STRATEGIC NETWORKS OF SMALL HOTELS - EVIDENCE FROM CROATIA

Most tourism theoreticians and practitioners agree that small hotels present one of the most vital segments of accommodation facilities arguing that they are able to react more promptly and effectively to market changes and capable of offering high-quality, differentiated and personalized services. They also agree that they are facing specific problems arising from their size which can concisely be summed in difficult access to all business resources. Thus, it is believed that their survival and long-term success depend upon their ability to strengthen their market position while preserving their core strengths - independency and flexibility. The main idea of this paper is that networking, especially in horizontal direction, is the solution. To support the idea, an empirical research was conducted with the goal of determining the extent of implementation and the features of networking i.e. cooperation in the small hotel sector in Croatia.