The Importance Of Quality In Hotels

The sustenance of quality in hotels’ customer service is always imperative in today’s modern age of travel and tourism. It can be definitely stated that the service industry -more so than any other industry- requires the utmost attention to pleasing customers, as it is the main ingredient for obtaining and maintaining a competitive advantage. Furthermore, a second obvious statement would be that quality is defined by the customer him/herself.

The Importance of Quality within the service sectors

The research and following journal conducted by Berry, L., Parasuraman, A., & Zeithaml, V. (1994), shows the need and importance for sustainable quality within the customer service sections of businesses- with hotels in particular. The research consist

In doing so, it investigates the many different ways quality can be monitored and maintained; and its presence in the various departments of a hotel. The study supports the concept that quality is a trait rather than an asset; it is not a commodity or a product that can be bought, but instead is a feature that must be done. For example, they have investigated different areas of one single hotel, and the customers’ satisfaction with each individual area i.e. the restaurant, and have established that quality should be maintained and sustained in all areas of the hotel, and across all its departments such as human resources in order please its customers. A drawback of the research would be that it is limited to only to hotels in Pakistan; making the data to some extent inapplicable to hotels located elsewhere in the world, or ones located in Western regions where definitions of customer satisfaction and contentment may differ. A positive point can be that; the United Arab Emirates, like Pakistan, is an Asian country, and some aspects of culture, marketing and management is likely to be fitting and applicable. In spite of there being a qualitative approach and understanding, it can also be said that, in spite of this, it represents the data based on actual observations unlike

The 2011 research carried out by M. Chan focuses primarily on the role, effect and importance of totally quality management in the service industry, and the importance of it being done in every functional section in order to accomplish business excellence. What makes Chan’s publication authentic is the way in which he approaches the importance of Total Quality Management; he focuses on a “back of house” department –employees that don’t directly deal with the guests- his findings show that quality must be maintained in all departments; those dealing with customers directly, as well as those that are hidden (“back of house”). His research supports the concept the importance of teamwork and its effectiveness which is a determining factor of success of Total Quality Management in a hotel; leading to the fact that some hotels perform better than others. Concluding from his studies, one can apply and question the same concepts when researching the Hilton in Ras Al Khaimah. I can use this approach in my research by researching “hidden” departments –ones that are away from the front-line such as the front office. In doing so, the quality sustenance and success of a hotel such as the Hilton can be measured from the back to front; in effect, going through the entire the hotel, not only the superficial exterior which is met by the customers. In doing so,