Weathering the pandemic storm: Inter-organizational imitation and hotel survival

No previous studies have provided insights into inter-organizational spillover in hotel market exit behaviors amidst great uncertainty. This study investigates the impact of local pandemic severity on hotel survival rates and identifies inter-organizational imitation moderating this effect. We conduct survival analysis on a sample of 3841 hotel properties in the U.S. state of Texas. Results confirm the detrimental roles of pandemic severity on hotel survival rates. We observe a negative spillover stemming from inter-organizational imitation based on the market exits of same-class hotel peers. Results further unveil that hotels operated by third-party management companies and high-end hotels are less likely to exhibit inter-organizational imitation in their closure responses to the pandemic.