This book investigates and considers the urgent political, social, and economic challenges that confront society and tourism. It attempts to look at what is threatening society, and makes suggestions on what the impact will be and how tourism will be changed to integrate with the new socio-economics of a newly emerging society with its novel peculiar challenges and opportunities in a post-energy era.

The book draws on the views of leading thinkers in tourism and considers a broad range of issues from multidisciplinary perspectives facing the tourism industry for the first time in one volume: dwindling energy, new technology, security (like war and terrorism), political economy, sustainability, and human resources. By critically reviewing these social and economic challenges in a global scale, the book helps to create a comprehensive view of future tourism in the unfolding and challenging society of the third millennium.

This innovative and significant volume will be valuable reading for all current and future tourism professionals.

This book investigates and considers the urgent political, social, and economic challenges that confront society and tourism. It attempts to look at what is threatening society, and makes suggestions on what the impact will be and how tourism will be changed to integrate with the new socio-economics of a newly emerging society with its novel peculiar challenges and opportunities in a post-energy era.

The book draws on the views of leading thinkers in tourism and considers a broad range of issues from multidisciplinary perspectives facing the tourism industry for the first time in one volume: dwindling energy, new technology, security (like war and terrorism), political economy, sustainability, and human resources. By critically reviewing these social and economic challenges in a global scale, the book helps to create a comprehensive view of future tourism in the unfolding and challenging society of the third millennium.

This innovative and significant volume will be valuable reading for all current and future tourism professionals.

Understanding the global hotel business is not possible without paying specific attention to hotel chain management and dynamics. Chains are big business, approximately 80 percent of hotels currently being constructed around the world are chain affiliated and, in 2014, the five largest brands held over a one million rooms. The high economic importance of the hotel chains and their global presence justifies the academic research in the field however, despite this, there is no uniform coverage in the current body of literature.

This Handbook aids in filling the gap by exploring and critically evaluates the debates, issues and controversies of all aspects of hotel chains from their nature, fundamentals of existence and operation, expansion, strategic and operational aspects of their activities and geographical presence. It brings together leading specialists from range of disciplinary backgrounds and regions to provide state-of-the-art theoretical reflection and empirical research on current issues and future debates. Each of the five inter-related section explores and evaluates issues that are of extreme importance to hotel chain management, focusing on theoretical issues, the expansion of hotel chains, strategic and operational issues, the view point of the individual affiliated hotel and finally the current and future debates in the theory and practice of hotel chain management arising from globalisation, demographic trends, sustainability, and new technology development. It provides an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in hotel management, hospitality, tourism and business encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study.

This is essential reading for students, researchers and academics of Hospitality as well as those of Tourism, Marketing, Business and Events Management.

Understanding the global hotel business is not possible without paying specific attention to hotel chain management and dynamics. Chains are big business, approximately 80 percent of hotels currently being constructed around the world are chain affiliated and, in 2014, the five largest brands held over a one million rooms. The high economic importance of the hotel chains and their global presence justifies the academic research in the field however, despite this, there is no uniform coverage in the current body of literature.

This Handbook aids in filling the gap by exploring and critically evaluates the debates, issues and controversies of all aspects of hotel chains from their nature, fundamentals of existence and operation, expansion, strategic and operational aspects of their activities and geographical presence. It brings together leading specialists from range of disciplinary backgrounds and regions to provide state-of-the-art theoretical reflection and empirical research on current issues and future debates. Each of the five inter-related section explores and evaluates issues that are of extreme importance to hotel chain management, focusing on theoretical issues, the expansion of hotel chains, strategic and operational issues, the view point of the individual affiliated hotel and finally the current and future debates in the theory and practice of hotel chain management arising from globalisation, demographic trends, sustainability, and new technology development. It provides an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in hotel management, hospitality, tourism and business encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study.

This is essential reading for students, researchers and academics of Hospitality as well as those of Tourism, Marketing, Business and Events Management.

This book envisions the future of tourism in an economy that is largely automated. ‘Robonomics’ is the term given to this economic system that relies on robots, artificial intelligence and automation technologies for the production of goods and delivery of services instead of human labour. The volume examines the unique technological, socioeconomic and political situation that such an economy will create, and reflects on how tourism is then produced, consumed and paid for. The chapters explore some controversial solutions to the challenges of the robonomic economic system, such as redefinition of human rights, robot rights and universal basic income schemes. The chapters also consider the transition to a robonomic tourism ecosystem and the adjustments and innovations that will be required of consumers, industry and society.

