FACULTY OF COMMERCE

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

EFFECTS OF COVID 19 ON 5 STAR HOTELS IN ZIMBABWE

DISSERTATION

BY

CHARLES

R1XXXXXX

Dissertation submitted to Midlands State University in partial fulfilment of the

requirements for the award of Bachelors of Commerce Honours Degree in Tourism and
Hospitality Management

GWERU: ZIMBABWE

2020
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

This is a study of the effects of COVID-19 on five star hotels in Zimbabwe. This chapter

introduces the research problem by providing the background of the study. The problem

statement, research objectives and research questions are stated in that order. This is followed

by the justification of the research, limitations of the study as well as its delimitations. The

methodology adopted by the research and definition of key terms are also presented. A

summary concludes the chapter.

1.2 Background of the study

Hammed, Mahomed and Cavalho (2020) did a research in Almadah, Portugal’s Lisbon

Metropolitan area. The main objective of the study was to understand the future of hotel

buffets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the lack of theorization on Covid-19 and

its effects on hotel services, a qualitative approach was deemed the most appropriate as the

study sought to explore and understand the COVID-19 topic in greater depth. Four

professionals who are key informants because of their food and beverage technical ability

from the Accor group were interviewed. The four comprised of the hotel manager, the

managing director, the head chef and the head waiter. The key finding was that profitability

of the buffet service will significantly reduce because of lower room capacity that is aimed at

ensuring safe social distance. The other finding was that it will be difficult to reassure clients

that preventive measures offered by hotels are sufficient. Recommendations that came out

from the study were; the use of ozone generators to promote the decontamination of

microorganisms, the removal of odours and the purification of the air inside the restaurant.
The introduction of vacuum cooking that will ensure a lower chance of cross-contamination.

Another prediction is the growth in the healthy trend was also recommended. According to

one of the interviewees, this is a way of showing concern for the customer’s health. The study

recommended a shift from the traditional buffet to an assisted buffet where clients will not be

allowed to touch food on the buffet. The study concluded that the manner in which buffets

are served will transform and the main challenges for hotels will be to generate a sense of

trust among customers. Suggested areas of future studies were an analysis of the impact of

the pandemic on hotel operations

Deb and Nafi (2020) researched on the Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on tourism. The

research was done in Bangladesh. The objective of the study was to discuss the effect of the

COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry in Bangladesh. The study used meta-analysis

where published journals, historical records, newspaper articles, World Health Organization

statistics, governmental data, and website materials on COVID-19 incidences in tourism were

used. Bangladesh has also experienced an adverse impact on inbound and outbound tourism.

International and domestic tourists have cancelled bookings in Bangladesh, and outbound

tourism activities have also been banned. Airlines have cancelled flights, while hotels are

almost completely vacant, and as a result, supporting tourism agencies are facing huge

economic losses and employment cuts in Bangladesh. The amplification of COVD-19 is

predicted to cause a long-term adverse impact on tourism in Bangladesh. The research at

the conclusion that COVID-19 adversely impact on the travel and tourism industry and only

a stimulus package from government can save the travel and tourism industry from the

current situation. The study suggested that future researches should be focused on addressing

challenges that travel and tourism industry is facing.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, Soehardi, Untari and Raya (2020) carried out a research on the effect of

Covid-19 pandemic on hotel employees, hotel occupancy rates and hotel tax income. The

main objectives of the research were; first, to determine the effect of covid-19 pandemic on

hotel occupancy rates, secondly, to determine the effect of COVID-19 on hotel tax income

and thirdly to determine the effect of COVID-19 on hotel employees in Jakarta Indonesia.

The findings were that there is a significant effect of covid-19 pandemic on hotel employees,

hotel occupancy. The third finding was there was a significant effect of covid-19 pandemic

on tax income effect. The fourth finding was that there is a significant effect of hotel

occupancy rates on hotel employees. The general conclusion was that Covid-19 had a

significant influence on hotel employees, hotel tax income, hotel occupancy rates and hotel

occupancy rates on hotel employees. However the study neither gave any recommendations

nor suggested future areas of study.

Rutynskyi and Kushniruk (2020) carried out a related study in Lviv, Ukraine, the study

focused on the impact of quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry in

Lviv. The main objectives of the study were to analyse the sectorial losses of the tourism

industry during quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Lviv. The second objective

was to highlight the potential of the tourism industry before the introduction of quarantine

measures. The third objective was to estimate the economic losses of the tourist industry of

Lviv in the conditions of long-term quarantine. In the study, general and special

scientific methods were used. A Facebook survey of 290 interns and employees of hospitality

companies was used. The findings were that there is going to be COVID-19 induced losses in

all the sectors of the travel and tourism sector in Lviv, the city of Lviv had an upward

economic trajectory before COVID-19. There were going to be significant losses in the

tourism industry in the long term because of COVID-19 regulations. The study recommended

that city authorities abolish some local taxes and fees in the tourism sector to restore its
potential as soon as possible. The study concluded that the introduction of quarantine due to

COVID-19 would significantly reduce all indicators of the tourism industry in Lviv in 2020.

The authors did not suggest any area of future research.

Lau (2020) carried out a research on new technologies used in COVID-19 for business

survival. The study was done in China and employed a qualitative approach. The main

objective of the study was to investigate new technologies or approaches that are used by

hotels to make money or maintain cash flow. To investigate the new technologies used in

COVID-19, interviews were conducted with Directors and General Managers of eight well-

known hotels in China. Key findings were that all technologies have their advantages and

disadvantages, whether old or new. The paper recommended that management should always

think about other factors both in the micro and macro environment when considering

adopting these new technologies or approaches. The study concluded that although new

technologies help hotel business survive, new technologies are not the solution to operating in

a pandemic struck environment. After the pandemic is over, the research suggested that new

studies should focus on COVID-19 experiences and lessons and how they can help hotels

prepare themselves for any catastrophe.

