Resilience and hospitality in a pandemic: A polar-type study on Discovery Hospitality

• Main Authors: Balila, Ysabel Yu, Galvez, Ma. Alexandra Luisa Nepomuceno, Santos, Maria Katrina Estoconing, Secosana, Aedriel Philipson Santos
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Organizational resilience; Crisis management; Hospitality industry—Philippines; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- —Philippines—Influence; Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_manorg/12; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=etdb_manorg
• Institution: De La Salle University

Purpose – This is a study that used a comparative analysis between the best and worst-performing hotels from Discovery Hospitality Corporation (DHC) based on their crisis responses towards providing critical insights and identifying key indicators of organizational resilience in the Philippine hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a polar-type multiple case study research design that utilized qualitative data collection, gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with semi-closed questions. The data were analyzed through a comparative qualitative matrix to assess the viability of key indicators that composed organizational resilience. Findings - This study yielded zero viable key indicators that composed organizational resilience due to the DHC hotels’ lack of planning for a pandemic of this scale while emphasizing the impactful role of external factors in an organization’s performance. Research Delimitations/implications – This study is delimited to one best and one worst-performing hotel, both from DHC. The research findings and key outcomes are interpreted as theoretical insights in the context of the case’s operating environment. Practical and social implications – This study provided critical insights for the hospitality industry on how to pivot during a crisis. These insights were drawn from the comparative analysis of a best and worst-performing hotel. Originality/value - This study aimed to pioneer literature that explores organizational resilience in the Philippine hospitality industry. It also provided new insights for the study’s conceptual framework to be improved and regularly updated to current circumstances.