Investigating the problems in hotel refurbishment projects

Abstract

Hotel industry is one of the major contributors to the national economy in most countries including Sri Lanka. Due to the high tourist attraction in Sri Lanka, demand for modifying and upgrading the hotel industry to keep pace with the trend is inevitable. Refurbishment thus covers a wide range of activities originating from decoration to conversion. However, numerous problems are encountered in refurbishment projects and further the industry lacks in-depth investigations on strategies to minimise such problems associated. Hence this research was aimed at studying the problems prevailing in hotel refurbishment projects and thereby suggesting strategies to minimise such. A qualitative research approach was followed inclusive of three cases of recently completed hotel refurbishment projects in order to explore the causes and respective strategies to curtail the problems in connection with hotel refurbishment projects. Accordingly, most common problems are the percentage of services work, obstruction by occupancy, unrealistic time pressure and risk in health and safety. Subsequently, the study explored the main causes for those to be guest disturbances, operation of the hotel, unforeseen work and reluctance to wear safety accessories. Key strategies that could be adopted are planning ahead, separating the noisy working areas, carrying out feasibility studies and making compulsory to wear safety accessories. Through this study, it is recommended to follow up the strategies to minimise the problems in hotel refurbishment projects in Sri Lanka to enhance the lifespan of a hotel building effectively.