This book investigates and considers the urgent political, social, and economic challenges that confront society and tourism. It attempts to look at what is threatening society, and makes suggestions on what the impact will be and how tourism will be changed to integrate with the new socio-economics of a newly emerging society with its novel peculiar challenges and opportunities in a post-energy era.

The book draws on the views of leading thinkers in tourism and considers a broad range of issues from multidisciplinary perspectives facing the tourism industry for the first time in one volume: dwindling energy, new technology, security (like war and terrorism), political economy, sustainability, and human resources. By critically reviewing these social and economic challenges in a global scale, the book helps to create a comprehensive view of future tourism in the unfolding and challenging society of the third millennium.

This innovative and significant volume will be valuable reading for all current and future tourism professionals.

This book investigates and considers the urgent political, social, and economic challenges that confront society and tourism. It attempts to look at what is threatening society, and makes suggestions on what the impact will be and how tourism will be changed to integrate with the new socio-economics of a newly emerging society with its novel peculiar challenges and opportunities in a post-energy era.

The book draws on the views of leading thinkers in tourism and considers a broad range of issues from multidisciplinary perspectives facing the tourism industry for the first time in one volume: dwindling energy, new technology, security (like war and terrorism), political economy, sustainability, and human resources. By critically reviewing these social and economic challenges in a global scale, the book helps to create a comprehensive view of future tourism in the unfolding and challenging society of the third millennium.

This innovative and significant volume will be valuable reading for all current and future tourism professionals.

Understanding the global hotel business is not possible without paying specific attention to hotel chain management and dynamics. Chains are big business, approximately 80 percent of hotels currently being constructed around the world are chain affiliated and, in 2014, the five largest brands held over a one million rooms. The high economic importance of the hotel chains and their global presence justifies the academic research in the field however, despite this, there is no uniform coverage in the current body of literature.

This Handbook aids in filling the gap by exploring and critically evaluates the debates, issues and controversies of all aspects of hotel chains from their nature, fundamentals of existence and operation, expansion, strategic and operational aspects of their activities and geographical presence. It brings together leading specialists from range of disciplinary backgrounds and regions to provide state-of-the-art theoretical reflection and empirical research on current issues and future debates. Each of the five inter-related section explores and evaluates issues that are of extreme importance to hotel chain management, focusing on theoretical issues, the expansion of hotel chains, strategic and operational issues, the view point of the individual affiliated hotel and finally the current and future debates in the theory and practice of hotel chain management arising from globalisation, demographic trends, sustainability, and new technology development. It provides an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in hotel management, hospitality, tourism and business encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study.

This is essential reading for students, researchers and academics of Hospitality as well as those of Tourism, Marketing, Business and Events Management.

Understanding the global hotel business is not possible without paying specific attention to hotel chain management and dynamics. Chains are big business, approximately 80 percent of hotels currently being constructed around the world are chain affiliated and, in 2014, the five largest brands held over a one million rooms. The high economic importance of the hotel chains and their global presence justifies the academic research in the field however, despite this, there is no uniform coverage in the current body of literature.

This Handbook aids in filling the gap by exploring and critically evaluates the debates, issues and controversies of all aspects of hotel chains from their nature, fundamentals of existence and operation, expansion, strategic and operational aspects of their activities and geographical presence. It brings together leading specialists from range of disciplinary backgrounds and regions to provide state-of-the-art theoretical reflection and empirical research on current issues and future debates. Each of the five inter-related section explores and evaluates issues that are of extreme importance to hotel chain management, focusing on theoretical issues, the expansion of hotel chains, strategic and operational issues, the view point of the individual affiliated hotel and finally the current and future debates in the theory and practice of hotel chain management arising from globalisation, demographic trends, sustainability, and new technology development. It provides an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in hotel management, hospitality, tourism and business encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study.

This is essential reading for students, researchers and academics of Hospitality as well as those of Tourism, Marketing, Business and Events Management.

This book envisions the future of tourism in an economy that is largely automated. ‘Robonomics’ is the term given to this economic system that relies on robots, artificial intelligence and automation technologies for the production of goods and delivery of services instead of human labour. The volume examines the unique technological, socioeconomic and political situation that such an economy will create, and reflects on how tourism is then produced, consumed and paid for. The chapters explore some controversial solutions to the challenges of the robonomic economic system, such as redefinition of human rights, robot rights and universal basic income schemes. The chapters also consider the transition to a robonomic tourism ecosystem and the adjustments and innovations that will be required of consumers, industry and society.