In South Africa, Rodgerson and Rodgerson (2020) did a research on COVID-19 and Tourism

Spaces of Vulnerability in South Africa. The main objective of the study was to identify the

tourism spaces of vulnerability in South Africa. The study employs an approach that is

common with geographical scholars, spatial perspective. The research approach uses

descriptive data as well as application of the tool of location quotients (Rodgerson 2020). The

major findings are that most South African municipalities will be adversely affected by

COVID-19 though at different magnitudes. Most South African municipalities will face

demise in the Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR). Over half of all South African local

governments are VFR dependent. The study recommended that VFR travel should be
prioritized as it is a useful market segment for targeting by those localities that are seeking to

recover from situations of tourism disaster and crisis. The study concluded that The COVID-

19 pandemic will have a widespread impact on the global economy for several years with the

tourism and hospitality sector in the frontline to bear the brunt of its ramifications but the

worst affected areas will be small towns that solely rely on tourism. Areas for future studies

suggested are, tourism recovery planning in South Africa.

A related study was also done by Chirisa and others (2020) in Zimbabwe. Scope for virtual

tourism in the times of COVID-19 in select African destinations was done with the main

objective of exploring the potential for virtual tourism in Africa as a way to contribute

towards economic growth and sustainability under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research used the pragmatic research approach, which is dominantly qualitative. An

analysis of books, journals, websites and newspaper articles followed by a thematic analysis

was done. The findings of the study were that building confidence through trust and dialogue

is crucial in making policy measures effective as attributed by International Labour

Organisation (2018). The study recommended that responsible authorities should invest in

innovation and technology that support Virtual Reality in tourism.

Musavengane, Leonard and Mureyani (2020) carried out a related study in Southern Africa

region. The main objective of the study was to ignite a conversation on the challenges of the

ongoing ‘novel’ surrounding the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in the Southern

Africa region. The study also sought to appraise the nexus between the coronavirus and

tourism so as to seek and employ recovery strategies that will be needed to address the

adverse effects caused by COVID-19. The study used a critical commentary approach. It

drew from published material and document analysis, including from academic research,

media reports and social media platforms (Musavengane, Leonard and Mureyani 2020).

Among other findings was the issue of collaborative efforts involving medical experts and
public health specialist guide firms, hotels and recreational resorts in ensuring that a business

is opened or a plan for re-entry is addressed. The other finding was that COVID-19 has

affected visitation between families due to the fear of the risks it poses to communities. The

study suggested a number of future studies chief among them; the VFR market and COVID-

19, Africa’s perceptions on foreign tourists in light of COVID-19 and communal tourism and

COVID-19. The authors agreed that it was too early to make conclusive recommendations,

based on the nature of their study.

Maradze, Nyoni and Nyoni (2020) in their study of COVID-19 and tourism sector dynamics

in Africa: challenges and possible solutions, focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on the

whole African content. The objective of this study is, 1. To conduct a systematic review on

the socio-economic challenges brought about by COVID-19 on the tourism sector in both

developed and developing countries. 2. To have a consolidation of literature that will help

understand the impacts of COVID-19 on the tourism sectors of African nations and have

context-based interventions primarily for the provision of solutions to the problems brought

about by the pandemic. 3. To adopt lessons from developed nations that will assist

policymakers, stakeholders and humanitarians to make informed decisions and policies

mainly in developing countries of Africa. The study used a systematic review approach and

gathered studies that had previously looked at the impacts of COVID-19. The findings

showed us that because of the government-imposed lockdowns, panic and health concerns by

the public, there was less or no demand for the tourism industry. The study also found out

that because of the vulnerability of African nations to COVID-19, lockdown rules were

inevitable. Recommendations were that, in order for the tourism sector to bounce back to the

third best GDP contributor, development and application of new technologies and equipment

in the hospitality industry that protect guests and workers should be adopted. The
recommendations were that African countries should create diverse action plans for each

setting to be put into action post recovery.

1.3 Problem statement

The tourism sector had enjoyed a steady growth until 2019 when its fortunes were turned by

the Covid-19 pandemic (Nhamo, Dube and Chikodzi 2020). The sector is sensitive to natural

and political shocks mainly because of the interlinkages in the tourism industry. Disease

outbreaks are often disruptive to global economies but the hospitality industry has been hit

most because the industry is based on human mobility and close interaction (Hao, Xiao and

Chon 2020). Cancelling or postponing of journeys by tourists has affected jobs and income

security of hotel employees. According to Elena (2020), the consequential shortage of labor

and cash has led to the postponement of hotel renovation projects. Some hotels have

responded by temporarily shutting down or retrenching in order to survive. The pandemic has

been devastating hotel firms’ market and performance. If nothing is done immediately, the

attractiveness of the hotel industry to employees and investors will fade, unemployment will

increase and the government will lose out on tax. Five star hotels by nature of their size and

service are at the worst risk. This study seeks to proffer solutions and proactive strategies to

similar or related shocks. The study is going to employ both qualitative and quantitative

approach. The results will be of particular interest to tourism and hospitality investors, the

government in policy making and it will add frontiers of knowledge to the existing literature.

1.4 Research objectives

1. To establish the extent to which five star hotels have been affected by covid-19

2. To investigate measures that have been implemented by five star hotels to

continue operating
 3. To investigate if covid 19 has affected the quality of service offered by five star

hotels in Zimbabwe.

1.5 Research questions

1. How were five star hotels in Zimbabwe affected by the covid-19 pandemic?

2. What measures have been put in place by five star hotels in the country to remain

operational?

3. How has service quality been affected in the country’s five star hotels?

1.6 Significance of the study

The study is going to be of great importance to a number of stakeholders particularly

industry, the academic arena and the government

1.6.1 Industry

Recommendations that are going to be made in this research will be of value to the current

hotel owners and potential investors in the lodging sector. Potential investors will enter into

the hotel business well informed of the risks and /or opportunities associated with hotel

industry in times of pandemics. The industry will be equipped with new strategies applicable

to pandemics that might occur in the future. The private sector will use findings and

recommendations of the study to lobby the public sector and government on issues that need

cooperation.

