Leadership and Trends in the Hospitality Industry: An Analysis

This report delves into the emerging trends within the hospitality industry, examining various leadership styles such as autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, situational, coaching, and transactional approaches. It explores the concepts of organizational responsibility and responsible leadership, discussing their implications for private, public, and third-sector institutions, with a specific focus on the case study of Embassy Suites by Hilton. The report critically examines how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) delivers benefits to organizations like Embassy Suites, as well as to the wider community, including the government and civil society. Furthermore, it evaluates Embassy Suites' social media practices and their impact on customer satisfaction and experiences. The analysis covers key aspects such as leadership styles, organizational responsibility, responsible leadership, CSR benefits, and the strategic use of social media in the hospitality sector. The report emphasizes the importance of adapting to changing customer preferences and the significance of innovation within the industry, providing valuable insights into effective management and sustainable practices.

EMERGING TRENDS IN
THE HOSPITALITY
INDUSTRY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Leadership and its styles..............................................................................................................1
Critically reflect upon the concepts of 'organisational responsibility' and 'responsible
leadership' and their implications for private, public and third sector institutions......................4
Critically examine how CSR delivers benefits to your chosen organisation as well as to the
wider community incorporating hospitality industry, government, and civil society.................6
Evaluation of Embassy Suites of Hilton Social media practices and implications for better
customer satisfaction and experiences.........................................................................................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Hospitality industry is a broad category of fields with service industry that provide
different kinds of services to customers such as accommodation, food and beverages, lodging,
event planning, transportation and many more (Visser and Tolhurst, eds., 2017). Hospitality
industry is one of those industries which is completely based upon needs, requirements and
preferences of customers. Needs and requirements of customers in hospitality changes constantly
with time on the basis of various factors such as: growing environmental awareness,
advancement in technology, increase or decrease in disposable income of people and on the basis
of various other factors. It is extremely important for hospitality industry organizations to bring
changes within their business activities and operations on the basis of changing current trend
because sales of their products and services is completely dependent upon preference of their
customers that changers continuously from time to time. This report will lay emphasis upon case
study of Embassy Suites of Hilton Hotel organization. Embassy Suites by Hilton is a chain of
upscale all-suite hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. Embassy Suites by Hilton was
founded in 1984 and operates at more than 250 locations globally. Its parent company is Hilton
Worldwide. This report will focus upon different leadership styles within the organisations,
styles of leadership practices with examples, ‘Organisational responsibility’ and ‘responsible
leadership’ concepts in the hospitality industry, Benefits of CSR, and Embassy Suites social
media practices and implications for better customer satisfaction and experiences.
MAIN BODY
Leadership and its styles
Leadership:
Leadership can be defined as a process under which leader will direct or guides an
individual to perform their actions in a desired direction. This is very important for every
organization to have an implication of leadership approach. This is because this practice will
enable companies to synchronize individual efforts to group efforts (Hallinger, 2018). By
adopting this approach companies will guide and influence their employees to work in the
direction of achievement of organization's goal in addition of their individual goal.
Leadership styles in organization or hospitality sector:
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There are different types of leadership styles adopted by different organization as per
their working culture and organization's culture. However, out of them some widely used
leadership styles includes:
Autocratic style:
It is most commonly used leadership styles in hospitality sector. As per this style of
leadership power is concentrated on the hands of one individual who will take all decisions.
Under this style whole power will lie in the hand of leader. This style is considered as one of the
best style to handle emergency situation. This means that this style will enables the organization
to take quick and fast decisions (Harms, 2018). However on the other hand, it is usually less
appreciated by employees of company because it hinder their satisfaction or motivation level.
This is because under this style, decisions are taken by leader only without the involvement and
consultation of employees.
Democratic style:
It is just opposite of autocratic style because under this style employees and their views
are given dual importance. As per this style leader before taking any decision always consider
views and opinions of all employees. Also, under this style power is shared among subordinates
which means it is not concentrated in few hands. Since different individual belongs to different
cultural background in terms of beliefs, thoughts or ideas so this is most likely form of leadership
style because it enables the employees to share and express their opinions along with making
proper consideration towards it. Since it involves involvement of employees so decisions taken
under this style have greater chances to succeed (Parés, Ospina and Subirats, 2017). However
due to taking care of consideration and sharing of power it involves slow decision-making.
