Internationalization Strategies of Asian Hotel Companies – A Knowledge-Integration Perspective

This study aims to contribute to understanding sustainable internationalization of Asian Hotel Companies (AHCs) by adopting a knowledge-integration approach. The focus is on developing competence models for long-term success, specifically from a knowledge-integration perspective.A mixed-method approach comprising both qualitative and quantitative studies was implemented. Initially, a series of interviews with 16 top hotel executives (and industry experts) were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues relating to the internationalization of AHCs. The transcribed interviews were used to develop themes from which critical variables related to knowledge management and integration of AHCs were generated. Hypotheses were then tested based on these variables. In the next stage, a self-administered survey was conducted with 176 respondents. The cleaned dataset, comprising a sample size of 114, was subsequently analyzed to test the direct, mediated, and moderated relationships among variables using R-Studio and SPSS. The findings of this study have practical implications for the internationalization strategies of AHCs. They reveal that successful strategies significantly hinge on knowledge integration. Entrepreneurial competencies serve as a crucial mediator, enhancing the ability to strategically leverage knowledge from network resources and market opportunities to achieve superior performance following international growth. Absorptive capacity moderates, conditionally optimizing how AHCs can utilize and effectively integrate external knowledge and information. This empirical evidence suggests that AHCs can pursue an asset-light path in their international growth trajectory, provided that knowledge management and integration practices are implemented to promote operational agility and sustainable expansion. The study provides empirical evidence that supports the potential for AHCs to pursue an asset-light international growth strategy. This approach is feasible if aspects of knowledge management are widely adopted and knowledge integration practices are implemented, promoting operational agility and sustainable international expansion. Given that AHCs are latecomers in the international arena, the knowledge integration perspective is crucial to accelerating their growth plans in more developed regions. This study underscores the importance of knowledge management and integration in achieving competitive advantage and sustainable internationalization for AHCs.