1.6.2 The government

Government through the ministry of tourism and hospitality environment and climate change

together with the national tourism organization, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) craft

policies related to the hospitality industry. The study will help government in the crafting of
policies and tax regulations that protect the industry and contribute positively to the national

fiscus.

1.6.3 The academic front

The research will contribute immensely to knowledge on pandemics and the hotel industry

particularly five star hotels. The study will propose new areas that need further research and

this will open up new insights into the suggested areas. The study is going to also further

enrich the debate on pandemics and their impacts on different tourism and hospitality

business.

1.7 Methodology

Research methodology is the path through which researchers need to conduct their research.

(Sileyew 2019). It is the methodology section that allows the reader to critically evaluate a

study’s overall validity and reliability. This study is exploratory and used questionnaires,

interviews and focus groups to collect data. It used a blend of qualitative and quantitative

approaches. Detailed information on the study’s methodological framework is provided in

Chapter three.

1.8 Delimitations of the study

The study limited the research to only five star hotels in Zimbabwe. Only hotels that are

graded as five star by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) between 2019 (when Covid

was officially announced as a global pandemic) formed the study population. A total of FIVE

HOTELS were researched on. Managers, staff and guests will be part of the research. The

study timeline is between NOVEMBER 2020 TO MAY 2021.

1.9 Limitations of the study

The study was carried out during a period when Corona was still active and Corona

regulations were still in place. As such travelling was still restricted and human contact was

minimized. To counter this problem the researcher had to resort to postal and online

questionnaires, telephone interviews and virtual meetings for focus groups to cut on costs as

well as to comply with World Health Organisation (WHO) covid-19 guidelines. The study

was also limited to a very short period of time and the researcher had to delicately balance

both research and studies during the semester. Respondents were not very willing to give

information and the researcher had to assure them that all information gathered during the

research will be treated with confidentiality. Respondents were also encouraged to remain

anonymous during the data gathering process. The study also had some financial implications

on the researcher and the researcher had to rely on a shoestring budget since the study was

not sponsored.

1.10 Definition of terms

Covid-19- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly

discovered coronavirus (WHO 2019). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is defined as

illness caused by a novel coronavirus now called severe acute respiratory syndrome

coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV) (CDC2019).

Hotel- Hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging and feeding on a short term basis

(Adesina and Chinonso 2015)

Five-star hotels are properties that offer their guests the highest levels of luxury through

personalized services, a vast range of amenities, and sophisticated accommodations. (Suffi

2019)

1.11 Summary
COVID-19 has had dire effects on the operations of hotel business justifying a plethora of

initiatives being implemented by both the private and public sector to save it. Little attention

has been given to the impact the pandemic has had on five star hotels. The main objective of

the research was; to establish the extent to which five star hotels have been affected by covid-

19. The main research question was; how have five star hotels in Zimbabwe been affected by

the covid-19 pandemic? The chapter introduced the gap in the background of the study which

focused on COVID-19 and the hotel sector. It outlined related literature that has been carried

out in the past. It also looked at areas that have not been given much attention by previous

researchers. The study would be of great importance to the hospitality industry in Zimbabwe

especially the hotel sector. The statement of the problem and justifications as to why the

study was worth undertaking were spelt out. Limitations as to time, finance and validity of

research were given out. The study was only restricted to five star hotels between December

2020 to May 2021. At the end of the chapter, definition of key terms was given. The next

chapter is going to review literature related to COVI-19 and its effects on hotels.
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

The previous chapter introduced the problem and its setting. This chapter will review related

literature on the impacts of COVID-19 in five star hotels. According to McCombes (2019)

literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific phenomenon. Literature review

provides an overview of information currently available regarding a topic, allowing the

researcher to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research (Adams

and Lawrence 2018). Literature review therefore is having a relook at literature with the aim

of searching for gaps and information relevant to a current study. The review covers five star

hotels, COVID-19 and business, global pandemics and tourism, impacts of COVID-19 on

hotels, new ways of doing business in hotels, impact of COVID-19 on African hotels and

interventions to protect Zimbabwean hotels.

2.2 Five star hotels

Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality (Rhee and Young

2015). The main purpose of classifying hotels is to inform travellers on the basic facilities

they can expect from a lodging .According to Five Star Alliance (2020), five-star hotels are

properties that offer their guests the highest levels of luxury through personalized services, a

vast range of amenities, and sophisticated accommodations. A five star rated hotel is

a hotel that provides a luxury service through all its means of operation (Landman 2020).

Though there is no globally accepted rating for hotels (Five star alliance 2020), different

countries use different methods, symbols and grading systems to classify hotels. Five star
hotels offer the highest level of luxury to their guests. Hotels earn their five stars through the

service they render to customers.

Five star hotels invest heavily to meet exceed customer expectations and therefore there are

certain services that are generic to five star hotels. Five star hotels are expected to meet the

following; a high staff to room ratio, for example 1 staff per 2 or 3 rooms, 24 hour reception,

room service and valet parking services. Fine dining restaurants, transfers and childcare

services are some of the services expected at five star hotels. High speed Wi-Fi, spa

treatments and stocked bars are a common feature at five star hotels. Guestrooms are usually

plush and inviting while the linen is fine and of high quality.

According to Landman (2020), restaurant must demonstrate excellent levels of food,

beverage and wine product knowledge and service skills. The restaurant menu must boast an

extensive range of dishes of outstanding quality, presented in immaculate menus. Staff should

be mastery in discharging their duty and dedicated teams must aim to provide services that

exceed the norm such as escort to bedrooms, proactive table service in bars and lounges and

at breakfast, ‘concierge’ service and full afternoon tea. All areas of operation should meet the

five star level of quality for cleanliness, maintenance, hospitality, and for the quality of

physical facilities and delivery of services. These hotels show excellence, which make them

worthy of the five star classification.