Laissez- faire:
This is usually less followed and adopted style of leadership because under this style
instead of distribution of power, every power is given to employees who will take all decisions.
Management plays a very less role in this form of style.
Situational style:
As per this style of leadership, there is no single form of leadership which will be suited
and adequate in every company and situation. This means that as per situation modes and form
of leadership will also get evolved and changed (Rudolph, Rauvola and Zacher, 2018). This
means that as per prevailing situation leadership style will be adopted and implemented. Also,
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with the presence of employees of different culture this style helps the companies to meet their
needs along with focussing over organizational objectives.
Coaching style:
This is also one of the best leadership style adopted by many organizations. As per this
style leader will act as a coach and guides or treat employees to learn new things (Al Khajeh,
2018). As per this style leader will develop personal and professional qualities among
employees.
Transactional style:
As per this form of leadership style leader will try to motivate employees through a
process of reward and punishment. This will act in dual direction. This means that on the
performance of good efforts' leader will give them rewards so that they will get motivated and
try to contribute more with their efficient moves. However on the non completion of task leader
will adopt second approach in which punishment will be given to those employees who didn't
performed well (Jensen, 2019). Thus, in this way leader by either giving punishment or rewards
motivates and lead workforce along with meeting needs of those employees having different
cultural diversity in terms of thoughts and beliefs. This is because this style has dual approach of
reward and punishment.
Embassy Suites leadership style:
Before adopting and implementing any form of leadership style it is very essential that
company should keep its objectives and visions to be in focus. As the main objective of any hotel
including Embassy Suites is to raise its sales and revenue so it is very essential that chosen
leadership style will meet those objectives. This means that Embassy Suites usually adopt and
implement that style of leadership by which it can accomplish its goals.
For example, Embassy Suites belongs to hospitality industry where situation of
emergency is very common. This means that at any point of time emergency situation in the
form of high bookings or customer's complaints may arise. So it usually adopts and implement
autocratic form of leadership style to meet such situation. Since this style allows the hotel to take
quick decisions and meet sudden situations, so Embassy Suites also follows and adopt autocratic
leadership style in those situations.
Apart from emergency situation, innovation also plays a major role in hospitality sector.
Since, every guest wants to take services of those hotels only where they get something new. So
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inculcation of innovation is also very essential for every hotel. Thus, Embassy Suites also
follows this trend of innovation and it also tries to provide extremely advanced and innovative
services to their guests. For example, for meeting such trends and needs, Embassy Suites also
shuffle its leadership style from autocratic to coaching. This is done so that it can train its
employees in desired manner in order to meet such innovative needs and demands.
Like other organization, Embassy Suites also posses a mixture of culture in its workplace.
This means that as every employee has different belief, thoughts and every employee also comes
from different culture and background. So in order to meet and deal with such kind of employees
Embassy Suites also adopts democratic form of leadership where before taking any severe
decisions it always takes care of its employee's thoughts and perceptions.
Thus, it would not be wrong to said that Embassy Suites of Hilton in addition to
autocratic, democratic and coaching style also inculcate situational form of leadership style in its
organization to meet the existing situations of its workplace.
Critically reflect upon the concepts of 'organisational responsibility' and 'responsible leadership'
and their implications for private, public and third sector institutions
Organizational responsibility and Responsible leadership
Organizational responsibility can be defied as actions of context specific organizations
and their policies that helps them in in taking into account stakeholders’ expectations and triple
bottom line of economic, social and environmental performance (Ahmad and et. al., 2020). It can
also be said that each organization has a duty of care for safety, health and well- being of that
staff members and other stakeholders in the area in which they operate. There are various kinds
of organizational responsibilities that hospitality industry organizations have towards their
stakeholders. It further helps them in ensuring that others are not put at risk by organizations
work related activities. Assessment of organizational responsibility for hotels helps them in
assessing health and safety risk of organizations when they are within organization fulfilling
their roles and responsibilities for completion of work- related activities. Main organizational
responsibility of Embassy Suits of Hilton Hotels is to run their hotel in transparent, legal and
ethical manner by positively contributing positively towards sustainable development of their
employees, organization and of society.
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Responsible leadership is a concept with the help of which interaction with stakeholders is done
which is integrated around shared goals (Nwagbara and Belal, 2019). Responsible leadership
takes places in both inside and outside environment of organization and is based upon values and
ethical principles. Responsible leadership plays a vital and important role within an organization.
