Statistical Scrutiny of Mischaracterizations in Hospitality Research

Abstract: When explaining industry trends in the hospitality sector many hotel investors and operators will use regression analysis, and correlations as evidenced by high R-squares to make the case for certain industry dynamics positively or negatively influencing industry trends. They also use subcategories of data rather than using broader information to come to industry wide conclusions. There are also academic studies within hospitality that also seem to data mine or draw insignificant conclusions. By reviewing some of these problems the quality of the research and relevance may improve.  

Key words: validity, generalization, autocorrelation and statistical significance

JEL codes: A, M