A comparative study of five star hotel accommodation in Corsica and the Islands of Malta

Abstract

Five star hotels are growing and expanding to cater for tourists worldwide. The aim of this dissertation is to give an overview of the differences and similarities between five star hotels in the Maltese Islands and the Island of Corsica with the aim of getting a clearer picture of these two competitive destinations. The literature review tackles the aspect of hospitality with main focus on high-end tourism in both destinations, followed with statistics of their tourist industries. Hotel sustainability is researched with particular reference to Eco-Certification schemes found in five star hotels. In order to inform this study's evaluation, questionnaires were carried out in various five star hotels in both destinations. The responses are highlighted in the Analysis chapter. Comparison of the five star requirements' list of both destinations follows. Some differences identified types of clientele visiting the islands since Malta is very popular for business-related trips, whereas Corsica is not so specialised. Another difference was due to ECO-Certification schemes in hotels. All Maltese hotels interviewed have achieved this certificate but Corsica lacks this feature since only one hotel has this. Thus, it is concluded that Malta is more environmentally aware than Corsica and prices in Corsica are much more expensive possibly due to higher cost of living than in Malta. The study provides recommendations, based on the findings and the analyses, of what to research for further projects about five star hotels in the Maltese Islands and Corsica. Added to this, it was concluded that there are both similarities and differences between these two destinations and that is why marketing of both islands is of vital importance in order to ensure quality and uniqueness to attract high-end tourism.