In hospitality industry responsible leadership helps in ensuring whether needs and requirement of
workforce are met adequately. In hospitality industry responsible leadership helps business in
motivating and encouraging their workforce or employees so that they can give their best efforts
and perform well for achievement of shared goals and objectives of hotel. Employees are the
main responsibility of organization because without them and their work a hotel cannot perform
well and sustain within the market in which they operate (Zeimers and et. al., 2019). Responsible
leaders always focus upon encouraging their workforce so that they can focus upon bringing
improvement within their performance so that desired goals and objectives can be archived in an
accurate manner.
Responsible leadership is directly related to organizational responsibility concept because
only responsible leadership of an organization can help them in achievement of desired goals and
objectives. Some of the examples of responsible leadership within Embassy Suites by Hilton are:
their leaders are effectively engaged within development and Direction of various kinds of
programs that can help them in running their business transparently and ethically in order to
motivate their workforce to perform well and achieve desired goals, as well as to attract more
number of customers in order to enhance their overall revenue and profitability (Schinzel, 2018).
Both organizational responsibility and responsible leadership concepts are interlined with each
other and both the concepts together help in achievement of main corporate social responsibility
goals and objectives that not only help organizations like Embassy Suits of Hilton to motivate
their employees, develop positive brand image, but also helps then attracting more number of
customers.
Embassy Suits by Hilton Hotels are thinking of taking their organizational
responsibilities to another level with the help of responsible leadership. Some of the main
applications of organizational responsibility and responsible leadership in Embassy Suits of
Hilton Hotels are: In order to motivate all of their employees so that they can get motivated and
work with full potential, they try to create opportunities for all pf their employees within their
organization and society from creating market access for suppliers to show casing organizational
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culture to guest or customers. They are also focusing upon taking major steps for reducing waste
across their product and service portfolio (He, Morrison and Zhang, 2020). For example, they
have taken an initiative of reducing food wastage by approximately 25 percent within a year.
They are also focusing upon reducing their carbon footprint. They have taken some initiates to
reduce their carbon intensity by 60 percent, reduce their energy consumption by 26 percent, and
reduce carbon emission intensity by 36 percent by the end of 2030. In order to achieve this, they
have focused upon using solar energy panels for reducing their energy consumption.
Implications of organizational responsibility for private, public and third- party institutes
are completely different and its implications of all three types of institutes have been explained
below: Implications of organizational responsibility for private institutes in hospitality is positive
as it helps them in maintaining a positive brand image among their customers (Serra-Cantallops
and et. al., 2018). This can be done by them by fulfilling their organizational responsibilities at
heart of their daily business operations and activities. Organizational responsibilities help such
organizations in adopting concept of recycling, reusing and reducing waste at core of their
business operations. Implications of organizational responsibility for a public hospitality institute
like Hayat is to develop a positive brand image, reduce their carbon foot print, reduce wastage
etc. As well as to create more job opportunity for people. Implications of organizational
responsibility for third party organizations in hospitality industry is to maintain positive
relationship with third part so that they can focus upon running their business in an ethical
manner for generation of more revenue and profit.
Critically examine how CSR delivers benefits to your chosen organisation as well as to the wider
community incorporating hospitality industry, government, and civil society.
Corporate social responsibility can be defied as a kind of self- regulations that helps an
organization to become socially and environmentally accountable to their business, all of their
stakeholders and to society as well (Boğan and Dedeoğlu, 2019). CSR provide various kinds of
benefits to organization but especially it helps organizations in developing positive brand image
in front of their customers and further helps them in positively contributing towards environment
and society. CSR plays a vital and important role within hospitality industry as well as it is
extremely important for organizations in this industry and further helps them in operating
sustainably within this industry. CSR helps in providing various kinds of benefits Embassy Suits
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by Hilton Hotels in many different ways. Internal CSR activities helps in providing benefits to v
in terms of their employees (Ko, Chan and Wong, 2019). Whereas externals CSR activities helps
in providing benefit to wider community including government, society and hospitality industry.
Some of the main benefits of CSR to Embassy Suits by Hilton Hotels are as follows:
 First of all, corporate social responsibility has helped Embassy Suits by Hilton Hotels to
develop better brand recognition. Development and achievement of CSR goals has helped
them in building positive brand reputation and become a globally recognised brand.
