Regression trees for hospitality data analysis


Purpose
The purpose of this note is to describe the concept of regression trees (RTs) for hospitality data analysis.


Design/methodology/approach
RT is an effective non-parametric predicting modelling approach that would free researchers from the need to force a certain functional form. The method does not require normalization or scaling of data.


Findings
The authors illustrate how RTs can be used to find a model that would result in the best prediction.


Research limitations/implications
A common challenge facing hospitality researchers is to estimate a regression model with the correct specification. RTs can help researchers identify the best explanatory model for prediction.


Originality/value
This paper describes the concept of RTs for the modelling of hospitality data.
