ACCRA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF HOTEL CATERING AND INSTITUTIONAL

MANAGEMENT

DETERMINATION OF FRONT OFFICE STANDARD IN THE SERVICE

DELIVERY OF CUSTOMERS SERVICE: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED

HOTELS IN ACCRA METROPOLIS

BY

NAMES INDEX

PROJECT SUPERVISOR

1
 ABSTRACT

The general objective of this research is to analyse determination of front office

standard in the service delivery of customers’ service. The specific objectives of this

study are; to assess customers’ expectation and perception level towards service

quality of the front office staff in five dimensions: tangibility, reliability,

responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. To analyze the discrepancy gap between

customers and expectation and perception towards service quality of the front office

staff. To analyse determination of front office standard in the service delivery of

customers service. The study employed a descriptive survey design. For the purpose

of this study, managers and staffs of front officers from selected hotel in Accra

metropolis were the study population. The entire permanent employee (both

management and staff) of selected hotel in Accra metropolis, were set as the target

population. Thirty (30) representative staff from top management and front desks

officers of the hotels of the Accra Metropolis of the Greater Accra region were

interviewed. Purposive sample technique was used to select the Managers and front

desks officers of the various selected hotels. The findings showed that most

respondents identified tangibility as the most important factor in determining

satisfaction. Moreover, their perception of service exceeded their expectation. It was

recommended that, further study should be undertaken to apply the results of this

study. First, research could be broadened to include other hotels in tourists’ locations

in Ghana. Second, it would be valuable to conduct further research concerning

customers’ attitudes towards the quality of other service businesses such as

restaurants, travel agencies and airlines.

2
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

This chapter outlines an introduction to and background for information on

determination of front office standard in the service delivery of customers’ service. A

problem statement, the initiative to conduct this study, research questions, and its

objectives, are also outlined.

Background to the Study

The debate on the relationship between service quality and satisfaction has been

spurred by academicians including; Spreng and Singh (1993) who established that the

higher the level of service quality the higher the level of customer satisfaction,

Stafford et al., (1998) deduced that service quality and customer satisfaction are

distinct but related, while Shekarchizadeh et al. (2011) posit that customer

satisfaction is antecedent to service quality. Satisfaction is generally associated with

one particular transaction at a particular time and has been described by Spreng et al.,

(1996) as an emotional reaction to a product or service experience. Service quality on

the other hand is more congruent with a long term attitude. Overall, satisfaction is

more experimental, transitory and transaction-specific, while service quality is

believed to be more enduring.

Service industries play an important role in most economies. As competition

increases in the market, tourism businesses and organizations need to develop

3
effective methods for being more responsive to peoples’ needs and retaining more

loyal participants since attracting new participants will cost more which involves

more advertising and promoting. Like other fields, tourism involves both goods and

services, but the service component is relatively high. According to African

Development Outlook, the trend of world markets has changed noticeably from

agricultural to service markets. All of the service businesses are trying their best to

improve their service quality in order to make customers satisfied with their services,

especially the hotel industry. Hotel operators now focus more on the quality standards

in order to meet the basic needs and expectations of the customers. Once customers

and requirements are clearly identified and understood, hotel operators are more

likely to anticipate and fulfill their customers & needs and wants. The more satisfied

the customers are, the more likely they are to return or prolong their hotel stay. At

present, hotel visitors in Ghana seem to have high standards and demands for

excellent service. The hotels have increased their standards and now instead of having

only a nice room to draw customers in, they offer - high quality staff as an amenity as

well. Guest satisfaction is the highest priority for owners and managers competing

with hundreds of others, and personal service is at the top of the travelers and list of

the most important things when considering a hotel to stay in .In the hotel industry,

hotel staff is ranging from top management staff to front line staff (i.e. house keepers,

receptionists, front cashiers). Front office staffs are considered as a supporting factor

in de-Training customer satisfaction when deciding to return, to recommend the hotel,

or in demonstrating loyalty to a particular hotel. In this thesis work presented that

4
front office staff are the nerve center of all hotels, and the front office is essential to

keep up with what is happening at all areas of the hotel.

Statement of the Problem

Hotel Visitors in Ghana seems to have high standards and demands for excellent

service. Service quality is perceived differently by tourists in different parts of the

world. Hotel operators are paying more attention than ever to the needs and

expectations of the customers by consistently improving the quality of the service

offered to the customers. Researches proved that service quality is an important

element to make customers satisfied with the hotel services.

One of the main problems of Ghana hotel industry is challenges that hotels face in

developing standard service quality and sustaining the service level. Consistency is

one of the important matters in delivery service and can directly influence the level of

perceived service and thus customer satisfaction. In the context of five star hotels;

front office is the first point of contact that is supposed to set a tune for entire hotel

and its operation. Developing adequate image of hotel through a standard service

level is one of the main challenges of hotel operation. Meanwhile, understanding the

customers’ needs and wants and tailoring a service delivery system that recognizes

these individual needs and wants is also challenging. Hotel service quality enjoys

various dimensions each of which holds tangible and intangible indicators shaping the

overall hotel guest experience that may be satisfactory or dissatisfactory. Assessing

these dimensions and their pertinent indicators could be challenging, as well.

Objectives of the Study

5
The general objective of this research is to analyse determination of front office

standard in the service delivery of customers’ service. The specific objectives of this

study are as listed below:

i. To assess customers expectation and perception level towards service

quality of the front office staff in five dimensions: tangibility, reliability,

responsiveness, assurance, and empathy.

ii. To analyze the discrepancy gap between customers and expectation and

perception towards service quality of the front office staff.

iii. To analyse determination of front office standard in the service delivery of

customers service.

1.4 Research Questions

To enable arrival at sound findings to achieve the objectives set out above, the

following research questions were considered.

i. What are customers expectation and perception level towards service

quality of the front office staff in five dimensions: tangibility, reliability,

responsiveness, assurance, and empathy?

ii. What is the discrepancy gap between customers & expectation and

perception towards service quality of the front office staff?

iii. How is determination of front office standard in the service delivery of

customers’ service?

Significance of the Study

This study will be as a practical guideline for the hotel management, especially the

front office department. The outcome of this study will develop the service quality of

6
the front office staff in order to meet their customers ‘needs and wants. If the gap

score is low, it results into customer satisfaction and in contrast, if the gap score is

high, then the hotel owner requires arranging training program for their staff to

improve the service.

The Ghana hospitality sector is well-known for poor service quality and service

inconsistency and dissatisfaction is common among both national and international

clientele. The only matter that keeps the sector surviving is the absence of

competition as the demand excesses over supply in Ghanaian hospitality industry.

Sooner or later this situation will change and the competition will arise forcing

Ghanaian hotel organizations to adjust their operations to cope with the situation.

Appropriate management systems that enforce standard operation procedure are

required to facilitate methods of business excellence aiming at implementing effective

quality management and thus raise performance and customer satisfaction. In this

manner, standard operation procedure for each hotel individual activity provides a

blue print and a road map for each individual who is involved in carrying out this

activity and thus guarantee standard service level. In addition to providing a standard

action platform that guides and directs each hotel employees, standard operation

procedure provides a measurement tool that allows Accra five stars hotels to measure

their performance and explore their weaknesses and service inconsistency and thus

contribute to standardize service level and guest satisfaction in the industry. Therefore

effective quality management can be achieved through employment of standard

manual procedures and effective communication of these standards to each employee

who is involved in hotels’ functions.