 Not only this investment in achievement of CSR goals and objectives has helped Embassy
Suits to gain competitive advantage, increase overall sales of their products and services as
well as enhance satisfaction and loyalty of their customers (Mohammed and Al-Swidi, 2019).
This is majorly because mostly customers prefer to deal with organizations who have brought
changes within their business activities and operations in order to become socially and
environmentally responsible by adopting appropriate and accurate CSR goals and objectives.
 There are many other kinds of benefits that CSR can provide Embassy Suits like it helps the
organization in reducing their overall operational cost. CSR help hotel in reducing wastage,
use their resources in an effective and appropriate manner, as well as it further helps
Embassy Suits to adopt energy saving ways of operating that further helps them in reducing
their carbon emission and reduce their operational cost.
 Being a responsible and sustainable hotel, it becomes much easier for Embassy Suits to find,
recruit and retain talented employees. This is because achievement of CSR goals can help in
motivating existing employees, and attract a greater number of talented candidates who
would like to work with them. This not only helps them in retaining talented workers but also
help them in reducing their recruitment and training cost.
 CSR also help Embassy Suits by Hilton Hotel in maintaining growth rate of the organization
by making capital access much easier, access financial resource because for a reputable
organization accessing financial resources becomes much easier. It can also help them in
finding new business opportunities.
Some of the main benefits of CSR to wider community incorporating hospitality industry,
government, and civil society are as follows:
 CSR can help civil society in many ways like adoption of green methods of operating hotel
industry can become socially, environmentally responsible and can participating in
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addressing drastic climatic changes, and protecting natural environment (Mohammed and Al-
Swidi, 2019). This further makes environment and social appropriate for civil society people
to live in and enhance their standard of living.
 CSR also provide various kinds of benefits to whole hospitality industry as well. It helps
organizations operating in hospitality industry to become socially and environmentally
responsible. Not only this CSR further help hospitality industry to raise social, ethical and
environmental standards for all the organizations in this industry that are required to be
archived and maintained by them. This further helps hospitality industry to maintain a
positive image of industry in society (Mohammed and Al-Swidi, 2019).
 CSR also provides various kinds of benefits to government as well. Government has some
pre-defined objectives that are required to be achieved by them like reducing country’s
carbon foot print. This can only be achieved if organizations take initiative of reducing their
organization’s carbon foot print.
Evaluation of Embassy Suites of Hilton Social media practices and implications for better
customer satisfaction and experiences
Social media is one of the important element of recent emerging trends. Social media and
its associated concepts plays an important role in every organization. It is right to said that social
media is one of the most powerful tool which can make or destroy an organization. Thus, it is
very essential for every company or sector to inculcate this concept in its working practice so
that they can meet such changing and emerging trend. With the use of social media organization
can promote their business along with achievement of their own goals (Greenhow, Gleason, and
Staudt Willet, 2019). Embassy Suites also adopts and implement different practices of social
media in its workplace in order to promote its business along with accomplishing its objectives.
It is also an important point to be considered that with the emerging and changing trends
most of the customers and people are more active and attracted towards the trend of social
media. So every organization have to be careful and consider this concept while operating their
business.
Embassy Suites uses social media for making communication with its customers. The use
of social media enables Embassy Suites to implement dual mode of communication to it. This is
because on the one hand, it enables Embassy Suites to deliver its message among its customers
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while on the other hand it also helps it to know that what customers think about it and its
services. Thus, social media in addition of acting as a communication mode also enables
Embassy Suites to receive customer's perspective so that it can more enhance the level of its
services.
Although, in simple words this can be understood that using of social media in workplace
which will raise customer satisfaction along with helping companies towards achievement of
their goals is all covered under social media practices of companies (Rathore and Ilavarasan,
2018). In addition, of acting as communication mode social media also plays an important role in
promoting the business of companies.
Social media practices of Embassy Suites:
Embassy Suites also uses various social media practices for promoting its brand along
with raising customer's experience and satisfaction. Out of those practices some are:
Embassy Suites usually adopts such practices by which it can meet customer's need and
satisfaction level. This means that before selection of social media it firstly analyses that what
kind of customer it is going to address. Since there are different kinds of customers in terms of
age, needs, their income level or various other. So it can be evaluated that before selecting any
mode including Facebook, Instagram or any other mode it usually focuses over these groups so
that with regard to meeting their need it can also accomplish its own objectives.