2.3 Global pandemics and tourism

Pandemics that have affected tourism business have occurred in the past with the most

notable ones being the hotel sickness of 1857 at the National hotel in Washington D.C

(Reichard 2016). In early March 1857, thousands of people crowded the city of Washington,

DC, in anticipation of the inauguration of James Buchanan. Upon Buchanan’s arrival at the

hotel, a mysterious virulent illness struck its guests eventually resulting in a number of
fatalities that remain indeterminate to this day. HIV and AIDS is another pandemic that has

reigned havoc in the tourism industry globally. Falleiro (2015) observed that tourism is a co-

creator and recipient of ramifications of diseases such as HIV and AIDS. He further

propound that tourism as a personal experience and as an industry, creates an environment

where diseases such as HIV/AIDS may thrive. In Kenya the AIDS pandemic has affected the

hotels human capital through deaths and absenteeism because of the scourge (Mbaeh et, al

2015). The 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East

Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are other pandemics that have adversely affected the tourism

industry in the past (Kamruzzaman 2020) but the difference could be in the age and

magnitude.

2.4 COVID 19 and business

Literature has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has forced many businesses to

close, leading to an unprecedented disruption of commerce in most industry sectors (Donthu

and Gustafsson 2020). There are indications that COVID-19 outbreak is likely to cause

bankruptcy for many well-known brands in many industries as posited by Tucker (2020) that

with consumers staying at home, economies are shut down and businesses are under a lot of

financial pressure. Businesses are forced to deal with these immediate challenges with no

guarantee that after the pandemic things will become normal. There will be new ways of

conducting business as suggested by Ingrassia et, al (2020) that once the pandemic is over, a

new business world will emerge very different from the pre-COVID era.

Donthu and Gustafsson (2020) suggest that many markets, especially in the fields of tourism

and hospitality, will seize to exist. This however, will only be tested by time as change in

taste may lead to change in product offering and not the market. Businesses have taken a new

thrust and are investing so much on online activities. Lau (2020) and Donthu and Gustafsson
(2020) have observed a huge shift that is biased towards the growth of online communication,

online entertainment, and online shopping.

Almost every sector of the economy is affected ranging from consultancy, and personal

services, like hairdressers, gyms, and taxis to the manufacturing industry have abruptly

closed due to lockdowns. Companies were ill-prepared for such an eventuality as COVID-19

but Rapoza (2020) suggest that companies and countries should seize this opportunity to

enhance their competitiveness.

2.5 Employment opportunities in the hotel sector

According to Gaille (2017), the hospitality industry directly employs over 2 million people

with the bulk of them working in the hotels and restaurants. There are some who are

employed as seasonal employees and some on a permanent basis. According to the Central

Bureau of Statistics (2020), most hotel workers in Jakarta are permanent employees. Hotel

employees consist of permanent employees, unpaid employees, contract employees and

foreign employees. According to Soehardi, Untari and Raya (2020), hotel employees vary in

level of education but the bulk of them are high school graduates. Whenever pandemics

strike, these employs are affected and they are affected differently.

2.6 Impacts of COVID-19 on hotels

While the tourism industry was on a steady growth path up to 2019, it remains sensitive and

vulnerable to natural and political shocks. Such shocks have been on the increase in the

recent past. Disease outbreaks have been on the increase since the turn of the new

millennium. Tourism involves a lot of travelling and human contact is quite significant,

disease outbreaks pose a serious threat to global tourism economies (Nhamo, Dube and

Chikodzi 2020). The authors have observed that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on
the sector. According to Asmelash and Cooper (2020), 80% of hotel rooms are empty and.

expos, conferences, sporting events, large gatherings as well as cultural establishments and

events have been abruptly called off.

According to Deb and Nafi (2020) COVID-19 has resulted in massive booking cancellations

and record low bookings with negatively affecting annual accommodation bookings for 2020

globally. This has been necessitated by travel bans imposed by countries. Deb and Nafi

(2020), observed that local governments of Bangladesh initiated strict embargos on visiting

tourist spots. Hotel and motel owners were asked to discourage tourists from residing in their

establishments. Nhamo, Dube and Chikodzi (2020) indicated that COVID-19 has resulted in

low occupancies and hotel closures in some instances.

The slump in business has prompted hotels to reduce their human capital through various

ways that include laying off, nonpayment of overtime and incentives and reducing salaries

among other initiatives. In addition, most global hotel chains have cancelled dividend

payments and postponed capital expenditure to avoid bankruptcy and industry collapse

(Nhamo, Dube and Chikodzi 2020). But besides all this, hotels find themselves with fixed

expenses such as rent and insurance to pay (Soehardi, Untari and Raya 2020).

The whole process of long term planning has been put in disarray. Shortage of labor due to

restricted people movement and shortage of cash (hotels are experiencing low revenue) has

led to the postponement of hotel renovation projects, decelerating the expansion of domestic

hotel groups (Elena, 2020).

2.6.1.1 Hotel employees and COVID-19

According to Soehardi, Untari and Raya (2020), there is a significant influence of covid-19

pandemic on hotel employees. COVID-19 pandemic is very influential as it the cause of the
decline in workers working in hotels. Temporary suspension and closure of hotel services has

called for hoteliers to lay off workers.

In Bangladesh, about 4 million people directly or indirectly work in tourism and travel sector.

PATA (2020) estimated that about 0.3 million jobs in this sector are currently at risk because

of COVID-19. According Deb and Nafi (2020) of these jobs, 250 000 are hotel and restaurant

employees a figure too big for just one country considering that this figure does not account

for those in the downstream industries.

2.6.1.2 Essential hotel employees

The disaster will not stay forever so there is need for the hotel sector, while downsizing, to

consider retaining essential staff as they are critical in coming up with recovery strategies.

