Organizational Culture – A Factor of Innovativess in Homestay Accommodation Services: The Case of a Croatian Island

Homestay accommodation is an important form of tourism accommodation offer andtourist trends indicate that the demand for it is constantly growing. In comparison to the otherforms of accommodation, it is less formal, treating the guests in specific manner. The purposeof this study is to research the impact of organizational culture of homestay accommodationproviders, in combination with destination offer as supporting system, on the creation ofinnovative homestay accommodation services. Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted using the questionnaires sent tothe homestay accommodation providers in island of Krk in Croatia in 2018, May. Insight gainedfrom the study should help familly business owners to enhance the competitiveness andimprove innovation of the homestay accommodation. 98 valid questionnairs were collected andused for empirical analysis. Findings: The research results indicate that all families possess their own, inherentorganizational culture. Observing the family as a business system, it comes to the understandingthat the organizational culture in homestay accommodation is matched with family culture andsupported by appropriate set of destination offer which plays important role in innovating ofhomestay accommodation services. Research/practical implications: The study has confirmed that family culture is a foundationof the organizational culture of homestay accommodation and is interconnected withdestination offer. Originality/value: The value of the paper is seen in findings indicating that innovative serviceof homestay accommodation stems from the organizational culture of the owner and hisengagement in offering destination services to the guest and making connections with serviceproviders in order to create quality tourism product. The paper is enriching the scarce literaturein the field of homestay accommodation services.