If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The aim of this study was three-fold: first, to develop an instrument to evaluate food and beverage service quality in spa hotels; second, to identify aspects of food and beverage service quality of which customers had the highest expectations, i.e. the key dimensions of food and beverage service quality in spa hotels; third, to measure customer perceptions of the spa hotels in this study and to identify those dimensions with the largest gap between customer expectations and perceptions. Design/methodology/approach -A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to 331 customers at four different spa hotels in Balikesir, Turkey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify service quality dimensions. Cronbach Alpha indicated the reliability of the factors identified. Customer expectations, perceptions and gaps between expectations and perceptions for each dimension were measured. Findings -Factor analysis revealed six quality dimensions: "assurance and employee knowledge"; "healthy and attractive food"; "empathy"; "tangibles"; "responsiveness of service delivery"; "reliability". Customer expectations were highest for "tangibles" and "assurance and employee knowledge". The largest gaps between perceptions and expectations were for "healthy and attractive food" and "tangibles". Practical implications -Key dimensions for food and beverage service quality in spa hotels were identified and a reliable instrument for measuring provision was developed. This should be applied by managers on an ongoing basis to evaluate their performance and give them a better understanding of food and beverage service quality in spa hotels. The study provides specific information on the performance of Turkish spa hotels in relation to food and beverage service quality. Originality/value -This research addresses the paucity of research on customer perspectives of food and beverage provision in spa hotels and contributes to enhanced understanding of spa tourists and their expectations and perceptions of the service quality of food and beverage service quality.

Small-scale businesses play a crucial role in the eco nomies of many developing countries like Turkey. For this reason, it is important to identify critical success factors (CSFs) for successful operation of small-scale businesses in every industry. This study identifies the factors that are critical for success in small hotel businesses. It focuses on CSFs perceived by small hotel managers/owners. The study was undertaken in the Aegean region of Turkey among 155 small hotel businesses. The empirical results indicated that the main critical factors were efficient use of the internet, service quality, financial performance, and marketing. Factor analysis showed that the use of the internet was the most important factor for small hotels. There were some different perceptions among managers/owners as to CSFs, depending on their educational background and work experience. Based on these findings, recommendations for successful small hotel operations are presented.

The number and importance of small and medium‐sized hotel enterprises (SMHEs) is increasing. As in many countries, SMHEs in Turkey play a great role in the economy, due to their significant share within the tourism industry in terms of number of enterprises, employment and investment. SMHEs accommodate a significant part of foreign and domestic visitors, especially in coastal areas. Therefore, the management of those establishments needs to be investigated. This article focuses on perceived training needs of the owner‐managers of the small and medium‐sized hotel establishments in a Turkish tourist town, Bodrum, on the Aegean coast and examines the impact of the current situation on the management practices. The findings indicate that the training level of the SMHEs at the managerial level is not satisfactory. This prevents the managers being successful in management and productive hotel operations. General outcomes can be drawn for hotel operators and tourism policy makers.

The aim of this study was to ascertain Turkish tour guides' awareness and attitudes regarding HIV and AIDS. A sample of 516 tour guides registered in Turkey who verbally consented to participate in this study responded to an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. The respondents typically exhibited a reasonable to excellent degree of knowledge about HIV and AIDS. However, the survey revealed some common misconceptions, indicating that tour guides require additional training in the mechanisms of HIV transmission. We also observed some differences in the level of HIV-related knowledge between different demographic groups. The knowledge level of male respondents was better than that of the female respondents. We also observed that knowledge levels increased with both age and work experience. These results are discussed within the framework of critical studies on HIV-related knowledge. Implications for the development of curricula and in-service training programmes for tour guide organisations and institutions are discussed.

No abstract