Measuring food and beverage service quality in spa hotels

Abstract

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.

The influence of menu design, menu item descriptions and menu variety on customer satisfaction. A case study of Egypt

“…EFA with varimax rotation was used in this study for two major reasons: (1) to explore a smaller number of main dimensions and (2) to recognize the underlying structure which would be appropriate for further examination (Giritlioglu et al., 2014; Hair et al., 2010). The EFA data were achieved from 29 items.…”

Lifestyle Segmentation of Spa Users: A Study of Inbound Travelers to Hong Kong

“…They conclude that a well-designed service process, standardized service procedures, and training for service staff and therapists can help to enhance service quality, generate positive emotions, and ultimately create a better spa experience. Giritlioglu et al (2014) analyze the food and beverage service quality in spa hotels in Turkey and identify six dimensions of quality, namely assurance and employee knowledge, healthy and attractive food, empathy, tangibles, responsiveness of service delivery, and reliability. They suggest that these dimensions could help spa hotel managers to increase the perceived quality of the services they offer to their guests.…”

“…A group of studies look at motivation to visit spas (Kim, Kim, Huh, & Knutson, 2010;Koh et al, 2010;Kucukusta, Pang, & Chui, 2013;Mak et al, 2009). Two more recent studies investigate service quality in spas (Lo, Wu, & Tsai, 2014;Giritlioglu, Jones, & Avcikurt, 2014). In addition, spa usage characteristics by gender have been analyzed in two studies (Sherman, Clemenz, & Philipp, 2007;Tsai, Suh, & Fong, 2012).…”

An Empirical Study on Food and Beverage Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Star Graded Hotels in Dambulla

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