EXPECTATION AND SATISFACTION LEVEL OF GUEST ON SERVICE

QUALITY OF FRONT OFFICE AT VISAYAS STATE UNIVERISTY

ACCOMMODATION

A Research Proposal Outline

Presented by:

Andrade, Mary Grace

Balagao, Honeylyn
Caintic, Rhona May
Liston, Kristel
Sarsonas, LadyLeeh

Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management

College of Management and Economics
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course HMgt 127- Research in Hospitality
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Socio-Demographic Characteristics

Abdullah and Hamdan (2012) found that factors such as age, marital status, gen-

der, ethnicity, occupation, and monthly income have a significant role in influencing the

hotel accommodation choices of both Malaysians and international visitors in Malaysia.

Socio-demographic variables play a crucial role in shaping consumer purchasing deci-

sions and also have a substantial impact on consumer expectations (Aksoy, Atilgan, &

Akinci, 2003). In actuality, variations in the consumer's demographic profile might cause

disparities in how they perceive the quality of the services they receive. According to

Snipes et al. (2006) and Mattila et al. (2003), there may be gender disparities in how cus-

tomers view the quality of the services they receive. In support of this, Tabassum, Rah-

man, and Jahan (2012) discovered statistically significant disparities in how male and fe-

male customers ranked the tangibles, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy aspects of

service quality in a hotel for tourists. In the same way, Sanchez-Hernandez et al. (2010)

discovered variations in the relationship between service quality and client evaluation be-

tween men and women. Spathis et al. (2004) also looked at how gender affected how im-
portant different service aspects were considered and how people perceived the quality of

the services they received.

Age is considered a vital factor as it allows marketers to comprehend how a con-

sumer's desires and preferences change and evolve as they age (Stafford, 1996). Research

examining the influence of age shows significant differences in how different age groups

perceive and value service quality. Accordingly, Stafford (1996) notes that two younger

groups (18–25 years old and 26–35 years old) were less concerned with honesty and reli-

ability characteristics when it came to banking quality than older groups (36–45, 46–55,

and more than 65 years old).

Socio-demographic features are significant factors that influence consumer pur-

chasing behavior and have a significant impact on shaping customer needs (Aksoy, Atil-

gan, & Akinci, 2003). Variations in the impression of service quality might arise due to

disparities in the demographic characteristics of consumers.

Customer Expectation

The concept of customer satisfaction was created several decades ago. According

to Oliver (1980), customer satisfaction is the discrepancy between a client's pre-purchase

expectations and their evaluation of a product or service after consumption. Mudie and

Pirrie (2006) state that while expectations are typically developed before a service is

used, they can also arise when a client actively participates in the service's delivery.

Expectations, according to some academics (e.g., Oliver & DeSarbo, 1988; Nicolaides &
Grobler, 2017; Tse & Wilton, 1988; Oliver & Swan, 1989), are used as a benchmark for

evaluating how well a service is provided.

The discovery that expectations play a crucial role in helping consumers generate

disconfirmation beliefs and satisfaction feelings is one of Cadotte et al. (1987) significant

contributions to our knowledge of the types of standards used. The authors counter that

customers employ other standards in addition to this one. Customers can therefore create

expectations about their future service encounters with a particular organization based on

a variety of informational sources, including word-of-mouth, publicity, expert opinion,

communications, and previous exposure to competitor services (Boulding et al., 1993).

Bolton and Drew (1991) emphasized that performance level expectations and perceptions

have a direct and indirect impact on customer satisfaction through confirmation.

According to a study of the literature, consumers may evaluate their level of satis-

faction using a variety of expectations (Tse & Walton, 1988). Predictive expectation and

normative expectation, however, are the two categories that are most frequently men-

tioned. Predictive expectations refer to the consumer's perceptions of the anticipated level

of service quality that a specific service provider is likely to deliver. Normative expecta-

tions are commonly understood as the desired standard of service that consumers expect,

also known as their wants. These expectations are commonly used as benchmarks for

evaluating satisfaction (Churchill & Surprenant, 1982).

Guest Satisfaction
 In the hospitality sector, the degree to which patrons are happy with the services

they receive from hotels is known as guest satisfaction. Customer satisfaction, according

to Hernon and Whitwan (2001), is a gauge of how satisfied customers are with the ser-

vices they receive. Client satisfaction is a result of service performance relative to client

expectations, according to Liu (2000). According to Kotler, satisfaction is the degree to

which a person feels pleased or disappointed with a product after weighing the customer's

perception of the product's performance against anticipation.