7
Scope of the Study

Geographical scope: The area of the study will be conducted at among selected

hostels in the Greater Accra Metropolis.

Content scope: The study will be interested in trying to study determination of front

office standard in the service delivery of customers’ service in the Greater Accra

Metropolis

Organization of the Study

The work is organized into five different chapters. The first chapter will provide the

primary introduction of this study. It will propose the extensive construction inherent

in this study, it thus will provide adequate background of information to allow the

reader understand the reason behind the study and what we intend to accomplish by

undertaking the study. The chapter will give an overview of the whole study. Chapter

two of the work will review earlier research related to the research topic with specific

reference to the research objectives. It will present extracts from books, journals and

collected works that are helpful in carrying out this work and justifying key

conclusions and recommendations. Chapter three will provide details of how data was

collected, organized and analyzed. It will suggest the varied techniques and tools used

to collect and analyze data to gain valid results. Chapter four will provide research

results and discussion obtained through the methodology outlined in chapter three.

The final chapter, chapter five will provide a summary of findings, conclusions from

the study and recommendations for users of the research.

8
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

This chapter is about literature review, where it presents ideas that have been

discussed by various researchers about the problem. Thus, it is considered as

secondary sources. Literature review can be defined as a process of gathering

information from different sources such as journals, articles, newspapers, internet and

books that have ideas about the problem under study.

The Roles and Qualifications of Front Office Staff

The front staff play an important role in the hotel. They are the first group who greet

and welcome the guests on arrival. They have to contact with the guests more than

staff in other departments and provide the service in meeting the needs and

expectations of the guests (Kunakitkumjorn, 2003). Front office personnel include

front office manager, reservationists, receptionists, front cashiers, telephone

operators, night auditor, guest relation officers, and bellboys.

According to Long (2007), front staff are the center of hotel operations, and their

main functions are as follows:

1. Front office manager supervises and control everything in the department.

He/she observes the policy of the management department and is responsible for the

9
training of newly-employed staff. Also, he/she plays a role in the staff development in

order to work efficiently.

2. Reservationists are responsible for advanced hotel reservation and room

booking through telephone, facsimile as well as the personal information of the hotel

guests.

3. Front desk representative welcome the guests upon their arrival. They are also

responsible for the rooms that are not reserved in advance, the registrations, the room

number, the room key, and the guests, luggage by coordinating with the bellboy or

other staff. Besides, they provide information, mail the letters, take message, take

notes, and report the check-in and check-out statistics of the guests.

4. Front cashiers record guests, payment by producing receipts or daily notices.

They also receive money from the guests and take care of the money from all sections

of the hotel.

5. Telephone operators are responsible for the telephone contact, the

Supervision of the hotel sound system, and the morning call.

6. Night auditor examines the record of guests, payment and offers services to

the guests upon their check-in and check-out at night.

7. Guest relation officers always stand by at the desk near the lobby to offer help

and advice and solve the guests, problems. They need to have good knowledge of the

hotel and the major tourist sites in the city where the hotel is located. They also need

to be fluent in at least one foreign language.

8. Bellboys are mainly responsible for the guests, luggage. They take the hotel

guests to their room after they are informed about the room number and are given the

10
room key. Sometimes, they need to answer or inform the guests about other hotel

services.

In addition, front staff also are a base of operations during an emergency situation

such as a fire, bomb threat, medical emergencies. A capable, courteous and

professional front office staff can make each guest stay a pleasant experience and

ensure the guests, willingness to return.

As mentioned above, the front office is the most visible department in the hotel.

Front staff must be able to get along with many different types of people, even in

stressful situations. These people require following qualifications:

Firstly, the front office staff should have a good personality, well dressed and neat.

Individuals who well dress suggest power and status; therefore, the first impression is

only part of creating a positive relationship between the hotel and the customers.

According to Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons (1998 & 1994) presented that the front

office staff must present an impeccable outward appearance to customers.

Secondly, the staff should be competent. They should know basic product knowledge,

type of rooms and hotel facilities in the hotel. As Binham; Lampola; & Murray (1982:

17) suggested that front office staff should know many types of rooms and explain

each type of rooms which are single rooms, double rooms, twin rooms, suites,

connecting rooms and adjoining rooms.

Thirdly, the guests may have different accents in English and some words are difficult

for front office staff to understand due to the different countries, particularly, for the

reservations or the operators who deal with customers by phone. White and Beckley

(1988) mentioned that front office staff should use alphabetic system which is similar

11
to the system that used by travel agents and airlines. Tanpipat (1994) suggested an

alphabet to be used, for example, M for Mike, N for Nancy, P for Peter. Moreover,

White and Beckley (1988: 51) pointed out that when telephone operators answer the

telephone, they should identify themselves, announce the name of the hotel, with the

addition of

.Good morning1 or .Good evening1 with the appropriate intonation. The additional

words, .May I help you?1 will give the impression of willingness to serve, which is

all important in hotel.

Moreover, front office staff should be able to handle some problems, deal with

complaints or certain difficulties in the hotel, when the guests confront the problems

in the hotel. As Harrington, and Akehurst, (1996) stated that good communication

skills are required in dealing with customers, and strive to resolve the problems when

they arise.

In conclusion, front office staff should make their guests happy and satisfied. As keys

to the guest satisfaction driver, the front office staff are critical to the continued

success of the hotel. They offer constant guest interaction, with the most diverse

operating exposure in the hotel. The important thing, the front office staff will also

reflect the image of the hotel to the customers and they have a keen sense to

anticipate the guests, needs and exceed their expectations.

Service Quality

Service quality is the result of the comparison that customers make between

their expectations about a service and their perception of the way the service has been

performed (Gronroos, 1984; Parasuraman et al., 1985, 1988). A number of experts

12
define service quality differently. Parasuraman et al. (1985) define it as the

differences between customers, expectation of services and their perceived service. If

the expectation is greater than the service performance, perceived quality is less than

satisfactory and hence, customer dissatisfaction occurs. Lewis and Mitchell (1990),

Dotchin and Oakland (1994), and Asubonteng et al. (1996) define service quality as

the extent to which a service meets customers, need and expectation.

The SERVQUAL approach

The SERVQUAL approach has been applied in service and retailing organizations

(Parasuraman et al., 1988; Parasuraman et al., 1991). Service quality is a function of

prepurchase customers, expectation, perceived process quality, and perceived output

quality. Parasuraman et al. (1988) define service quality as the gap between

customers, expectation of service and their perception of the service experience.

Based on Parasuraman et al. (1988) conceptualization of service quality, the original

SERVQUAL instrument included 22 items. The data on the 22 attributes were

grouped into five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and

empathy. Numerous studies have attempted to apply the SERVQUAL. This is

because it has a generic service application and is a practical approach to the area.

This instrument has been made to measure service quality in a variety of services

such as hospitals

(Babakus & Glynn 1992), hotels (Saleh & Rylan 1991), travel and tourism (Fick &

Ritchie 1991), a telephone company, two insurance companies and two banks

(Parasuraman et al. 1991). In this study, the researcher uses SERVQUAL approach as

13
an instrument to explore customers expectations and perceptions levels of service

quality towards the front office staff at the hotel.

SERVQUAL dimensions

Previously, Parasuraman et al. (1985) identify ten determinants for measuring service

quality which are tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, communication, access,

competence, courtesy, credibility, security, and understanding/knowledge of

customers.

