Accessibility, competitiveness and performance relationships: The mediating role of social innovation

Based on stakeholder theory and resource-based view, the aim of this paper is to study whether accessibility and social innovation have positive influences on the competitive advantage and performance of hotel companies directly; and whether accessibility has a positive influence on competitive advantage and performance indirectly through social innovation. For this purpose, a structural equation model is applied, based on data from 259 hotels in the Valencian Community (Spain). The results indicate that the direct relationship between accessibility and revenue per available room (RevPAR, objective variable) is negative; and the direct relationship between accessibility and competitive advantage and performance (perceptual variable) is non-significant. However, when social innovation acts as a mediating variable between accessibility and competitive advantage, performance and RevPAR, all three mediations are positive. This study contributes by reflecting the importance of accessibility, not only from a social point of view, but also from a competitive and economic point of view, when social innovation mediates.