Crisis and disaster management in Jordanian hotels: practices and cultural considerations Ihab Hanna Salman Sawalha Risk Management Department, American University of Madaba, Madaba, Jordan Luai Eid Jraisat Marketing Department, American University of Madaba, Madaba, Jordan, and Kamal A.M. Al-Qudah Faculty of Business and Finance, American University of Madaba, Madaba, Jordan Abstract Purpose – This research aims to: identify major risks that have the potential to place Jordanian hotels in crisis or disaster situations; investigate the tools/frameworks adopted by Jordanian hotels to manage crises and disasters; and investigate the cultural factors influencing the wider adoption of crisis and disaster management best practices in Jordanian hotels. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of “five-star” hotels in Jordan was undertaken. Interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted followed by semi-structured interviews with three General Managers from three hotels of different cultural backgrounds: local; regional; and international. Findings – Results revealed that Jordanian hotels are exposed to a wide range of risks. Jordanian hotels lack effective and comprehensive tools/frameworks for managing crises and disasters. Organizational culture affects the wider adoption of crisis and disaster management best practices within Jordanian hotels. Practical implications – To be successful in promoting crisis and disaster management in hotels and in the tourism industry more generally, the relevant authorities in Jordan, such as the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Jordanian Hotels Association, should demonstrate to hotels in Jordan how significant crisis and disaster management is, so that they can be able to cope with crises and disasters more efficiently. Originality/value – This is the first study investigating crisis and disaster management in Jordanian hotels using quantitative and qualitative approaches. This research will be of value to those interested in crisis and disaster management in the tourism industry. Keywords Risk, Crisis, Disaster, Hotels, Culture, Jordan, Risk management Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Tourism development has the potential to impact almost every aspect in a society, both positively and negatively (Byrd, 2007). The global tourism environment is increasingly becoming complex and unstable, making hotels vulnerable to a wide range of risks (Paraskevas and Arendell, 2007; Ritchie, 2004; Blake and Sinclair, 2003; Dean, 2002). The tourism industry has been affected hugely by crises and disasters around the world in recent years; including natural hazards and man-made (Pennington-Gray et al., 2011). The Jordanian hotel and tourism sector has experienced multiple crises and disasters in the last decade. Overall, the period from 2000 to date has been The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0965-3562.htm Disaster Prevention and Management Vol. 22 No. 3, 2013 pp. 210-228 r Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0965-3562 DOI 10.1108/DPM-09-2012-0101 210 DPM 22,3