From Business Intelligence to Innovative Performance: The Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity in the Hotel Industry

This study explored the associations among business intelligence (BI) capabilities and innovative performance (IP) in four- and five-star luxury hotels, while also examining the moderating key role of absorptive capacity (ACAP). Based on the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study conceptualised BI as a multidimensional construct comprising six key capabilities. Data were collected from a sample of 470 hotel managers, and the model was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that four BI dimensions (analytical decision-making culture, use of information in business processes, information access quality, and information content quality) have a significant positive association with IP. On the contrary, analytical capability and data integration did not exhibit a direct significant association with IP. The moderation analysis offered further insights, illustrating that ACAP can selectively strengthen the association between information content quality and IP, as well as between data integration and IP. These findings highlighted that, in the luxury hotel context, the value of BI depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on the firm’s ability to transform high-quality, integrated data into actionable knowledge. The study contributed to the literature by indicating the moderating role of absorptive capacity in the BI–IP relationship and by providing nuanced insights into how distinctive BI capabilities can drive innovation in a service-intensive setting. From a practical perspective, the results suggested that hotel managers should prioritise promoting a data-driven culture, improving data quality, and designing organisational learning capabilities to leverage BI for IP fully.