Later these ten dimensions were further purified and developed into five dimensions

i.e. tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy to measure service

quality,

SERVQUAL (Parasuraman et al., 1988). These five dimensions identified as follows:

(1) Tangibility

The physical evidence of front office staff is including a personality and

appearance of personnel, tools, and equipment used to provide the service. For

example, some hotel chains (e.g. Hilton, Mandarin, Sheraton, and Hyatt) consciously

ensure that their properties are conformed to global standards of facilities wherever

they are located (Nankervis, 1995). However, the researcher, in this study, is focusing

on how welldressed the front office staff are.

(2) Reliability

The ability involves to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. It

includes .Doing it right the first time1, which is one of the most important service

components for customers. Reliability also extends to provide services when

14
promised and maintain error-free records. The following examples present the

reliability factor.

Example 1: The staff perform tasks that have been promised to guests and resolve

problems encountered by guests.

Example 2: The customers are sensitive to issue such as the telephone being picked

up within five rings and their reservations being correct.

(3) Responsiveness

The front office staff are willing to help customers and provide prompt service to

customers such as quick service, professionalism in handling and recovering from

mistakes. It has been said that .Today luxury is time1. Consequently, service

providers, ability to provide services in a timely manner is a critical component of

service quality for many guests. The examples of responsiveness are as follows:

Example 1: The staff is asking for customers, name, address, post code and telephone

number during the telephone booking.

Example 2: The customers are asked to guarantee their booking, the different rates

that they are offered and which ones they accept.

Example 3: The customers are offered alternative accommodation at a sister hotel and

how efficiently that is arranged and reservation cards being ready to sign upon arrival.

(4) Assurance

Assurance refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to

convey trust and confidence including competence, courtesy, credibility and security.

A. Competence means possession of the required skills and knowledge to perform

15
the services. It involves knowledge and skill of the contact personnel, knowledge and

skill of operational support personnel, research capability of the organization.

B. Courtesy involves politeness, respect, consideration, and friendliness of

contact personnel.

C. Credibility involves trust worthiness, believability, honesty; it involves having

the customer,s best interest at heart. Contributing to credibility is company reputation,

personal characteristics of the contact personnel. The degree of hard sell involved in

interaction with the customer.

D. Security refers to the freedom from danger, risk or doubt. It involves physical

safety, financial security and confidentiality. Below are some examples:

Example 1: The guests expect to feel safe during their stay at hotel from the

staff. Example 2: The staff can handle effectively complaints and problems from the

guests.

(5) Empathy

Empathy refers to the provision of caring and individualized attention to customers

including access, communication and understanding the customers.

A. Access involves approach, ability and ease of contact. It means the service is

easily accessible by telephone, waiting time to receive service is not extensive, hours

of operation are convenient and location of service facility is convenient. B.

Communication means keeping customers informed in language they can understand.

It means listening to customers, adjusting its language for different consumers and

speaking simply and plainly with a novice. It also involves explaining the service

16
itself, explaining how much the service will cost, and assuring the customer that a

problem will be handled.

C. Understanding the customers means making the effort to understand the

customer,s need. It includes learning the customer,s specific requirements, providing

individualized attention, recognizing the regular custom. For example:

Example 1: The staff acknowledge the presence of customers at the reception and

with a verbal greeting.

Example 2: The staff are keeping eye contact, using customers, names and asking

customers to return their key upon departure.

It is clear from the above results that customers like to be given enough

individualized attention and treated with care. It thus allows the customers to easily

approach and spell out their needs regarding the service being provided. The

importance of empathy may be the root of the statement, .If one looks at who is

winning, it tends to be companies that see the guest as an individual1. Due to guests,

desires that staff see things from their point of view, the hotel staff are piloting an

empathy training program intended to help employees relate to their guests in a more

empathic manner.

In conclusion, SERVQUAL instrument is an invaluable tool for organizations to

better understand what customers value and how well their current organizations are

meeting the needs and expectations of customers. SERVQUAL provides a benchmark

based on customer opinions of an excellent company, on your company, on the

importance ranking of key attributes, and on a comparison to what your employees

believe customers feel. The SERVQUAL instrument can also be applied to the front

17
office staff of a hotel, and in this case, other major gaps could be closed in the service

quality gaps model.

Customers. Satisfaction

For this part, to understand satisfaction, the researcher needs to have a clear

understanding of what is meant by customer satisfaction.

Definition of Customers. Satisfaction

Most researchers agree that satisfaction is an attitude or evaluation that is formed by

the customer comparing their pre-purchase expectations of what they would receive

from the product to their subjective perceptions of the performance they actually did

receive (Oliver, 1980). As Kotler (2000, p.36) defined that satisfaction is a person’s

feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s

perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectation.

Additionally, Yi (1990) also stated that customer satisfaction is a collective outcome

of perception, evaluation and psychological reactions to the consumption experience

with a product/service. In conclusion, customer satisfaction is defined

as a result of customer,s evaluation to the consumption experience with the services.

However, the customers have different levels of satisfaction as they have different

attitudes and perceived performance from the product/service.

Customers. Expectation

In this part, the definition of customers’ expectation and Disconfirmation theory are

revealed. In addition, the significance of customers’ expectation which has influenced

customer’s satisfaction is discussed.

Definition of Customers Expectation

18
Davidow and Uttal (1989) proposed that customers, expectation is formed by many

uncontrollable factors which include previous experience with other companies, and

their advertising, customers, psychological condition at the time of service delivery,

customer background and values and the images of the purchased product.

In addition, Zeithaml et al. (1990) stated that customer service expectation is built on

complex considerations, including their own pre-purchase beliefs and other people’s

opinions. Similarly, Miller also stated that customers, expectation related to different

levels of satisfaction. It may be based on previous product experiences, learning from

advertisements and word-of-mouth communication. Santos added that expectation

can be seen as a pre-consumption attitude before the next purchase, it may involve

experience.

Customers, expectation, is what the customers wish to receive from the services. The

diversity of expectation definitions can be concluded that expectation is

uncontrollable factors which including past experience, advertising, customers,

perception at the time of purchase, background, attitude and product’s image.

Furthermore, the influences of customers, expectation is pre-purchase beliefs, word of

mouth communications, individual needs, customers’ experiences, and other personal

attitudes. Different customers have different expectation based on the customers’

knowledge of a product or service.

Disconfirmation Theory

In marketing literature (Churchill and Surprenant, 1982; Oliver, 1980) as well as in

recent information system studies (McKinney et al., 2002), the disconfirmation theory

emerges as the primary foundation for satisfaction models. According to this theory,

19
satisfaction is determined by the discrepancy between perceived performance and

cognitive standards such as expectation and desires (Khalifa and Liu, 2003).

Customers, expectation can be defined as customer’s partial beliefs about a product

(McKinney, Yoon and Zahedi, 2002). Expectations are viewed as predictions made

by consumers about what is likely to happen during impending transaction or

exchange (Zeithmal and Berry,1988). Perceived performance is defined as customer’s

perception of how product performance fulfills their needs, wants and desire (Cadotte

et al., 1987). Perceived quality is the consumer’s judgment about an entity’s overall

excellence or superiority (Zeithmal, 1988). Disconfirmation is defined as consumer

subjective judgments resulting from comparing their expectations and their

perceptions of performance received (McKinney et al., 2002, Spreng et al., 1996).

Disconfirmation theory was declared that satisfaction is mainly defined by the gap

between perceived performance, expectations and desires which is a promising

approach to explain satisfaction. This theory was proposed that satisfaction is affected

by the intensity (or size) and direction (positive or negative) of the gap

(disconfirmation) between expectations and perceived performance (Figure 1).