Hao, Xiao and Chon (2020) observed that during disasters, high performance employees are

considered valuable assets for the firm as they contribute toward a firms’ performance

recovery once the disaster is pacified. Therefore, hotel firms should strive to retain employees

during the pandemic. Retaining critical staff goes beyond keeping them on the payroll to

making sure that they are fit physically and psychologically. However, critical human capital

is associated with high salaries and trying to retain them can lead to a firm’s bankruptcy. But

pandemics presents an opportune time for hotels to offload low performing employees to

replace them with machines were possible.

McKecher (2020) observes a new trend with companies and suggests that hotels take

advantage of the low periods created by COVID-19 to do online training and retraining of

staff. Further hotels can encourage workers to take their annual leave and reduce work days.

Workers can be trained to multi-task, to be flexible and can even learn new tasks.

2.6.2 Attractiveness of the industry

One of the main negative, longer term implications of COVID-19 for the hotel business is

likely to be in the reduced attractiveness of hospitality occupations (Baum and Hai,

2020).The hotel sector is characterized by seasonality and employees are engaged on

seasonal basis and most of the jobs are low paying Filimonau, Derqui and Matute (2020).

These characteristics have reduced the attractiveness of the sector on the labour market long

before the arrival of COVID-19 (Filimonau and Corradini, 2019). According to McGinley et

al (2017), this has resulted in staff recruitment and retention an uphill task for hotel

management in a pre-pandemic world. The COVID-19 pandemic will further worsen this

challenge as the uncertain future of the hotel business may prompt qualified workforce to

seek job opportunities that are secure and lucrative in other sectors of the broader industry as

observed by (Mao et al., 2020).

The attractiveness of the hotel sector will lose appeal particularly for senior management

positions. Senior qualified personnel can seek rewarding and secure employment outside the

hotel industry. According to Filimonau, Derqui and Matute (2020), organisational resilience

of hotels, including their response to COVID-19, and corporate social responsibility (CSR)

practices may affect perceived job security of senior managers influencing their commitment

to remain in their host organisations. Sogno (2020), (Mao et al., 2020) observe that putting

workers on furlough schemes or make them redundant in the time of the pandemic deems the

hotel sector as highly fragile and highly susceptible to the external environment. This

perceived insecurity and fragility may negatively affect future recruitment of hotel staff.

What these authors ignore though, is that, pandemics have been there before, low salaries and

seasonality have always dogged the hotel industry yet people have always been attracted to it.

There is more to choice of employment than job security and salary.

2.6.3 Hotels and profitability

It is very difficult to operate profitably in the COVID-19 era. This is particularly because

movement of people is restricted and most businesses are not fully operational. Hotels’

profits are derived from occupancy and food and drink partaken by its clients. Under these

circumstances demand is suppressed and there room to make profits is very limited.

According to Deb and Nafi (2020), due to fear over a large-scale COVID-19 outbreak, many

overseas tourists have canceled their hotel bookings, resulting in significant financial losses

for the hotel and tourism industries due to the lack of tourists Hotels however have

employed some strategies to make profits, break even or at least reduce losses.

2.6.4 Service quality in the midst of COVID-19

As hospitality is shared between a host and a guest, hospitality service provision is based on

“hospitableness”, which refers to the positive attitudes of service providers; they make guests

feel cared for, welcome, and valued (Kim, Kim et al., 2020). Hospitableness is premised on

service offered by humans and it mainly relies on emotional treatment by human staff

(Golubovskaya et al., 2017). Hotels are represented as a symbol of hospitality, which

manifests as human values or human touch. Customers’ hotel experience is determined by a

variety of factors, some of which are associated with the attitudes of service staff, such as

showing politeness, patience, and emotion, welcoming guests, and providing a serene

atmosphere of comfort and relaxation (Hwang et al., 2015). Hotel guests’ preference for

human staff stresses the importance of face-to-face communication, which provides them

with the opportunity to express their commendations and concerns. The need to interact with

hotel staff also signifies guests’ desire to experience quality and personalized service (e.g.

eye contact and genuine smiles) (Ariffin, 2013). COVID-19 ushered in a new way of service

in hotels. Social distancing has reduced interaction between guest and hotel staff. Hotel staff

are no longer confident as they are engulfed with fear of contracting COVID-19 from their

clients. Service quality in hotels is influenced by the other customer yet authors have not
commented on the effect of near empty hotels to diners and overnight stayers. Customer

recruitment has also a bearing on the quality of service hotels render. Can hotels select their

customers in the COVID era when they are trying by every means to break-even?

2.6.5 Occupancy rate

Soehardi, Untari and Raya (2020) opined that occupancy rates are considered very important

for a hotel to operate profitably. Occupancy levels that are below the hotel room capacity is

an indication that a hotel is losing sales opportunities and consequently the hotel’s income is

reduced. However, it is not possible to have hotels operating at full capacity always. But if

the hotel’s occupancy is very low for most parts of the year and the hotel cannot cover its

fixed costs, this may point to forgone revenue and possible loss (Central Bureau of Statistics,

2018). COVID-19 has negatively affected occupancies globally, for instance, Lau (2020)

observed that as the coronavirus pandemic started, hotel occupancy in China was

immediately dropped to nearly zero while in Jakarta room occupancy has reduced by almost

55 percent.

2.6.6 Tax Income

Governments expect hotels to promptly pay taxes. There are different types of taxes that

hotels pay and some taxes have to be paid regardless of whether an establishment is making

profit or not. In the COVID-19 era hotels have been failing to meet their tax obligation.

Soehardi, Untari and Raya (2020) opined that failure by hotels to meet tax obligations has

been necessitated by government policy that has limited meeting activities or meetings

outside the office and decreased hotel occupancy rates. Most hotels thrive on the Meetings

Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) business. Soehardi, Untari and Raya (2020)

further observed that the covid-19 pandemic is very influential on the decline in hotel tax
revenue. For instance hotel taxes in January to April 2020 in Jakarta amounted to

127,000,000,000rupiah against 586,666,667,000 in the same trading period in 2019.

