Samenvatting

Hospitality and air transport are closely connected, and any disruption in the air transport network will have an impact on airport hotels. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is becoming more and more constrained due to flight limitations, regulatory pressure, and disruptions. Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, as a business that depends highly on the airport, faces a more uncertain situation. This research paper aims to explore the strategic responses that Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport can make to mitigate the effects of Schiphol constraints.

This research followed a qualitative case study methodology using semi-structured interviews with managers and supervisors, analyzed thematically. The research has identified that operational constraints transform demand instead of merely curtailing it, producing unpredictable demand manifesting as last-minute reservations, variable occupancy rates, and changing clientele. As a result, hotel performance will not progressively deteriorate but will instead be irregular, with disturbances generating both adverse effects and short-term benefits.

The findings also suggest that sustaining the performance of the hotel depends on the ability of the organization to adopt real-time adaptive strategies that help to counter the uncertainty. Examples of these adaptive strategies include price strategies, diversification strategies, flexible human resource strategies, and lateral coordination strategies. These adaptive strategies can be linked to dynamic capabilities related to sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring.

The results suggest that resilience is gained through dynamic adaptation rather than through attaining a steady state. An airport hotel facing structural constraints and variations should learn to move from prediction to planning and adopt a potential mindset in decision-making. This study contributes to the literature by connecting the dots between structural constraints in aviation and strategy in hospitality at the firm level and emphasizing the role of internal competencies in coping with external uncertainty.