20
 Expectation
Disconfirmation

Satisfaction

Perceived
Performance

Figure 1 Expectation disconfirmation theory

Khalifa and Liu (2003)

Expectation disconfirmation occurs in three forms:

1) Positive disconfirmation: occurs when perceived performance exceeds

expectations.

2) Confirmation: occurs when perceived performance meets expectations. 3)

Negative disconfirmation: occurs when perceived performance does not meet and is

less than the expectations.

It is more probable for customers to be satisfied if the service performance meets

(confirmation) or exceeds (positive disconfirmation) their expectations. On the

contrary, customers are more likely to be dissatisfied if the service performance is

less than what they expected (negative disconfirmation). Khalifa & Liu (2003)

discussed that taking expectation disconfirmation as the only determinant of

21
satisfaction; this theory does not cause the fact that if high expectations are

confirmed, it would much more lead to satisfaction than confirmation of low

expectations. To resolve this drawback perceived performance is included as an

additional determinant of satisfaction. In other words the only way to ensure

satisfaction is to empirically create disconfirmation by manipulating expectations and

performance.

Empirical Studies

Many previous researchers have studied customer satisfaction towards service quality

in service businesses such as spa, tourism, and hotel.

Kitisuda (2006) studied a survey of customer satisfaction with spa services at Sivalai

Spa. Both first-time and repeated customers were satisfied with the spa services on a

high level. They were satisfied with the following service dimensions:

responsiveness, empathy, reliability, assurance, and tangibility of the service quality

at Sivalai Spa. Most customers agreed that the location of the spa was the most

important factor for the spa. They suggested that the food and beverage facilities

should be improved. Moreover, the study showed that there were four demographic

factors that influenced the service quality at Sivalai Spa which were gender, age,

nationality, and income.

Markovic (2004) studied service quality measurement in the Croatian Hotel

Industry. She showed that a SERVQUAL instrument is a useful and reliable method

to measure service quality of Croations hotels, for managers to identify differences in

terms of expectations and perceptions. This method will lead to a better allocation of

resources and a more effective design of marketing strategies, such as

22
communications mix and pricing components, to ensure a proper level of service

quality in hotels.

Phenphun (2003) studied International tourist, satisfaction with the quality of service

in accommodation in Thailand and the factors related to satisfaction, problems and

the requirements of international tourists. The research revealed the satisfaction of

international tourists towards quality of service was at a high level. However, the

most common problems were lack of employee’s knowledge and English skill,

therefore, tourists suggested language and convenient facility improvement.

Therefore, Government Policy suggests that the TAT and related organizations

should create and develop a curriculum and training. Accordingly, they also have to

focus on language skills.

In the 2001 study tour of Taiwan, Yu (2001) indicated that it might be possible to

create service quality evaluations that are more accurate instruments for measuring

the quality of service in the various service sectors, as Crompton et al.,(1991)

suggested. For the best indicators of service quality in the tourism sector, the tourist’s

experience might be the key indicator for evaluating tourism quality because the

tourism industry is essential people serving people. Therefore, Otto and Ritchie

(1996) stated that future studies of tourism quality should evaluate the tourist’s

experience, instead of the five dimensions used in previous evaluation tools.

All of these previous studies used the .SERVQUAL1 approach to measure service

quality in hotel and other service industries. This study will explore customers,

expectation and perception levels towards service quality which is focusing on the

front office staff at the hotel.

23
 CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Introduction

This section of the research discusses the research methodology employed to collect

relevant data for the study. The research design, target population, sample size and

sampling procedure, research instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis

are presented.

Research Design

24
The study employed a descriptive survey design. Descriptive research design is a

scientific method which involves observing and describing the behaviour of a subject

without influencing it in any way (Neuman, 2000). In the view of Key (1997)

descriptive design is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the

phenomena to describe "what exists" with respect to variables or conditions in a

situation. The design is used to observe natural behaviours without affecting them in

any way. In a descriptive sample survey, the objective is to obtain estimates of basic

descriptive characteristics (such as means or proportions) for the whole population or

particular subpopulations of interest. The methods involved range from the survey

which describes the status quo, the correlation study which investigates the

relationship between variables, to developmental studies which seek to determine

changes over time (Sarantakos, 2006). Thus, a descriptive study is undertaken in

order to ascertain and be able to describe the characteristics of the variables of interest

in a situation. This is done through the use of strategies and procedures s to describe,

clarify and interpret existing variables that constitute a phenomenon.

A major demerit of the descriptive survey is the difficulty of ensuring that the

questions to be answered in descriptive survey are clear and not misleading. This is so

because survey reports can vary significantly because of the exact wording of

questions (Setert & Hofnung (1997). Neuman (2003) also claims that the method may

produce unreliable results because questions asked may eat into private matters that

people may not be willing to talk about.

Even then, the descriptive survey was found to be most appropriate for this study.

This is mainly due to the fact that the design is considered to be relatively easy to

25
conduct because data are fairly easy to obtain and interpret by the use of simple

descriptive statistics (Blaike 2000; Sarantakos, 2006). The present study adopted the

descriptive design because it was relatively easy to apply and also had the advantage

of producing a variety of responses from a wide range of respondents on issues

regarding knowledge customer relationship management practices.

Population

The target population of a study constitutes the group of persons, objects or

institutions that defines the objects of the investigation (Patton, 2002). For the

purpose of this study, managers and staffs of front officers from selected hotel in

Accra metropolis are the study population. The entire permanent employee (both

management and staff) of selected hotel in Accra metropolis, were set as the target

population. Contract staff were excluded, due to their short and unstable period of

engagement. A sample was drawn from the above population as the constraints of

time and resources did not permit the inclusion of the entire population in the study.

Sample size and sampling procedure

Thirty (30) representative staff from top management and front desks officers of the

hotels of the Accra Metropolis of the Greater Accra region were interviewed.

Purposive sample technique was used to select the Managers and front desks officers

of the various selected hotels. One questionnaire was served to each of the selected

hotels. According to Saunders et al. (2007) purposive sampling permits one to use his

or her judgment to select cases that will best enable him answer his research

26
questions. For the purposes of this study, purposive sampling technique was used to

select the respondents for the study.

Research Instruments

The questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Prior to designing the

instrument, a thorough literature search was conducted to determine and categorize

concepts and variables used in similar past studies. These were then be modified to

suit the goal of the present study.

The instruments comprised a mix of open-ended, close ended and Likert scale

questions. For questions that require a yes’ or no’ response, the instrument provided

an opportunity for respondents to explain the response they chose. The questionnaire

elicited responses on issues regarding determination of front office standard in the

service delivery of customers’ service.

Data Collection Procedures

The data collection procedure was actually based on a primary source of information,

where all data gathered was attributed to be raw data (non-documented) within the

school through the use of survey. Questionnaires were given to the students in the

different level so as to be distributed randomly to students of the department. During

the distribution of the questionnaires, the researchers were present so as to avoid any

form of bias distribution, and also to help in explaining or clearing any form of

misunderstanding. The distributed questionnaires were collected from the respondents

as negotiated by the researchers and respondents within a period of one hour.

As descriptive study, the researchers made use of both primary and secondary sources

of data including published and unpublished materials. This was done to combine the

27
advantages of utilizing both sources of data in order to minimize the disadvantages of

using only one source. In the light of this, the study gathered data from primary and

secondary sources using varied techniques.

