The analysis of hotel service quality can often be isolated to specific factors included in the SERVQUAL methodology, which is the basis of the analyzed article. Measuring the differences between expectations and experiences is how the methodology functions, providing a useful metric for customer satisfaction and loyalty over time. It is also highly valuable for measuring the direction of change a given company needs to go through to better serve customers.
Marketing & Sales for Tourism and Hotels
Thanika, D.J. (2004). Exploring international tourists' perceptions of hotel operations by using a modified SERVQUAL approach - a case study of Mauritius. Managing Service Quality, 14(5), 350-364.
The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate an empirical study completed using the SERVQUAL Index to evaluate the variation in guest expectations vs. experiences for five hotels located on the island of Mauritius.
Resort and hotels on the island of Mauritius had seen a continual stream of guests for the surf, sand and sunshine aspects of their island, as they mentioned to the researcher during the formative stages of the study (Thanika, 2004). Guests' long-term loyalty to the island and a specific hotel has a direct effect on the profitability of not just the hotel but the entire tourism industry of the island, and was fluctuating significantly. The hoteliers and resort managers realized that they would need to transcend just the physical attributes of their location to create a truly unique, and highly valued customer experience. Using the SERVQUAL framework as part of the broader methodology, the most critical determinants of guest satisfaction and loyalty were ascertained. What the hoteliers and resort managers learned helped them change how they operated their reports to deliver more value, giving them a strong foundation on which to base the marketing and promotion strategies.
Study Purpose
The study has three specific objectives that include the following: first, to develop the underlying dimensions of hotel service quality including a definition of hotel service quality factors. Second, to examine the relative impact of the derived hotel factors in influencing the overall level of service quality and customer satisfaction. Third, to determine the specific dimensions of service quality which have the greatest impact on the choice intentions including probability of returning (an implied measure of customer loyalty) to hotels and resorts on Mauritius (Thanika, 2004).
Study Method
The study is based on a disproportionate random sampling method across five hotel locations, completed from December, 2000 to April, 2001. A total of 600 questionnaires where sent to hotel guests during this time and 423 were returned. Of these 423 responses, 410 were found to be usable, attaining a response rate of 68% (Thanika, 2004).
The research instrument was designed using the SERVQUAL framework, taking into account nine hotel factors and 39 attributes. The SERVQUAL framework is specifically designed to measure the differences between expectations and experiences of services clients, and has been used successfully across aboard base of industries (Thanika, 2004). Inherent in the design of the SERVQUAL framework is data collection methodologies that provide enough data to complete advanced statistical analysis routines including regression analysis and principal component factor analysis with the Varimax rotation technique (Thanika, 2004). These techniques are effective at defining orthogonally-based variations in the entire data sets through the use of eigenvalues and advanced regression techniques that isolate the percentage of explained variance (Thanika, 2004). Using these advanced techniques it was found that nine hotel factors out of 39 different hotel attributes have the greatest impact on guest's levels of satisfaction. This analysis provides insights into how the researchers found these factors, and what their implications are form a hospitably and resort marketing standpoint.
Study Findings
The study found the SERVQUAL dimension of reliability to be the most significant in explaining the variance between hotel and resort guests' expectations vs. experiences. The series of reliability factors delivered an eigenvalue of 8.874 and explained 22.754% of the variance in expectations vs. experiences of hotel and resort guests (Thanika, 2004). Breaking the reliability factor down further, the six most important elements were the responsiveness of the hotel staff, the hotel staff keeps commitments quickly and thoroughly (this shows they respect the guests (Thanika, 2004)), and also make helped recommendations to guests. Assurance factors delivered an eigenvalue of 3.325 and explained 8.526% of the variance between expectations and experiences. Extra room amenities factors delivered an eigenvalue of 2.354 and explained 6.037% of the variance between expectations and experiences.
Study Conclusion
This study of a series of five Mauritius hotels show that it is responsiveness and reliability that matters most in defining and excellent customer experience. The guests are choosing which hotels they will return to based on the treatment they are getting from the staff, specifically how members of the hotel make and keep commitments and manage tasks. The guests are particularly impressed when a staff member will commit to get a task done and then quickly completes it, this is evident in the high eigenvalue rating for reliability (Thanika, 2004). The study also shows that hotels must continually work to create a sense of owning the customer experience on the part of each staff member, if their hotels and resorts are to succeed over time.
Study Implications
You’re 77% through this paper. Sign up to read the full paper.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.