2.7 The new normal, doing business differently

According to Hao, Xiao and Cho (2020), the traditional hotel business model focusing on

catering and accommodation has been severely challenged by COVID-19, which has driven

proactive companies to restructure and develop a more diversified business scope and

distribution channels. Hotels have started to come out with innovations aimed at creating new

products or processes. Some of the changes are short gap measures aimed at dealing with the

current situation while some are expected to last through the post-pandemic era. Therefore,

the hotel industry must renew services by deconstructing and reconstructing existing

products, marketing strategy, distribution channels, delivery methods, and consumption

points (Gallen, 2020). The hotel industry will embrace reforms facilitating multi-business and

multi-channel platforms (Hao, Xiao and Cho 2020).

2.7.1 Medicalized hotels as a containment centre for COVID

According to Ramirez et, al (2020) In Madrid, 13 hotels were medicalised and patients were

attended and treated within these resources (EL mundo 2020). In addition, other rooms were

used for health professionals’ accommodations, which all together required an investment of

significant amount of money (LA vangurdia 2020) Similarly, in Barcelona other hotels were

turned into temporary hospitals for mild patients who needed surveillance. However, the use

of hotels was not limited to Spain. It was a common containment measure adopted worldwide

which bound to ease the strain that hospitals were facing. According to Cornali (2020), in

Brazil a number of hotel rooms were offered to elder and other vulnerable population, and

other accommodation facilities were turned into medical centres in the UK Gilbert, Hall and

(Pastor 2020)
Nevertheless, the organization of medicalized hotels is unknown and the scientific reports in

this regard are scarce. Moreover, their role in epidemic outbreaks and the characteristics of

the population benefited has not been widely portrayed. Therefore, the aim of our study was

to describe the implementation of a medicalized hotel in the community of Madrid as a public

health resource for the containment of COVID-19 and to describe the characteristics of

population admitted.

2.7.2 Staycation incentives

According to World Travel and Tourism Council WTTC (2020), countries have started to

apply local stimuli to their hospitality industries. Staycations are important for each

individual country as while borders open, as the anticipated flow of tourism is expected to be

low, domestic tourism is an essential component for economic recovery. Belgium eased

lockdown with 10 free train tickets for every citizen so as to encourage staycations (Broom

2020). According to Victor, Peter and Stephanie (2020), some countries have given vouchers

and discounts among incentives to encourage citizens to spend on local holidays. But Broom

(2020) has observed that families given these incentives end up economising by cutting short

their vacations and use the money elsewhere.

2.8 The impact of COVID-19 on African hotels

According to Games (2020), African hotel development was projected to grow exponentially

at the start of 2020, with more than 78,000 rooms in 408 hotels in the pipeline; however, the

COVID-19 outbreak is now shattering the dreams of Africa's hotel industry. Trevor Ward, the

W Group Managing Director indicated that the growth had been forthcoming since 2009 but

it has been doused by COVID-19 which has attracted closure of the aviation sector. The hotel

sector’s success is pivoted on airline connectivity. The African hotel industry has been very

attractive to developers and investors (Games 2020).

Whilst COVID -19 has had adverse effects on hotels globally, the pandemic has brought

some unusual business for African hotels as observed by Cordon (2020), the Raddison’s

senior area vice president for the Middle East and Africa. Some hotels have offered their

rooms as a haven for quarantined travellers, as places to isolate health workers and as

emergency call centres for governments and others managing the pandemic (Games 2020).

Hotels have been used to accommodate guests awaiting repatriation to their home countries

and for critical staff coming in for special projects. According to Cordon (2020), hotels in

some African countries have done well to match their pre-COVID performance particularly

hotels in Nigeria and Mozambique.

But generally the COVID-19 pandemic has affected African hotels dramatically. Hotels are

not fully operational because for long they have depended much on the long haul client and

staycations were generally low. The decision to close some hotels has been resting on

government(s) directive or strategic decisions made by hotel managers and investors.

Governments are offering incentives to protect the broader hospitality industry. It is

important for existing hotels to take this opportunity to renovate and spruce up their image

while investors can start developing new hotels as the laws and regulations are likely to

change when the pandemic is over.

2.9 Interventions to protect Zimbabwean hotels

As the country grappled with measures to fight COVID-19, Zimbabwe announced its

lockdown in March 2020. Hotels responded by closing their facilities in compliance with

government directive (rtgfrica.com, 2020 africasun.com 2020, meikleshotel.com 2020).

UNDP (2020) posited that they were going to be more job and income losses as the country’s

hotels had already experienced about 80% booking cancellations induced by global travel

restrictions. However, hotels reopened in May of the same year under the country’s COVID-
19 regulations with plethora of measures to safeguard the health and safety of both customers

and employees (africasun.com 2020). Meikles hotel went further to open a sick bay on site

(meikleshotel.com).

To cushion hotels from losses that were imminent the government went on to reduce the

mandatory 16% value added tax to 14%. Some hotels and lodges were given the green light

to serve as quarantine facilities for overseas returnees (Sunday Times 2020). This would help

hotels increase their occupancy rate and income. But all these efforts were not enough as the

beginning of 2021 saw an increase in the cases of COVID-19 pandemic (Ministry of Health

2021). The government responded by imposing another 30 day lockdown. Restaurants, bottle

stores and bars were to be closed for 30 days except for bars and restaurants serving hotel

residents (Vice President’s statement on COVID January 2021). Further to this, government,

in partnership with the Zimbabwe National COVID Action Trust (ZINCAT) approved some

accommodation facilities to act as quarantine centres. These quarantine centres were created

for international returnees and the quarantine was compulsory and was paid for by ZINCAT

(My Guide Zimbabwe 2020). These are all short gap measures for hotels’ survival but clients

who are compulsorily quarantined at a hotel may have little chances of return business or

refer other clients.