Primary data was collected with the aid of questionnaires. Various interrogation

techniques were used to elicit primary data from respondents. Questions include close

and open-ended questions. The open-ended questions intended to give respondents

the latitude of freedom to express their views in an unconstrained manner. The close

ended questions were intended to restrict respondents’ answers; this provided an

objective base for comparative analysis.

Secondary data are information or data already collected by other researchers or

institutions, usually for different purposes (Blumberg, 2008). Secondary data enable

the researchers to place the study in the context of existing knowledge as well as

broadens the researchers’ understanding to the research topic. Secondary data sources

were sourced from newspapers and manuals on the subject matter which gave us

information about determination of front office standard in the service delivery of

customers service. The internet as well as other relevant publications was also

consulted.

Data analysis

Data collected from the field were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Statistical

Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0) was employed to process and

analyze the instruments. Percentages, proportions, frequencies, charts and diagrams

were used to present the results and draw relations and trends between the variables

involved in the study.

28
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Introduction

This chapter presents the results of this study consisting of the personal data of the

respondents, determination of front office standard in the service delivery of

customers’ service, and their suggestions concerning determination of front office

standard in the service delivery of customers’ service in Mövenpick Hotel, Alisa

Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel, and Airport View Hotel.

29
Personal data of Respondents

This section presents the personal data of 60 customers who stayed at the hotel

between June 10 and 15, 2018. The profile covers the gender, age, nationality,

occupation, purpose of trip and duration of stay the hotel (see Table 1). The findings

showed that there were more females customers (57%) than male (43%). The largest

age group was between 25 and 35 years of age (26%). The majority (44%) of the

respondents were Asians and 54% were employees. The main purpose of their visits

included vacation (69%), business (20%), honeymoon (8%), and seminar/conference

(3%). 36% of the respondents had stayed at the hotel on two occasions while only 3%

had stayed there 4 times.

Table 1 Personal data of Respondents (60 persons)

Personal data Number of respondents Percentage

Sex: 43%
Male 26
Female 34 57%
Age: 17%
Below 25 years old 10
25-35 years old 26 43%
36-45 years old 7 12%
46-55 years old 14 23%
Over 55 years old 3 5%
Nationality: 44%
Asian 27
European 12 20%
American 7 12%
African 10 17%
Other 4 7%
Occupation: 2 3%
Government officer
Employee 32 54%
Owner / Private business 14 23%
Student 12 20%
Other 0 0%
Purpose of trip: 41 69%
Vacation

30
 Honeymoon 5 8%
Seminar / Conference 2 3%
Business 12 20%
Other 0 0%
Number of previous visits: 27%
1 time 16
2 times 22 36%
3 times 10 17%
4 times 2 3%
More than 4 times 10 17%

Level of customers+ expectation and perception towards service quality of front

office staff

This section presents the customers expectation and perception towards service

quality of front office staff at the Mövenpick Hotel, Alisa Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel,

and Airport View Hotel. Service quality is composed of tangibility, reliability,

responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The 60 respondents were asked to rate each

statement concerning their expectation and perception of service quality of front

office staff at the Mövenpick Hotel, Alisa Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel, and Airport

View Hotel. The findings of the service quality of each dimension were as follows:

Tangibility

The tangibility dimension includes physical aspects such as the physical appearance

of hotel services including the neatness of front office staff and professionalism of

employees (Dabholkar et al., 1996).

Table 2 Customer satisfaction concerning tangibility

Customers expectation Customers perception

Tangibility dimension x S.D. Level x S.D. Level
1. The staff dresses 3.85 0.68 High 4.43 0.53 Highest
appropriately.
2. The staff uniforms are clean. 3.97 0.68 High 4.53 0.56 Highest

31
 * *
3. The staff provide you service 3.92 0.82 High 4.45 0.56 Highest
with a smile.
4. The staff have attractive 3.97 0.78 High 4.40 0.64 Highest
appearance e.g. elegant, smart. *

Overall mean score 3.92 0.52 High 4.45 0.41 Highest

Table 2 shows that overall satisfaction of expectation towards <tangibility is at a high

level (3.92). Cleanliness of uniform and appearance of staff both received high

ranking at 3.97. When front office staff are well dressed and wear smart uniforms,

their appearance impresses customers who feel more confident with hotel services. In

addition, the front office staff of Mövenpick Hotel, Alisa Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel

and Airport View Hotel are well trained in terms of the hotel slogan @The best

service & cleanliness in the region.

Customer perception of tangibility dimension was also ranked at the highest level

(4.45). The findings are supported by Wong et al. (1999), who studied SERVQUAL

dimensions in the hospitality industry in Malaysia. They found that service quality

was related to the tangible behaviour and appearance of employees. The best

predictor of overall service quality was the tangibility dimension.

Reliability

The reliability dimension refers to the ability of the front office hotel staff to provide

services dependably and accurately (Dabholkar et al., 1996). Reliable service

performance has to meet customers expectation. Service must be accomplished on

time, every time, in the same manner and without errors.

Table 3 Customer satisfaction concerning reliability

Reliability dimension Customers expectation Customers perception
x S.D. Level x S.D. Level

32
 5. The staff provide service as 3.95 0.685 High 4.38 0.533 Highest
promised. *

6. The staff provide you 3.88 0.688 High 4.33 0.566 Highest
accurate information.
7. The staff perform service for 3.88 0.829 High 4.25 0.565 Highest
you correctly the first time.
8. The staff tell you exactly 4.02 0.780 High 4.25 0.643 Highest
when service will be *
provided.
Overall mean score 3.93 0.554 High 4.30 0.451 Highest

Table 3 shows that overall satisfaction of expectation concerning reliability

dimension is high (3.93). This rating is supported by comments by a frequent guest at

the hotel who wrote “The room is ready on time upon check in and I get the late

check out until 2 p.m. every time of my stay at this hotel.”

Overall satisfaction of perception towards reliability dimension is also at the highest

level (4.30), with “The staff provide service as promised” receiving the highest score

(4.38). This may be because the front office staff provide service correctly the first

time and keep their promises to customers. Consequently, customers feel satisfied

with the reliability of service. This result is consistent with Juwaheer and Ross

(2003), who studied service quality in Mauritian hotels. They found that reliability

was the most important factor for ensuring customer satisfaction on service. For

example, the hotel staff performed tasks as promised and resolved problems

promptly. By focusing on this dimension, hotels in Mauritius achieved high levels of

satisfaction.

Responsiveness

The responsiveness dimension involves willingness to help customers and provide

prompt services (Zeithaml et al., 1988). It is essential that front office hotel staff are

33
willing and able to help customers provide prompt service and meet customers

expectation.

Table 4 Customer satisfaction concerning responsiveness

Responsiveness dimension Customers expectation Customers perception

x S.D. Level x S.D. Level

9. The staff respond to your 4.12* 0.761 High 4.38* 0.533 Highest

requests quickly.

10. The staff give you prompt 3.83 0.827 High 4.23 0.566 Highest

service.

11. The staff are willing to help 4.02 0.770 High 4.38* 0.565 Highest

you.

Overall mean score 3.98 0.604 High 4.33 0.545 Highest

Table 4 shows that overall expectation towards <responsiveness dimension was at the

high level (3.98). “The staff respond to your request quickly” received the highest

ranking of expectation at 4.12. It is highly possible that customers are satisfied when

they receive a quick response from the hotel staff. This is supported by a first time

customer at the hotel who commented that, “The front office staff are willing to help

me when I am looking for the hotel direction. It makes me feel that she is full of

service mind in heart”.

