinking beats referent thinking as long as the zero-price effect does not appear. If the zero-price effect is present, it will cancel referent thinking and reverse relative thinking.
Brand alliances and stock reactions
Mas, Francisco J.; Nicolau, Juan Luis; Calderon, Aurora (Routledge, 2021-05-18)
Purpose: This paper examines the performance and risk of brand alliances by investigating the market value of brand alliances through the analysis of investors’ response, and look into the different reactions of the stock market to brand alliance-type in terms of co-branding and joint-promotion, as well as into the potential different effects in the contexts of B to B versus B to C. Brand alliances, whereby two or more brands are jointly presented to the consumer, have been investigated extensively. The importance of brand alliances is emphasized by two factors: (1) brands are considered critical elements in business-to-business marketing settings; and (2) firms use brand alliances due to the trading costs and investment necessary to buy brands, the increasingly higher costs of launching a new brand onto the market, the high failure rates in new brand launches and brand extensions, the competitive pressures around product launches and diffusion, and the limitations imposed on the extension of a brand by its own identity. Consequently, brand alliances have exploded over recent years. As indicated later, by accomplishing the purpose of this research we fill a gap in the literature as most of the research on brand alliances revolves around consumers’ perspective. Methodology/Approach: The methodology followed is based on the event study method. First, the event study estimates the excess returns of share prices generated by events that were unanticipated by the market. To this end, we estimate the market model and the subsequent abnormal returns. To examine the impact of the publication of a brand alliance announcement on the share prices of the company, we use the cumulative abnormal returns calculated over k days of the event window for 55 announcements. In the second step, we analyze the returns of the different brand alliances. In particular, the abnormal returns are used as dependent variable in a regression analysis, wherein the central explanatory variable is brand alliance type (co-branding vs joint promotion). Finally, the third stage of the methodology analyzes the change in the variance of returns between the periods before and after the brand alliance announcements. Findings: The results show that brand alliance announcements generate positive abnormal returns, which support the hypothesis that brand alliance announcements are positively related to company stock returns. In particular, we observe that the reactions to brand alliances are spread over the event window. In fact, the window (−5,+5) produces returns that stand at 1.6%, which is the greatest abnormal return over the five days around the publication date. The economic impact of a cumulative return of 1.6% in eleven days is tantamount to annual returns of 69.33%. Considering that the average market value of the sample is €17,494 million, it represents an increase of €279 million for the sample stocks on the period (−5,+5). The regression analysis shows that the coefficients of the variable “co-branding” are positive and significant, which supports the hypothesis that co-branding presents higher abnormal returns than joint promotion. However, no differential effect are found between B to B versus B to C paradigms. The results obtained present an increase in the variance of the share prices after the alliance announcement date, which supports the hypothesis that the variance of the company stock returns is positively associated to announcements of brand alliances. Research Implications: The key implication of the measurement of the market value of brand alliances is that research should be reoriented toward a better understanding of the role of marketing in the value creation of a company. Instead of just concentrating on marketing research into consumer behavior, more emphasis should be given to the core company processes that create shareholder value. Practical Implications: The managerial implications of the specific results obtained are the following: the result that companies increase their market value when they implement brand alliance strategies, leads to a better ken of the way alliance activities can be managed when dealing with other organizations. In this way, finding a partner to form a brand alliance with could be a useful objective in terms of firm performance. Moreover, the results show that co-branding presents higher abnormal returns than joint promotion, which suggests that co-branding is the most valuable strategic decision (or long-term decision) for companies, as it implies the simultaneous participation of two or more brands in a single product. In this way, deciding on whether a short- or long-term branding strategy is pursued turns to be fundamental. Originality/Value/Contribution of the paper: The literature has analyzed the consequences of brand alliance, which looks at each partner’s brand attitude after the alliance, the brand equity of the constituent brands after the alliance, and the impact of the allied brand on the evaluation of the host brand. These studies have focused on the area of consumer behavior; that is, by measuring consumers´ attitudes and evaluation. Still, the measurement of dimensions reflecting the other side of the relationship, i.e. the firm, via brand image and equity is critical. Nevertheless, the examination of the impact of brand alliances on the partner company performance and risk has received little attention, despite the fact that “brand perceptions of companies’ products spill over to investment decisions in the market for companies’ stock”.
The Bundling Strategy: The One-Click Effect on Loss Aversion
Nicolau, Juan Luis; Sellers, Ricardo (Sage, 2019-09-20)
This research aims to determine different levels of loss aversion in the context of price responsiveness and service bundling. Considering that nonlinearities in price responses may exist in a bundling strategy, this research tests the existence of different degrees of loss aversion, depending on whether an individual books one service independently of another (e.g., an airline ticket independently of accommodation) or as part of a bundle (e.g., a package that includes an airline ticket plus accommodation). We estimate a random parameter logit model. Empirical application shows that people who book a flight independently of accommodation are more loss averse than those who book a package that includes flight and accommodation. To explain this result, we propose the one-click effect so that people who find a price higher than expected (loss aversion) are more willing to accept it if the product is included in a bundle.
Celebrity endorsers' performance on the "ground" and on the "floor"
Nicolau, Juan Luis; Santa-María, María Jesús (Springer, 2012-10-18)
This article analyzes the relationship between two types of performances, one on the ground (of a tennis court) and the other on the floor (of the stock market). The empirical application looks into the tennis player, Rafael Nadal, and his endorsing firms. The findings show a positive reaction in the market value when the tennis player wins matches in the Grand Slams, the intriguing effect being the diminishing sensitivity pattern that such reaction shows and the absence of loss aversion.
Choice behaviour in online hotel booking
Masiero, Lorenzo; Nicolau, Juan Luis (Sage, 2015-01-01)
The objective of this study is to analyse how people process information and make decisions with regard to booking hotel rooms via online booking systems. The authors propose a nested decision process and compare it with the approach of previous literature in analysing the determinants in choosing a hotel. This research attempts to model online hotel bookings in the real market using discrete choice modelling. The methodology is based on the estimates of nested logit models, and the results show that tourists choose a hotel by going through a number of staged decision structures, which is in line with Associative Network Theory and the Cybernetic decision-making model.

Browsing by Author "Nicolau, Juan Luis"

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