2.10 Chapter summary

The Chapter sought to do a review of literature of studies on impacts of COVID-19 on five

star hotels in Zimbabwe. It then looked at global pandemics and their effect on tourism

followed by how COVID-19 has affected business in general. Employment opportunities in

the hotel sector were explored. Impacts of COVID-19 on hotel business and on employees

were also discussed. This was followed by an analysis of the attractiveness of the hotel sector

in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hotels and profitability, occupancy rate and
service quality were explored. An insight into the new normal of the hotel business was

discussed and followed by the impacts of COVID-19 on African hotels. The chapter ended by

looking at the interventions done by public and private sector to save the hotel sector from a

pandemic induced demise. The next chapter analyses the methodology employed in this

research.
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

The previous chapter reviewed available literature that is related to impacts of COVID-19 on

hotels. This chapter analyses the methodology employed in the study to collect primary data

from the field. It starts by describing the research design adopted. The case study technique is

further explored. The target population, the sample size and data collection techniques are

also provided. Sampling methods and data are explored. This chapter ends by describing

how data is presented.

3.2 Research design

According to Akhtar (2016), a research design is the conceptual blueprint within which

research is conducted. Research design can be considered as the structure of research it is the

“Glue” that holds all of the elements in a research project together, in short it is a plan of the

proposed research work. A research design must fulfill three processes, data collection,

measurement and analysis. A research design is there to answer specific research questions or

testing specific hypotheses. According to Blumberg Headley and Clark (2020), a research

design is a plan and structure for investigation meant to obtain answers to research questions.

In order to satisfy the objectives of the study, a qualitative and quantitative research method

were used to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on five star hotels. This is because data

was collected from different aspects of data sources. According to Dawson (2019) there are
five common research designs that a study can employ which are experiment, survey, case

study, action research, grounded theory.

Experimental research design establishes a relationship between the cause and effect of a

situation (Campbell 2015). It is a causal design where one observes the impact caused by the

independent variable on the dependent variable. Experiments are usually conducted in

laboratories rather than in the field and are commonly used in the natural and social sciences.

A survey is a research method used for collecting data from a predefined group of

respondents to gain information and insights into various topics of interest. In a survey

researchers ask their respondents to report directly on their own thoughts, feelings, and

behaviours.  Surveys can be conducted in person, by telephone, through the mail, or over the

Internet. Though surveys require more time, they are very economical and are applicable to

large populations (Creswell and Creswell 2017).

Another design that can be used is a case study. A case study is a research strategy and an

empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within its real-life context. Case studies are

based on an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group or event to explore the causes

of underlying principles. According to Heale and Twycross (2018), a case study can be

defined as an intensive study about a person, a group of people or a unit, which is aimed to

generalize over several units.

According to Bell (2020), action research can be defined as an approach in which a

researcher and a client collaborate in the diagnosis of a problem and in the process a solution

based on the diagnosis is provided. Action research is an interactive inquiry process

implemented in a collaborative context with data-driven collaborative analysis or research to

understand underlying causes enabling future predictions about personal and organizational

change (Creswell and Creswell 2017).

The study employed a case study design because the research wanted to have a rich

understanding of the COVID-19 on hotels. The case study design was also chosen because of

its ability to provide answers to the ‘why?’, ‘what?’, and ‘how?’ questions as propounded by

Harrison (2017) that it answers questions that are critical in research.

3.2Case study and study setting

According to Harrison, Birks, Franklin and Mills (2018), Case study research has grown in

reputation as an effective methodology to investigate and understand complex issues in real

world settings. Case study designs have been used across a number of disciplines including,

social sciences and business. . The study employed the case study approach because the study

wanted to gain in-depth understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on upmarket hotels in

Zimbabwe.

3.3Target population

The target population is the group of individuals that the intervention intends to conduct

research in and draw conclusions from (Barnsbee, Barnett, Halton, & Nghiem 2018). The

target population according to Ampofo (2017) is the entire aggregation of respondents that

meet the designated set of criteria. The target population in this study was made up of all the

five star hotels in the country which comprised of Elephant Hills, Victoria Falls Hotel,

Elephant Hills, Meikles and Rainbow Towers. Also included in the population were all the

five star hotel workers.

3.4.1 Sampling

According to Touvila and Mansa (2020), sampling is a process used in statistical analysis in

which a predetermined number of observations are taken from a larger population. The
methodology used to sample from a larger population varies with how the analysis is going to

be done. Igwenagu (2016) agrees with Touvila and Mansa and propound that sampling is

concerned with the selection of a subset of individuals from within a defined population to

estimate characteristics of the entire population. This makes the study easier and feasible

rather than dealing with the whole population which may demand more time and a bigger

financial budget.

3.4.2 Sampling techniques

The study used the rotary system sampling to ensure that all members of the population were

given an equal opportunity of participating in the study. This was done to avoid bias whilst

also ensuring that the study’s results are attained with maximum precision as emphasized by

Cresswell and Cresswell (2017). A simple random sampling technique was used where the

names of employees in five star hotels were entered in excel and the computer was instructed

to randomly choose the names for each respective university. The names were obtained from

a database of employees managed by each hotel’s respective Human Resources department.

Those whose names were picked automatically became respondents. A total of 250

respondents was used consistent with Saunders (2016) who posited that for a population of

more than 1 000 but less than 10 000, 370 respondents will achieve 95% confidence level in

the study. The sample was representative considering that the total study population was

1311. Key informant technique was used on managers and technical staff who included

general managers, head chefs, head waiters and front office staff. Data was collected using

interviews and questionnaires.

3.5 Data collection methods

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest,

in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research

questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes (Kabir 2016). Primary or secondary data

collected can either be published or unpublished. In order to have a clear picture of the

phenomenon, the study used both primary and secondary data.

