Date of Conferral
2016
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Dr. Alen Badal
Abstract
Over the past several years, some hotels in St. Lucia, Caribbean have experienced declining occupancy rates and revenues. The failure of general managers of large hotels on the island to increase and sustain occupancy levels may threaten the economic stability of the island. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that general managers from 3 large hotels on the island in St. Lucia have used to increase and sustain occupancy levels in their hotels. The general managers selected for each case had over 15 years of experience in managing large hotels in St. Lucia. The conceptual framework applied in this study was system theory. Data were collected from hotel general manager interviews, review of government gazettes, select social media sources, and personal hotel property observations. The results of the interviews were analyzed and coded. Review of documents and property observations provided supporting information that corroborated the findings of the interviews. Methodological triangulation and member checking were used to interpret and analyze the data. At the conclusion, the following 4 theme collations were identified: marketing, air transportation, guest experience, and product development. The conclusions yielded that increased occupancy rates were dependent on the alignment of the hotel operational model, the services provided, and meeting customer expectations. Implications for social change include the possible creation and sustaining of new jobs in the hotel sector as well as in other possible sectors, such as construction, financing, and material supplies.
Recommended Citation
Matthew, Sean J., "A Study of Large Hotel Occupancy Rates on the Island of St. Lucia." (2016). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 2496.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2496