To ascertain the factors that influence customer happiness, one must comprehend

the process by which customers establish their expectations. Researchers have discovered

that enhanced sales are predominantly influenced by contented consumers, since this

serves as an indication of the operational efficiency and service quality of a business or

industry. Consequently, a significant number of firms are very interested in

understanding the factors that contribute to customer satisfaction. Researchers have

discovered that customer satisfaction is the main determinant of higher sales.

Furthermore, satisfied consumers are the source of future loyalty. This will push the

business to increase sales and profits, as well as performance, in order to eventually

compete with other businesses (Elvira & Shpetim, 2016).

Service Quality and its Five Dimensions

Apte (2004) provided a definition of service quality as the ability of a corporation

to fulfill the needs and preferences of its clientele. Service quality, as defined by Parasur-
aman et al. (1985), is determined by the differences between performance and expecta-

tions across many quality parameters.

According to Parasuraman et al. (1988), service quality is the discrepancy be-

tween what clients believe they received from a service and what they expected. Follow-

ing multiple SERVQUAL scale reviews, SERVQUAL (a tool used to measure service

quality) further refined and developed these 10 qualities into five: tangibility, reliability,

responsiveness, assurance, and empathy (Parasuraman et al., 1988). The following five

dimensions were identified:

Responsiveness: where every employee gives attention to the details when deliv-

ering services. Services need to be carefully explained, comprehensive, encouraging,

leading, and convincing in order for the service to appear to be receiving a favorable re-

sponse (Parasuraman, 2001).

Reliability: every service needs a dependable kind of service; thus, when offering,

every employee is expected to possess the following skills: knowledge, expertise, inde-

pendence, mastery, and a high level of professionalism in order for the work activities

completed to result in satisfactory forms of service with no complaints.

Assurance: is the comprehension and expertise of front desk employees, as well

as their capacity to foster customer trust (Parasuraman et al., 1988). As they have a sig-

nificant influence on sensitivity, consumers frequently compare their expectations with

the services rendered by front desk employees (Brunner-Sperdin, Peters, and Strobl,
2012). Therefore, it is vital to give customers a more comfortable approach to transform-

ing social communications to satisfy customer expectations. (Brunner-Sperdin et al.,

2012) have an impact on how satisfied they are.

Empathy: for the needs of each individual employee or the consideration that

front desk staff members should show to their clients. It should be mentioned that contra-

dictory or confused feelings are present in several specific trials (Roster and Richins,

2009). Both favorable and negative hotels may attract a lot of business travelers. Joy and

happiness are considered positive emotions, while distress, wrath, anxiety, and hurrying

are considered negative sensations.

Tangible: in order to help people who want services feel satisfied with the ser-

vices they receive, employees must be able to see or use the tangible aspects of service

quality. This is a form of actual physical actualization that also demonstrates work perfor-

mance in providing services rendered (Parasuraman, 2001).

Relationship between Guest Expectation and Guest Satisfaction

The key variables in the literature encompass customer satisfaction, service qual-

ity, expectations and perceptions, and quality of service. The term "expected service qual-

ity" refers to the specific set of features and characteristics that clients anticipate and de-

mand in order to be satisfied with a service. Hence, the level of consumer satisfaction

with the service they receive is contingent upon the extent to which their expectations are

fulfilled (Yılmaz, 2007). Stated differently, customers' expectations should be fulfilled by

the service package offered in order for the perceived quality of the service to be gratify-

ing (Alnıaçık ve Özbek, 2009).

Consumer perceptions exhibit a high level of predictability when evaluating ser-

vice quality and achieving customer satisfaction (Altunışık, 2009). The term "perceived

service quality" is often in place of "service quality" due to its abstract character. The re-

lationship between clients' initial expectations and the actual service provided offers valu-

able understanding of the idea of "perceived service quality" and its functioning

(Canoğlu, 2008). Therefore, the service package offered should meet the expectations of

clients in order for the perceived quality of the service to be fulfilling. Perceived quality

is meant to be on par with or better than expectations. Quality is absent when it falls short

of expectations (Çiftçi, 2006). Perceived service quality has an impact on both customer

satisfaction and customer loyalty (Gil et al., 2006)