After focussing over different sectors of customers Embassy Suites adopt and implement
different kinds of channels by which it would be able to connect with its customers. Adoption of
channel includes demographics over Facebook, Instagram, twitter and many more. By having an
analysis of different sectors of customers it implements different modes into practices (Clarke,
2019). This practice enables the Embassy Suites to raise its connection with its customers along
with raising their level of satisfaction in terms of meeting their needs.
Apart from that Embassy Suites also focus over competitor's audit or analysis. As with
emerging and changing trends the level of competition is raising day by day. So it is very
essential for every sector to have a competitor's analysis. Embassy Suites also perform
competitor's analysis while choosing and selecting social media mode. This helps it in meeting
competition along with raising customer's share.
In addition to implication of above practices Embassy Suites also focus on active
listening. This includes listening of people's thoughts and thinking. It acts as a review or
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feedback of people that what people think about the brand (Kwayu, Lal and Abubakre, 2019).
This also helps the Embassy Suites to have a check over its services that whether it is meeting
the target or not and if not then taking corrective actions. Thus, it is evaluated that this practice
helps Embassy Suites to raise the level of its performance and ultimately raises customers level
of satisfaction.
One more important practice that Embassy Suites usually tries to follow is to reply all
comments of its customers. Since, social media enables it to have an interaction with its
customers so by replying comments and considering reviews of the customers, Embassy Suites
will not only satisfy their needs but it also enables it to know about its customers thought and
thinking along with taking improvised steps.
Appropriate time and frequency of posting is also an important social media practice
(Baptista, 2017). Embassy Suites always consider this practice while promoting its business over
social media. Appropriate time and frequency stands for posting a blog or advertisement at the
most suitable and right time so that it can hit the target audience. Making a post regarding its
discount policies or any new arrival services or any other form of policy before the starting of
holidays season is said to be a compliance of this practice. This has dual advantage because as it
raises hotel's revenue and sales but at the same time also create awareness among customers
regarding current trends and policies of the hotel.
Thus, it will be evaluated that adoption of such practices and its implication enables Embassy
Suites to benefit its business along with meeting customer's need and satisfaction.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that it is very essential for every sector
specially hospitality sector to consider emerging trends and its requirement. Since trends are
changing at a very fast pace so it raises its importance in terms of consideration. To meet such
trends hotels have to adopt and implement various practices in their workplace. These practices
basically includes appropriate selection of leadership style and its implication in the
organization. Apart from leadership style, it is equally important for every hotel to meet its
organizational responsibility in addition of implication of responsible leadership.
It is also understood that with emerging trends every company including Embassy Suites
sector have to give high concentration over the concept of corporate social responsibility. As
CSR refers to that responsibility of the companies which they have to perform towards society in
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which they operate their business. So CSR also plays an important role in the practices of
company that they can meet this concept while operating their business. Likewise, social media
and its practices also plays a significant role in meeting emerging trends along with raising
awareness in terms of promotion of Embassy Suites or its services.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Ahmad, R., and et. al., 2020. The nexus of corporate social responsibility (CSR), affective
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in organization: Moderating role of employees’ self-experienced CSR
perceptions. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights.
Greenhow, C., Gleason, B. and Staudt Willet, K.B., 2019. Social scholarship revisited: Changing
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Hallinger, P., 2018. Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership. Educational management
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Harms, and et.al., 2018. Autocratic leaders and authoritarian followers revisited: A review and
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Fusion of Strategies Within Organisations. In International Working Conference on
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Serra-Cantallops, A., and et. al., 2018. Progress in research on CSR and the hotel industry (2006-
2015). Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 59(1), pp.15-38.
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Visser, W. and Tolhurst, N. eds., 2017. The world guide to CSR: A country-by-country analysis
of corporate sustainability and responsibility. Routledge.
Zeimers, G., and et. al., 2019. Organisational learning for corporate social responsibility in sport
organisations. European Sport Management Quarterly, 19(1), pp.80-101.
Online references
Clarke, T., 2019. 14 Social Media Best Practices You Should Follow in 2020. [Online].
Available through <https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-best-practices/>
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