3.6 Data collection instruments

Data collection tools refer to the devices/instruments used to collect data, such as a paper

questionnaire or computer-assisted interviewing system. Case Studies, Checklists, Interviews,

Observation sometimes, and Surveys or Questionnaires are all tools used to collect data.

Research is carried out in very different ways so it is important to select the matching data

collection methods in order to suit the research being undertaken. The objective behind data

collection is to capture quality evidence that allows analysis to lead to the formulation of

convincing and credible answers to the questions that have been posed. This study chose

questionnaires and interviews as it sought to have deeper insights into the phenomenon that

was under investigation.

3.6.1 Interviews
According to Easwaramoorthy & Zarinpoush (2019), an interview is a conversation for

gathering information. In a research interview, the interviewer coordinates the process of the

conversation and asks or directs questions to the interviewee who responds to the posed

questions. Interviews can be conducted face-to-face or over the telephone or over the internet.

An interview is an important data gathering technique involving verbal communication

between the researcher and the subject. Interviews are familiar with exploratory and

descriptive studies. There are different approaches to interviewing, from unstructured in

which the respondent is allowed to talk freely about whatever they wish, to structured in

which responses are limited to answering direct questions.

3.6.1.1 Advantages of interviews

Interviews have got a lot of advantages and the interviewer has to read the verbal and non

verbal cues. Interviews build a relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee.

They are cheap to conduct and save a lot of time. Interviews gave the researcher the

opportunity to gain more information and in greater depth. Some respondents were not

willing to be involved in the interview process. The interviewer noticed this through reading

some of the verbal and nonverbal cues. The researcher however, the researcher used his skills

to overcome this problem and the interviewee got the necessary responses. Time and again,

interview questions were rearranged and rephrased achieving flexibility in the process.

Shona, Ndebele and English were the languages that were used to carry out the interviews

and the choice of the language depended on the interviewee. The study used an interview

guide to make sure that all the salient questions were answered and that the interview

remained focused on the phenomenon. The interviewer first sought permission from the

interviewees before the actual day of interview. Dates and time for interviews were booked in

advance in a research diary.

3.6.1.2 Disadvantages of interviews

Considering that the five star hotels in the country are geographically in different areas

spanning several kilometers in some cases, the interview process became expensive for the

study. For this reason, the study used a sample. There was evidence of no agreement between

the verbal and nonverbal cues pointing to bias and inaccuracy of information obtained from

the respondents. The interviewer tried by every means to be neutral and maintained eye

contact throughout the whole process to extract information that is correct. It was not easy to

get hold of the General Managers and other senior managers because of the nature of their

jobs. This is consistent with what was observed by Cresswell and Cresswell (2017) this

method is relatively more-time-consuming, especially when the sample is large and recalls

upon the respondents are necessary. The presence of the interviewer on the spot may over-

stimulate the respondent and maybe the information given by the respondents was not factual

but could be that the interviewee wanted the interview to be interesting.

3.6.2 Questionnaires

A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions for the purpose of

gathering information from respondents Brace (2018). Questionnaires save the same purpose

as that of interviews and the difference is that questionnaires are a written form of interview.

3.6.2.1 Advantages of questionnaires

Questionnaires are very practical and can be used to collect a lot of information from a

number of respondents within a short period of time and reducing greatly on research

financial costs. According to Tsang, Royse and Terkawi (2017), questionnaires can be
analysed more scientifically and objectively than other forms of research. The questionnaires

used by the study comprised of both the open ended and closed questions. The questions in

the questionnaire were guided by the gap identified in literature, the research questions as

well as the research objectives. The questionnaires were distributed randomly to employees

of all the five star hotels in Zimbabwe. Both the pick and drop method and the online

questionnaire were used. Respondents were given enough time to respond the questions.

3.6.2.2 Disadvantages of questionnaires

Tsang, Royse and Terkawi (2017) argue that questionnaires are simply an artificial creation

by the researcher, as it is asking only a limited amount of information without explanation.

They are also inadequate to understand some forms of information such as changes in

emotions, feelings and behaviour. There could be bias if the respondent misinterprets the

meaning and context of the question Taherdoost (2016). In the study different respondents

interpreted the questions differently. Some respondents did not submit back the

questionnaires while some questionnaires were not fully answered. Administering of

questionnaires was slow and demanded a lot of time

3.7 Pilot study

According to Cadete (2017), pilot studies are small-scale, preliminary studies which aim to

investigate whether crucial components of a main study will be feasible. Pilot studies may be

used to predict an appropriate sample size for the full-scale project or to improve on various

aspects of the study design. Igwenagu (2016) posited that it is desirable to carry out the

preliminary study before the main study to assess whether it is feasible to meet the objectives

of the study. A pilot study involving five questionnaires was carried out at Bronte hotel. No

major errors were identified by the respondents save for a few typo and grammatical errors.

Respondents reported that two questions were vague and needed to be clarified. The final
questionnaire took into consideration what was observed by respondents and corrected all the

errors.

3.8 Data analysis and presentation

The qualitative data was grouped into different themes and was analysed using thematic

analysis. This helped the researcher identify patterns occurring from the data. Quantitative

data was logically arranged in form of tables, pie charts and graphs for easy of interpretation.

The researcher chose these data presentation methods because they are easy to understand

when analysing both quantitative and qualitative data. The interpretation of data was aimed at

establishing the impacts of COVID-19 on five star hotels.

3.9 Chapter summary

The chapter started by outlining the research design adopted by the research. The study

employed a mixed approach involving both qualitative and quantitative designs were used. A

case study approach was used to narrow down to just five star hotels rather than looking at all

hotels in the country. Simple random sampling was used and primary data was collected

through interviews and questionnaires. The advantages and disadvantages that the researcher

encountered while using those data collection methods were highlighted. A pilot study to test

the feasibility of the study was also outlined. The chapter concluded by highlighting the data

presentation and analysis methods adopted by the research. The next chapter presents the

study findings.
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