Analysing Service Quality in the Hospitality Industry Using the SERVQUAL Model

TLDR

The SERVQUAL model, originally devised for financial services, is applied here to assess service quality in the hospitality sector. The study found significant gaps between client and management perceptions of hotel attributes, indicating dissatisfaction, and factor analysis revealed five dimensions accounting for 78 % of variance that differ from the original SERVQUAL model.

Abstract

This study reports an application in the hospitality industry of the SERVQUAL model developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry. Although originally developed for application within the financial services sector, the model is designed to measure those components of service that generate satisfaction within five dimensions. This study identified the existence of gaps between clients' and management perceptions of attributes of the hotel, and between client expectation and perception of the services offered. It is argued that the existence of these gaps is a source of dissatisfaction with services provided. Factor analysis identified five dimensions explaining 78 per cent of variance, but these differed from the SERVQUA L model.