Specialisation as a trend in modern hotel industry

Purpose – In this paper, the importance of the organisation of specialised hotel offer is researched, as well as its competitiveness in the market. The research goal is determination of changes in hotel competitiveness levels following implementation of specialised label standards for the purposes of as high as possible quality organisation of the hotel industry in destination and resource valorisation. Design – The paper is conceived in the way that it presents Croatian hotel industry problem areas from different aspects. First of all, the problem is researched from the legislative aspect, followed by research on positions in specialisation in the Croatian hotel industry. The next component analyses hotel management attitudes on hotel performance and its competitiveness following the realised specialisation and, finally, attitudes of the legislative institution, which proscribes the specialisation standard, are examined. Methodology – To test the hypothesis, two interview researches were conducted which, with their results, synergically contribute to the derivation of conclusions. In the paper preparation, methods of data collection and creative thinking techniques, as well as other scientific and research methods were used. The statistical method includes processing and illustration of statistical information while meta-analysis and the historical method were used in the analysis of numerous scientific and professional works, with the aim of importance evaluation of Croatian hotel industry specialisation certification. Methodology is oriented to the research of the concept of special interest hotels and the sustainability-oriented business philosophy on the repositioning of Istria tourist destination and achieving business excellence. Approach – Authors' arguments and predictions are also presented in the paper. Specialisation in the hotel industry that promotes sustainable products and services on a segmented market are impetus for qualitative response to globalisation processes (synergy of differentiation, specialisation, globalisation and sustainable development). Findings – How much competitiveness and perception of specialised hotels have changed will, in this paper, be considered by means of qualitative research of hotel management attitudes. Introduction of specialised hotel content for groups with particular interests animates tourist trend development in pre and post-season periods, with implementation of entertainment and activity programmes and animation. Conclusions should contribute to new knowledge and point to the need for change and impact trends towards market and business excellence. Originality – The research originality is primarily evidenced in the first consideration and official listing of certified hotels by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism. Unsorted Ministry data is summarised and shaped into a table which implies the trends of development of specialised hotels in the Republic of Croatia. The researched hotel managers and the Ministry of Tourism staff, responsible for this segment, point to the new knowledge and open domains for new future research.