As a tool for strategic innovation strategies to provide competitive advantage: A research on Kocaeli hotel administration

With the recent developments in the process of globalization, it necessary for enterprises to adapt to changing world conditions to compete with each other. Thus, in order not to lag behind its competitors, enterprises should apply for competitive strategies of businesses to survive. Innovation competition has become recently a new approach. Therefore, on behalf of the studies to provide a competitive advantage, innovation activities are included. Lile product, service, process, marketing and organization, incremental and radical innovation activities are implemented. Innovation activities in this area of activity by competing businesses or offensive, defensive, imitative, dependent, traditional, and opportunities in the following innovation strategy can provide a competitive advantage. In this context, the main objective of the research, to determine three, four and five-star hotels' innovation activities in Kocaeli and innovation strategy pursued in this direction is determined. The second aim, to determine if they contain an attribute determining competitive strategies on innovation strategies to be implemented for the hotel companies included in the study. In this context, the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Management Certificate three, four and five-star hotel operator in a total of 15 were included in the study .Qualitative research method was used. Hotel companies of the research data have been obtained as a result of interviews with senior managers. The data obtained were analyzed by descriptive data analysis technique. Results of this research have been identified hotel is applied innovation activities of enterprises. In the hotel business, mainly in the size of the innovation stage, product, service and process innovations were implemented. Also, the relationship between the hotel enterprises applied competitive strategies and innovation strategies are examined. Therefore, there is a positive relationship between the innovation strategy of cost leadership strategy and the attacker and the opportunities follower. There is a positive relationship between Differentiation strategy and innovation strategy following opportunities. There is a positive relationship between the attacker and opportunities follower the innovation strategy and focusing strategy.Key Words: Competitive Advantage, Competitive Strategies, Innovation, Innovation Strategies, Kocaeli Tourism