This shows that this customer received good help when needed. The ability to

respond to customers’ requests reflected to customer satisfaction.

Table 4 also shows that overall satisfaction of perception towards responsiveness

dimension was at a high level (3.98). The two highest ranking points concerned quick

34
response and willingness to help. These findings are consistent with Parasuraman et

al.

(1998), who measured consumer perceptions of service quality. They found that

responsiveness was the most important factor in determining customer satisfaction

with service.

Assurance

The assurance dimension refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their

ability to inspire trust and confidence including competence, courtesy, credibility and

security (Parasuraman et al., 1991).

Table 5: Customer satisfactions concerning assurance.

Assurance dimension Customers Customers perception

expectation
x S.D. Level x S.D. Level

12. The staff have product 4.10 0.706 High *4.62 0.640 Highest
Knowledge of the hotel.
13. The staff have the skills 3.95 0.746 High 4.37 0.610 Highest
required to perform service.
14. The staff speak with you 3.95 0.832 High 4.35 0.606 Highest

35
 by using appropriate
forms.
15. The staff are trustworthy. *4.17 0.806 High 4.30 0.671 Highest
16. The staff make you feel 4.10 0.752 High 4.22 0.640 Highest
safe when staying at the
hotel.
Overall mean score 4.05 0.561 High 4.37 0.440 Highest

Table 5 shows that overall expectation towards assurance dimension was at a high

level (4.05), with trustworthiness ranking most important (4.17). Most customers

expect front office staff to make them feel safe when staying at the hotels. In addition,

cashiers should be credible and responsible when handling expenses or money from

guests.

Perception of assurance dimension ranked at the highest level (4.37), with product

knowledge being the most important factor (4.62). Front office staff must have broad

and deep knowledge, skills, capacity and experience. They must also be well versed

in using advanced technology to improve their performance such as when making

room reservations by computer.

Empathy

The empathy dimension represents the provision of caring and individualized

attention to customers including access or approachability and ease of contact,

effective communication, and understanding the customers (Parasuraman et al.,

1991).

36
Table 6 Customer satisfaction concerning empathy

Empathy dimension Customers+ Customers+ perception

expectation
x S.D. Level x S.D. Level
17. The staff are able to 4.00 0.736 High 4.28 0.524 Highest
communicate with you in
English.
18. The staff are able to 4.17* 0.693 High 4.22 0.739 Highest
communicate effectively.

19. The staff show personal 4.05 0.790 High 4.37* 0.663 Highest
attention to you.

20. The staff know your 3.88 0.825 High 4.28 0.783 Highest
specific needs.

Overall mean score 4.02 0.563 High 4.28 0.530 Highest

Table 6 showed that overall expectation concerning assurance dimension was at a

high level (4.02). Effective communication was considered the most important (4.17)

expectation. The front office staff represent the hotel and communication is vitally

important. The success of hotel work is based on effective communication (Paige,

1977). The front office deals with reservations, serves as the information centre and

as the cashier. They must notify the housekeeping and kitchen divisions of guest

information, and also receive feedback. For example, more rooms can be sold by the

front office division as long as housekeeping notifies them of any damage in rooms

has been repaired and is ready to be returned to service. Effective communication

among divisions in the hotel is one of the main factors that contribute to customer

satisfaction.

37
Table 6 also shows that overall perception of the assurance dimension was at the

highest level (4.28). Perception of the personal attention of the staff was ranked

highest at 4.37. The results indicated that the front office staff were enthusiastic to

help hotel guests. One first time customer commented, “The bell boy brought my

baggage immediately to the shuttle bus upon my check out”. According to Crompton

et al. (1991), staff should make customers feel like they belong. This statement is

consistent with the definition of empathy.

Empathy

The empathy dimension represents the provision of caring and individualized

attention to customers including access or approachability and ease of contact,

effective communication, and understanding the customers (Parasuraman et al.,

1991).

Table 6 Customer satisfaction concerning empathy

Empathy dimension Customers expectation Customers perception

x S.D. Level x S.D. Level
17. The staff are able to 4.00 0.736 High 4.28 0.524 Highest
communicate with you in
English.
18. The staff are able to 4.17* 0.693 High 4.22 0.739 Highest
communicate effectively.
19. The staff show personal 4.05 0.790 High 4.37* 0.663 Highest
attention to you.
20. The staff know your 3.88 0.825 High 4.28 0.783 Highest
specific needs.
Overall mean score 4.02 0.563 High 4.28 0.530 Highest

Table 6 showed that overall expectation concerning <assurance dimension was at a

high level (4.02). Effective communication was considered the most important (4.17)

expectation. The front office staff represent the hotel and communication is vitally

38
important. The success of hotel work is based on effective communication (Paige,

1977). The front office deals with reservations, serves as the information centre and

as the cashier. They must notify the housekeeping and kitchen divisions of guest

information, and also receive feedback. For example, more rooms can be sold by the

front office division as long as housekeeping notifies them of any damage in rooms

has been repaired and is ready to be returned to service. Effective communication

among divisions in the hotel is one of the main factors that contribute to customer

satisfaction.

Table 6 also shows that overall perception of the assurance dimension was at the

highest level (4.28). Perception of the personal attention of the staff was ranked

highest at 4.37. The results indicated that the front office staff were enthusiastic to

help hotel guests. One first time customer commented, “The bell boy brought my

baggage immediately to the shuttle bus upon my check out”. According to Crompton

et al. (1991), staff should make customers feel like they belong. This statement is

consistent with the definition of empathy.

Overall customer satisfaction towards service quality

Table 7: Overall mean score of customer satisfaction towards service quality

Five dimensions Customers expectation Customers perception

x S.D. x S.D. x S.D.

39
 Tangibility 3.92 0.52 High 4.45* 0.415 Highest
Reliability 3.93 0.55 High 4.30 0.451 Highest
Responsiveness 3.98 0.60 High 4.33 0.545 Highest
Assurance 4.05 0.56 High 4.37 0.440 Highest
*
Empathy 4.02 0.56 High 4.28 0.530 Highest
Overall mean score 3.98 0.38 High 4.35 0.355 Highest

Table 7 shows that overall satisfaction of expectation towards the five dimensions

was at a high level (3.98). The result of customers expectation showed that assurance

dimension was at the high level (4.05), followed by empathy (4.02), responsiveness

(3.98), reliability (3.93), and tangibility (3.92). Most customers expected the front

office staff (especially the cashier) to be trustworthy because they are responsible for

the hotel expenses or collecting money from hotel guests.

Overall satisfaction of perception towards the five dimensions was at the highest level

(4.35). Most customers perceived tangibility as the most important dimension at

(4.45), followed by assurance (4.37), responsiveness (4.33), reliability (4.30), and

empathy (4.28). In this study, tangibility dimension was the most vital factor. Most

customers identified the importance of the appearance and cleanliness of the front

office staff.

SERVQUAL gap between customers expectation and perception level towards

service quality of front office staff at the hotels

40
 The SERVQUAL gap is calculated between the mean score of expectation and

perception. The findings of the study showed the difference between expectation and

perception as shown in the table below.

