Abstract
This article measures the effect of human resource management (HRM) on performance in
the hotel industry in Barbados. It used a quantitative survey covering 46 hotels out of a
population of 75 hotels. The respondents were hotel’s management, being either a general
manager, human resource (HR) manager or line manager. Similar to Hoque’s study of UK
hotels, the impact of internal and external fit and the universal relevance of HRM were tested.
The findings showed no major support for external fit, universal relevance and internal fit in
the Barbados hotel industry. All the hotels perceived themselves as performing well, given the
focus on quality and targeting high spending tourists. A quest for high service pushes the
industry more towards best-practice ‘HRM’ rather than best fit.
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