Service innovation as a lever of the commercial performance of hotels in Tunisia
The economy of Tunisia is increasingly dependent on tourism activities. In this sector, service innovation is a true engine of economic growth. While most work is focused on the analysis of determining factors and the effects of innovation or innovative decision-making processes, there are few research initiatives testing the impact of service innovation on the commercial performance of hotels. Based on investigation data from a representative sample including 603 hotels in Tunisia, the objective of our analysis is to explain the issues of the relationship between innovation in hotel services and the commercial performance of the hotel. Our results lead us to conclude that in Tunisia, innovation in hotel services can be stimulated by playing on certain factors such as the category of the hotel, governance structure, affiliation or belonging to a hotel chain, the size of the hotel, management of the innovation process, and consideration of the variable factors of market and competition. We also find that the commercial performance of hotels is influenced by these factors and, especially and powerfully, by the governance structure of the hotel and management of the innovation process.