Table 8 SERVQUAL gap of customers’ expectation and perception towards the

service quality of front office staff at the hotels

Attributes Customers Customers SERVQUAL

Expectation Perception Gap
Pair 1) Tangibility 3.92 4.45 0.53
Pair 2) Reliability 3.93 4.30 0.37
Pair 3) Responsiveness 3.98 4.33 0.35
Pair 4) Assurance 4.05 4.37 0.32
Pair 5) Empathy 4.02 4.28 0.26
Overall mean score 3.98 4.35 0.37

Table 8 demonstrates the gap between customers expectation and perception. The

study shows that the overall level of perception of all dimensions was higher than

level of expectation. This positive gap indicates that customers are satisfied with the

services. Tangibility was the most important dimension with the highest positive gap

(0.53). The study revealed that physical evidence such as uniforms, appearance and

behavior of front office staff yield customer satisfaction. Similarly, Ramchurrun

(2008) suggested that customers attached importance to the dimension of tangibility

because services are intangible. Hence, customers place great importance on the

appearance neatness of the staff.

In summary, the results showed a positive gap between perception and expectation.

Tangibility was determined to be the most important dimension. The front office staff

also understood and exceeded customers’ expectation of service quality in all

dimensions.

41
Potential for repeat customers to the hotels

Table 9: Potential for customers to return to the hotels

Potential for repeat visit Number Percentage

Yes 48 80%
No 0 0%
Not sure 12 20%
Total 60 100%

Table 9 shows most customers (80%) would return to the hotels. This finding may

result from their appreciation of service of front office staff who paid individual

attention to them. Part IV of the questionnaire showed that the front office manager

contacted dissatisfied customers immediately to understand problems and perhaps

offer compensation by providing a free dinner voucher or a free additional night at the

hotel. This affirmed that the front office manager was professional in solving

problems immediately. The result of this study conforms with Juwaheer and Ross

(2003), who found that when customers’ requirements are clearly identified and

understood, hotel managers are more likely to be able to anticipate and fulfil their

customers’ needs and wants, rather than merely reacting to their dissatisfaction.

Customers’ suggestions towards service quality of front office staff

Table 10: Customers suggestions

42
 Customers suggestions Number of respondents Percentage

Compliments 57 95%

Complaints 3 5%

Total 60 100%

Table 10 shows that the majority of customers (95%) complimented the hotels

services. Customers reported that the front office staff were very nice and provided a

quick and smooth check in. Thereafter, they felt very comfortable during their stay.

The receptionists were willing to help customers by guiding them to nearby

attractions. On the other hand, only 5% of respondents made complaints that the staff

should improve their English skill and should have more knowledge about the types

of room and hotel facilities.

In conclusion, the result showed a positive gap between customers’ expectation and

perception towards service quality of front office staff. Customers’ perception level

was higher than their expectation. It is obvious that most customers felt satisfied with

the service quality of the front office staff at Mövenpick Hotel, Alisa Hotel, Golden

Tulip Hotel and Airport View Hotel.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

43
This chapter presents the summary, conclusion, implications of the study, limitations

of the study, and recommendations for further studies.

Summary

Service businesses have been growing rapidly in recent decades, while customer

demand for high quality service is increasing. This is certainly the case at Mövenpick

Hotel, Alisa Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel and Airport View Hotel. To remain

competitive, the hotels needs to analyze customers’ expectation and perception

towards the service quality of its front office staff.

In this research, the SERVQUAL instrument, developed by Parasuraman (1985), has

been applied in designing the questionnaire by using five dimensions of service

quality: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Data

collected from a questionnaire were distributed to 60 guests who stayed at Mövenpick

Hotel, Alisa Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel and Airport View Hotel. The questionnaire

aimed to determine the level of customers’ expectation and perception towards the

service quality of front office staff. The results revealed that the assurance dimension

raised the highest level of expectation, whereas the tangibility dimension fulfilled the

highest level of perception.

This study focused further on the gap between customers’ expectation and their

perception of front office service quality. The results showed that the overall mean

score of perception was higher than expectation in all dimensions, yielding a positive

SERVQUAL gap. Hence, customers were satisfied with all dimensions of service

quality.

Conclusion

44
In this study, the findings showed that most respondents identified tangibility as the

most important factor in determining satisfaction. Moreover, their perception of

service exceeded their expectation. The findings of this study were in contrast with

previous study of Juwaheer and Ross (2003) who studied service quality in Mauritian

hotels. They found that by focusing on assurance and reliability, a hotel could achieve

high levels of satisfaction and service quality.

Implications of the Study

This study had the following implications:

1. Empathy was shown to be the weakest dimension of satisfaction.

Therefore, hotel management should arrange special courses to improve

effective communication.

2. Tangibility was shown to be the strongest dimension of satisfaction.

Therefore, hotel management should maintain the attributes of tangible

service quality at the hotel.

3. Human Resource management should arrange in-house training program

to improve the main work of front office staff and to promote them in their

careers.

Limitations of the Study

Some limitations are found in this study as follows:

i. The respondents in this study included limitation 60 customers at

Mövenpick Hotel, Alisa Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel and Airport View

Hotel. If the subjects were drawn more than 60 respondents from other

hotels in Ghana, the result would be more generalized.

45
 ii. This study only focused on measuring customer satisfaction with front

office service quality. Other departments (e.g. food & beverages,

housekeeping, sport & recreational facilities) are essential departments

that were not included in the scope of the present research.

iii. When the questionnaires were distributed to the respondents, it was

difficult to collect the data in time. Some customers refused to participate

in this survey. Moreover, some did not return the questionnaires to the

front desk in time. If the respondents were more willing to offer feedback,

the results would have been useful for improving hotel service.

Recommendations for further studies

Further study should be undertaken to apply the results of this study. First, research

could be broadened to include other hotels in tourists’ locations in Ghana. Second, it

would be valuable to conduct further research concerning customers’ attitudes

towards the quality of other service businesses such as restaurants, travel agencies

and airlines. Further research in these areas would contribute to overall improvement

of service standards throughout Ghana.

REFERENCES

Asubonteng, P. Mccleary, K.J., & Swan, J.E. (1996). SERVQUAL revisited: a critical

review of service quality, The Journal of Services Marketing 10 (6), 62-81.

Bardi, James A. (2003). Hotel Front Office Management. 3 ed. Printed in the United

46
 States of America.

Best, J. W. (2007). Research in Education. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall,

Inc.

Blackwell, D. Roger, Miniard, W. Paul & Engel, F. James. (2001). Consumer

behavior.

9th ed. New York: Harcourt College Publishers.

Braham, Bruce. (1985). Hotel Front Office. Great Britain: Hutchinson & Co.

(Publishers) Ltd.

Brown, S.W. & Bond, E.U. III (2005). The internal/external framework and service

quality: Toward theory in services marketing, Journal of Marketing

Management, February, pp.25-39.

Cadotte, E. R., Woodruff, R.B. & Jenkins, R.L. (2007). Expectations and norms in

models of consumer satisfaction. Journal of Marketing Research. 24 (3) 305-

314.

Charoenpong, P. (2003). International Tourists: Satisfaction with the Quality of

Service in Accommodation in Thailand. Dissertation (Population Education).

Bangkok: Graduate School, Mahidol University.

Churchill, G.A. & Suprenant, C. (1992) An Investigation into the Determinant of

Customer Satisfaction.

Journal of Marketing Research, Vol.19, pp.491-504.

Czepiel, J. A., Solomon, M. R., Surprenant, C. F. & Gutman, E. G. (eds) (1985). The

Service

47
Encounter < Managing Employee / Customer Interaction in Service Businesses.

Lexington, MA:

Lexington Books.

