Effects of Front Desk Staff Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction in Some Selected Hotels in Tamale Metropolis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.112.16255Keywords:
Customer Satisfaction, Front Desk Staff, Lodging Quality Index, SERVQUAL, Quality ServiceAbstract
The hotel sub-sector provides a plethora of services to stimulate the growth of the tourism sector. As a result, numerous governments offered a lot of incentives to support the growth of the hotel businesses in Ghana. However, it seems most of the hotels in the hospitality industry including those in Tamale Metropolis are not meeting the quality standards expected of them in connection with service delivery, good customer relationships, sufficient facilities, and provision of confidence and trust of services offered. The study, therefore, examined the effects of front desk staff service quality on customer satisfaction in some selected hotels in Tamale Metropolis. The SERVQUAL Model served as the study's foundation. The study employed cross-sectional survey design. Multi-stage sampling strategy was used. A convenient sampling approach was employed to select the 2 hotels in the Metropolis for the research. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used to analyze the data. The study found that guests had a positive perception of front desk staff at the two hotels. However, most of the guests did not have confidence that front desk staff inspire visitors, and that information about the two hotels was not sufficiently available. It was further revealed that front desk staff service quality significantly affects customer satisfaction. However, treatment equality, attention to details, and front desk staff language proficiency were the factors the front desk staff lack. The study recommends hoteliers engage highly motivated front desk staff; capacity building of front desk staff on how to inspire visitors to attract more customers; and training of front desk staff on how to be more attentive to guests' needs and preferences in order to improve the guest stay and overall experience.
References
Akudugu, M. A. (2019). Understanding Research and Research Paradigms. Accra: Gavos Education PLC Ltd.
Amissah, E. F, & Amenumey, E. K. (2015). Dimensions of Service Quality in Hotels in Accra, Ghana. Journal of Arts and Social Science,3 (1), 156-170.
Awara, N. F., & Amaechi, A. J. (2014). The Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: A study of Selected Eateries in Calabar, Cross River State. InterdisciplinaryJournal of Contemporary Research in Business, 5(9), 110-125.
Abukhalifeh, A. N., & Mat Som, A. P. (2012). Service Quality Management in Hotel Industry: A Conceptual Framework for Food and Beverage Departments. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(14), 135–141.
Cheng, B.L. & Rashid, M.Z.A. (2013). Service Quality and the Mediating Effect of Corporate Image on the Relationship between CS and Customer Loyalty in the Malaysian Hotel Industry. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 15: 99-112.
Eshetie, S. K, Seyoum W., & Ali, S. H. (2016). Service Quality and CS in Hospitality Industry. The Case of Selected Hotels in Jimma Town, Ethiopia. Global Journal og Management and Business Research: E Marketing 16(5), 73-86.
Forozia, A., Zadeh, M. S., & Gilani, M. H. N. (2013). CS in hospitality industry: Middle east tourists at 3star hotels in Malaysia. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, 5(17), 4329–4335. G/Egziabher, A. (2015). Service Quality and CS in Hotel Industry: The Case of Three Star Hotels in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Addis Ababa University College of Business and Economics. th
Ghana Tourism Authority. (2022). 2022 Tourism Report (4 ed.). Accra: Ministry for Tourism, Culture and Art.
Gupta, A. (2017). CS in relation to service quality. A conceptual study on Indian hotels, 3(1), 302–305.
Joseph, M. A. (2017). Small Tourism Accommodation Businesses in Ghana: A Barrier to Strategic Tourism Development. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield.
Kothari, C. R. (2014). Research methodology: Methods and techniques (3rd ed.). New Delhi: Wiley Publications.
Kumar, R. (1996). Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. New York: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Lalla, N., Cowden, R., & Karodia, A. M. (2015). CS within the rapid product consumption industry: A case study of Woodmead Pick n Pay, Gauteng (South Africa). International Business Research, 8(4), 233–258.
Lee J., Lee J., & Feick L. (2006). Incorporating word-of-mouth effects in estimating customer lifetime value. Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy Management; 14 (1): 29-39.
Mbuthia, S., Muthoni, C., & Muchina, S. (2013). Hotel Service Quality: Perceptions and Satisfaction among Domestic Guests in Kenya, 2(8), 22–32.
Morar, D. D. (2013). An overview of the consumer value literature, perceived value, desired value. 6th Edition of the International Conference “Marketing - from Information to Decision,” 169–186.
Nomnga, V. J. (2015). An assessment of CS and service quality: the case of hotels in East London, South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure ,2(4) ,2-4.
Parasuraman A., Zeithaml V., & Berry L. (1988). SERVQUAL: a multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64 (1): 12–40.
Prentice, C. (2013), “Service quality perceptions and customer loyalty in casinos”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25 (1), 49-64.
Poku, K., Zakari, M. & Soali, A. (2013). Impact of Service Quality on Customer Loyalty in the Hotel Industry: An Empirical Study from Ghana. International Review of Management and Business Research, 2(2), 600-609.
Sarah, M, Bariham, I. & Quansah, J. W. D. (2023). Impact of Headteachers’ Leadership Styles on Teachers’ Job Performance in Sagnarigu Municipality in Northern Region of Ghana. Journal of Social Education Research, 4(2), 276-291.
Suleman, A. M., Galyuoni, B., Cowther, S., & Issah, A. (2023). An assessment of the impact of quality service on customers’ satisfaction and loyalty in selected hotels in Tamale Metropolis, Northern Region, Ghana. African Journal of Business Management, 17(3), 43-52.
Wu, P.H., Huang, C.Y. & Chou, C.K. (2014). Service Expectation, Perceived Service Quality, and CS in Food and Beverage Industry. The International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 7(1) 171-180.
Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An Introductory Analysis (2nd ed.). Harper and Row. 485
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Shafawu Alhassan, Iddrisu Bariham, Ellen Louisa Olu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
