The impact of e-customer relationship marketing in hotel industry

Technological innovation and the growth of the internet as an electronic medium have led to the emergence of online travel distribution channels. The present research investigates the extent to which Greek hotels had developed the electronic customer relationship marketing (e-CRM). The study verifies the practices that frequently appear in relationship marketing process within online operations or whether their internet presence mainly depends on the basic actions of ‘supplying information’ and ‘reservations’. Also, it investigates the effects of e-CRM system on customer loyalty and satisfaction as well as the impact of relationship marketing practices to customer retention and acquisition. They have understood the importance of using electronic channels instead of traditional ones to implement their marketing strategies. Thus, e-CRM system has assisted hotel business to manage more effectively their reservations and serve their customers as fast and as effective as possible. They did not seem to apply many of the relationship marketing strategies to emphasise customer retention and continual satisfaction because of difficulties in staff training.