Dabholkar, P.A., Thorpe, D.I. & Rentz, J.O. (2006). A measure of service quality for

retail stores: scale development and validation. Journal of the Academy of

Marketing Science, pp. 3-16.

Davidow, W. H. & Uttal, B. (2009). Service Companies: Focus or Falter. Harvard

Business Review, July-August: 77-85.

Edvardsen, B., Tomasson,B. & Ovretveit, J. (2004). Quality of Service: Making it

Really Work. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.

Foster, Dennis L. (1993). Rooms at the Inn: Front Office Operations and

Administration. Singapore : McGraw-Hill Book Co.

Gilbert, D., & Wong, R.K.C. (2002). Passenger Expectations and Airline Services: A

Hong Kong Based Study. Tourism Management, Article in Press.

Gray, William S., & Salvatore C. Liguori. (2010). Hotel & Motel Management and

Operation. NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Gronroos, C. (2002). Strategic Management and Marketing in the Service Sector.

Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsingfors.

Hanan, Mack & Karp, Peter. (2009). Customer Satisfaction. New York: American

Management Association.

Hernon P. & Whitwan, J.R. (2011). Understanding Customer Satisfaction Delivering

satisfaction and service quality : A customer-based approach for libraries.

American Library Association.

48
Hoffman, K.D. & Bateson, J.E. (2001). Essentials of Service Marketing: Concepts,

Strategies, and Cases. (p.324). (2 . Ed.). Australia: South Western Thompson

Learning.

Kandampully, J. & Suhartanto, D. (2000). Customer loyalty in the hotel industry: The

role of customer satisfaction and image. International Journal of

Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(6), 346-351.

Kang, G.D., James, J. & Alexandris, K. (2002). Measurement of internal service

quality: Application of the SERVQUAL battery to internal service quality.

Managing Service Quality, Vol.12, No.5, pp. 278-291.

Kotler, P. (2003). Marketing Management. (11 ed.) NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Lewis, R.C., & Booms, B. (1983). The Marketing Aspects of Service Quality. In :

AMA Proceedings, American Marketing Association, Chicago, pp. 99-104.

MacKay, K.J., & Crompton, J.L. (2000). Measuring the quality of recreation services.

Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. 8 (3) :47-56.

McKinney, V., Yoon, K. & Zahedi, F.M. (2002). The Measurement of Web-Customer

Satisfaction: An expectation and Disconfirmation Approach. Information

System Research, Vol.13, No.3, September, pp. 296-315.

Min, H.K., & Min, H.S. (1997). Benchmarking the quality of hotel services:

Managerial perspectives. International Journal of Quality & Reliability

Management, 14(6), 582-597.

Morrison, A. M. (1989). Hospitality and Travel Marketing. USA: Delmar

Publishers Inc. : 210-213.

Oliver, R. L. (2010). A Cognitive Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of

49
 Satisfaction Decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. XVII,

November.

Parasuraman. A., Zeithaml, V.A. & Berry, L.L. (1985 & 1988). A conceptual model

of

service quality and its implication. Journal of Marketing, Vol.49, Fall, pp. 41-

50.

Reisig Michael D., Meghan Stroshine Chandek (2001). The effects of expectancy

disconfirmation on outcome satisfaction in police-citizen encounters. An

International Journal of Police Strategies & Management 24(1): 88-99.

Walker, D.. (2010). Customer First: A Strategy for Quality Service. England:

Gower Publishing Company.

Wipoosattaya, W. (2011). Tourist:s perceptions of hotel frontline employees:

questionable job-related behavior. Bangkok: Thesis (MBA) I Assumption

University.

Yi, Y. (2010). A critical review of consumer satisfaction. Review of Marketing 1990,

American Marketing Association, Chicago, IL.

Zeithaml V.A., Parasuraman A., & Berry L.L. (2010). Delivering quality service:

Balancing customer perceptions and expectations. The Free Press, New York.

NY.

APPENDICES APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE
This questionnaire is a part of a study for a HND certificate at Accra Technical
University. The objective of the research is to evaluate front office standard in the
service delivery of customers service: a case study of selected hotels in Accra
metropolis.

50
Part I: Personal Data
1. Gender
1) Male [ ] 2) Female [ ]
2. Age
1) Below 25 years old [ ] 2) 25-35 years old [ ] 3) 36-45 years old [ ] 4) 46-55 years
old [ ] 5) Over 55 years old [ ]
3. Nationality
1) Asian 2) European 3) UK
4) American 5) African 6) Others (please specify…………………
4. Occupation
1) Government official 2) Employee 3) Owner / Private business
4) Student 5) Others (please specify ……………………………….
5. Purpose of trip
1) Vacation 2) Honeymoon 3) Seminar
4) Business 5) Others (please specify……………….
6. How many times have you previously stayed at the hotel ?
1) 1 time 2) 2 times 3) 3 times
4) 4 times more than 4 times
Part II: Survey of your expectations and perceptions towards service quality of front
office staff
Based on your experiences as a customer of the hotel please put a tick ( / ) in a box
which mostly explains your attitudes.
level of EXPECTATION towards service quality of front office staff
level of PERCEPTION towards service quality of front office staff
The score level are described as 5 = highest, 4 = high, 3 = moderate, 2 = low and 1 =
lowest

Dimensions Level of Level of Perception

Expectation
Tangibility 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1
1. The staff dress appropriately.
2. The staff uniform is clean.
3 The staff provide the services with
smiling.
4. The staff have attractive appearance
i.e. elegant, smart, etc.
Level of Level of Perception
Expectation
Reliability 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1
5. The staff can provide you the services
as promised e.g. upgrade room, early
check in and late check out.
6. The staff provide you accurate
information e.g. hotel facilities,

51
recreational facilities and tourists'
attraction places.
7. The staff perform the service right at
the first time (for example, the
receptionist has your correct record of
your booking details).
8. The staff offer you some help (for
example, once you arrive at the front
desk of hotel, the receptionists ask you if
she can help you).
Level of Level of Perception
Expectation
Responsiveness 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1
9. The staff tell you exactly when
services will be provided (for example,
the receptionist informs you about
breakfast time during your check in).
10. The staff give you prompt service
(for example, the receptionists serve you
a welcome drink immediately during
your arrival).
11. The staff are willing to help you e.g.
guiding you a hotel direction.
Level of Level of Perception
Expectation
Assurance 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1
12. The staff have product knowledge of
hotel information e.g. describing all
room types and the restaurants.
13. The staff have required skill to
perform service (for example, the
receptionist can explain clearly about the
hotel direction).
14. The staff speak with you by using an
appropriately address forms (for
example, hello, may I help you,
Sir/Madam?).
15. The staff are trustworthy.
16. The staff make you feel safe when
staying at the hotel (for example, the
doorman observes the persons who come
in the hotel).
Level of Level of Perception
Expectation
Empathy 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

52
 17. The staff are able to communicate
with you in English.
18. The staff are able to communicate
effectively with you.
19. The staff show personal attention to
you (for example, the bell boy help you
to carry your luggage during your check
out).
20. The staff know your specific needs
(for example, the doorman opens the
door while you are entering the hotel).

Part III: Return to the hotel.

Are you planning to return to the hotel?
Yes
No.
Not sure.
Part IV: Customer suggestions towards service quality of the front office staff at
the hotel (e.g. compliment, complaint)
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………
Thank you for your kind cooperation.

53