Social bonds in family-run hotels – A driver for innovation in response to external disruptions?

Prior research agrees on the distinctive resource endowment of family-run hotels resulting from the interplay between the family and business system. Nevertheless, there is a research gap concerning the specific role of social resources in the innovativeness of family firms in the context of external disruptions. Utilizing semi-structured interviews, this explorative study provides an in-depth understanding of how social resources facilitate innovative responses to disruptive events. Results show that social resources of family-run hotels on two levels – internal and external – foster digital, business model, guest retention, and sustainable innovations. Internal social resources, like emotional support and collaborative decision-making within families, boost resilience and creative problem-solving. External social resources, including strong community networks and stakeholder relationships, enhance the firms' capacity to adapt by facilitating resource sharing and institutional support. Our findings enhance resource-based theory by contributing to the understanding of social resources enabled innovation in family hospitality firms.