SACM - France
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9654
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Item Restricted Integrating Saudi Cultural Identity into Boutique Hotel Guest Experiences in Alignment with Vision 2030: Towards Innovation and Differentiation(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alnuwaiser, Raghad; Maekinen, TiiaSaudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has placed a strong emphasis on cultural identity as a primary element of tourism strategy. As such, cultural hospitality is reconceptualized as a vehicle for national identity, cultural diplomacy, and tourism product differentiation. In this regard, boutique hotels are specifically designed to offer a culturally rich and personalized guest experience. However, despite this strategy, literature on hospitality and tourism in Saudi Arabia is limited and often focuses on niche areas such as architectural heritage or service quality, overlooking the integration of cultural identity into the holistic guest experience. This study addresses this gap by exploring how Saudi cultural identity can be systematically integrated into boutique hotel guest experiences to enhance authenticity, innovation, and differentiation. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, the research analyzes online guest reviews of boutique and heritage hotels across key Saudi destinations, including Riyadh, Jeddah, and AlUla. The study employs inductive thematic analysis to identify patterns related to cultural design, service interactions, culinary experiences, and the balance between modern luxury and traditional elements. Findings reveal that deeply embedded cultural elements significantly enhance guest satisfaction and create meaningful, memorable experiences. Guests particularly value authentic spatial design, culturally informed service interactions, and traditional culinary offerings. However, gaps remain in staff cultural competence and the depth of storytelling, leading to occasional inconsistencies in the overall guest experience. The study proposes a Cultural Cohesion-Integration Framework (CCIF), offering a structured approach for embedding cultural identity across strategic, operational, and experiential dimensions. This framework provides practical guidance for boutique hotel managers and policymakers, supporting the alignment of cultural preservation with innovation and tourism development under Vision 2030.9 0Item Restricted Exploring the Impact of Cybersecurity Incidents on Hotel Operations and Reputation in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alasiri, Abdullah; Khurdi, Ruby BakshiThe hospitality industry continues to integrate various technologies to improve guests’ satisfaction and optimize organizational performance. However, this reliance also poses a cybersecurity threat to hotels according to Al Hamli and Sobaih (2023). The expansion of the tourism and hospitality sectors within Saudi Arabia under vision 2030 also serves to explain the increased vulnerability to cyber threats. Statement of the Problem The hotel industry is among the most vulnerable to cyber threats because of the kind of information that it processes. A cyber security attack can hinder business activities in a hotel and negatively affect the organization’s reputation, resulting in considerable losses and low customer confidence (Almaiah et al., 2022). The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of such occurrences on the hotels’ business in Saudi Arabia.6 0Item Restricted Exploring the Impact of Vision 2030 on Saudi Arabia's Hospitality and Tourism Industry(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) ALJOHRA, TAYEB; Annamarie, SissonThis study investigates the impact of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 on the country’s hospitality and tourism industry, focusing on how national reforms are experienced and interpreted by key industry stakeholders. Vision 2030 aims to diversify the Saudi economy, reduce oil dependence, and develop a globally competitive tourism sector through giga-projects such as NEOM, AlUla, and the Red Sea. Using a qualitative, interpretivist methodology, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with 15 professionals representing public agencies, giga-project management teams, and private enterprises across various regions. Thematic analysis reveals four core findings: economic transformation, sustainability implementation gaps, cultural authenticity concerns, and stakeholder coordination challenges. The study applies tourism development and destination branding theories to contextualize these themes, highlighting both the ambitious scale of reform and the practical frictions encountered during implementation. Contributions include an empirical perspective on stakeholder alignment, a critique of top-down planning in emerging destinations, and recommendations for more inclusive and sustainable tourism governance. This research offers theoretical and practical insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and scholars examining transformational tourism agendas in developing economies.3 0Item Restricted The Impact of Implementing Development Policies for Saudi Hotels and Lodging Industry on Rating and Customer Satisfaction: Challenge, Critical Success Factors, And Opportunities(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Barayan, Ayman; Witte, Alexandra; Moysidou, Mania; Annamarie, D. SissonThis study investigates how Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 diversification agenda translates into measurable performance gains across the Kingdom’s upscale hotel sector. A crosssectional survey was distributed to managers and frontline staff in 4- and 5-star properties in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah–Madinah, and the Eastern Province. Using a rigorously validated instrument (Cronbach’s α = 0.957), 312 usable responses were analysed with Pearson correlations and hierarchical linear regressions. Results show that the intensity of Vision-aligned policy implementation correlates strongly and positively with overall hotel ratings (r = 0.776) and customer satisfaction (r = 0.751) at the 0.01 significance level. Regression models confirm that Vision-driven initiatives explain 60 % of the variance in hotel ratings (R² = 0.60; β = 0.659, p < .001) and 56 % of the variance in customer satisfaction (R² = 0.56; β = 0.645, p < .001). Qualitative follow-ups identify staff upskilling programmes, green-retrofit incentives, and AI-enabled guest-service apps as the most influential levers linking national policy to firm-level outcomes. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that Saudi Arabia’s macro-level diversification strategy can be converted into micro-level performance improvements, offering hotel operators and policy-makers a clear roadmap for leveraging Vision 2030 to enhance competitiveness, guest loyalty, and revenue growth.1 0