Innovative capacity, quality certification and performance in the hotel sector

The hotel industry is a critical sector of the Spanish economy. However, very little is known on the maximisation of hotel performance. This work examines the moderating effect of quality on the influence of innovation capacity with regard to the performance of hotel establishments. A quantitative approach was used. We used a second-generation structural equation method (PLS-SEM) to analyse the results, with SmartPLS 3.2.8 software applied to data from 102 hotel establishments in Spain. Our results show that the performance of hotel establishments is determined by innovative capacity (innovative capacity explains 27.5% of the variability in performance of hotel establishments). Moreover, quality certification moderates the influence of innovative capacity on the performance of hotel establishments. A nearly 20% difference in this effect is found between certified and non-certified hotels. Findings can help hotel entrepreneurs to better comprehend the intricate role of innovative capacity and quality certification in boosting hotel performance.