Janet Sim

A model of customer satisfaction and retention for hotels

ABSTRACT This study was designed to assess the antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction and retention in the hotel industry. The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention has been researched for many years. This study extended that research to look at the antecedent effects of customer satisfaction as well as the effect of added value and gender on customer satisfaction and customer retention, and how they relate to the intent to switch. Customer retention was operationalized in terms of loyalty and intent to switch. Customer satisfaction was operationalized in terms of hotel ambience and hospitality. A survey among hotel customers in the San Francisco Bay Area was conducted. A LISREL structural equation model with confirmatory factor analysis was developed to analyze the data. Results indicated that the latent construct customer retention was dependent on the latent construct of customer satisfaction. Added value was found to have positive effects on customer satisfaction and customer retention. Managerial implications to develop strategies to improve customer satisfaction and enhance retention of hotel customers were discussed.

A New Look at the Antecedents and Consequences of Relationship Quality in the Hotel Service Environment

Abstract As economic conditions improve, hotels are investing in new ways to improve service quality and perceived value that hopefully will lead to better customer satisfaction and loyalty. This study took a new look, with newly developed scales, at the antecedents and consequences of relationship quality in the hotel service environment to shed new light on the factors hotels have to deal with to achieve their objective of satisfied and loyal customers. Using a structural equation model, it was determined that the tangible and intangible factors of perceived value, timeliness, and hotel facilities are antecedents of hotel quality. Hotel quality, subsequently, is a determinant of both customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, consistent with previous research, customer satisfaction is not a guarantee of customer loyalty.

A Model of Attitude toward Mobile Location-Based Services

At a recent Cornell Hospitality Research summit, Expedia presented its study that more Internet access occurs through mobile devices than by laptop or desktop. This trend is going to increase in the future. Location-based service is the new frontiers for hospitality practitioners to enhance customer engagement and retention. This research studies the attitude to location-based services for hospitality customers, and how it relates to the perceived usefulness of the mobile phone, a latent construct measured by the perceived social functions and perceived usability of mobile phone. A survey was conducted among customers of hotels and restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. A structural equation model was developed. Results indicate that usability and social functions are important aspects of perceived usefulness of the mobile phone, and this perceived usefulness affects the attitude to location-based services. Implications of the research for hospitality practitioners are discussed.

A planning and evaluation model for programs in hospitality management (foodservice management program used as illustration).

A curriculum model is proposed for planning and evaluation of hospitality management programs. The model distinguishes four phases of an educational program: (1) mission of the program, (2) program goals, (3) competency-based objectives, and (4) learning activities. The fourphases of the model are then divided according to what was intended (planning) or what was assessed from observation (evaluation). The model provides a framework for the planners and evaluators to investigate the success or failure of an individual program in terms of logical contingency and congruency. Contingency in the planning stage refers to the theory that if the mission, goals, competencies and learning activities were planned through a deductive and sequential process, then logical contingency follows. Congruency in the evaluation stage refers to symmetry between what is intended (planning) and what is observed (evaluation). A well planned quality program meets both the contingency and congruency requirements of the curriculum matrix.