Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction In The Hotel Industry Of New Zealand

Research Aim

What Are The Factors Affecting The Hotel Industry As Per An Individual Customer?

Why Do These Factors Affect The Hotel Industry In NZ?

What Is Being Compromised When It Comes To Customer Service Standards In The Hotel Industry Of New Zealand?

What Can Improve The Customer Satisfaction Rate In Areas That Are Highly Required As Per The Client?

Over the last decade, hotels have been competitive. The loyalty of the customers is the most crucial factor that attracts clientele and promotes competition in the lodging industry alongside contributing to the business industry (Pizam et al., 2016). For this purpose, enhancement of the loyalty of the customers is stated to be one of the significant aspects of attracting competitiveness within the industry along with ensuring of business stability. The research conducted by Kim, Vogt & Knutson (2015) shows that it is the responsibility of the hotel management in ensuring the happiness of the consumers for maintaining of the reputation.

This present research study is being aimed towards exploring the customer satisfaction rate within the Hotels existing in New Zealand. Under the present circumstances, one of the biggest issues facing the managers within the hotel industry is to offer and maintain satisfaction of the consumers. Customer prerequisites for the quality service and products in the industry of tourism have increasingly become apparent to the professionals. Guests’ relationship is being stated as the strategic asset of the company or hotels along with the satisfaction of customers, which is the starting point in defining the objectives of business. Hotels have been increasing their investments in developing the quality of service along with the professed value of guests for attaining better satisfaction of customers and loyalty factor. The following image illustrates the fact that New Zealand has remained a favorite tourist destination for global tourists as its hotel industry has played major part in staying competitive and delivering quality service. This paper would consider the factors that have been affecting the customer satisfaction of New Zealand’s hotel industry.

The above image states the fact that foreign tourists have been highly satisfied with New Zealand tourism over the years in which the hotel industry has played a major part. The satisfaction rate has been stable over the period with very few people being not satisfied with the facilities they have received in the country (Pizam et al., 2016). The proportion of people who are likely to recommend New Zealand has remained very high, which is 96-97% stating the hotel industry does a good job related to satisfaction.

Literature Review

The above graph is also an indication of the fact that New Zealand hotels have played their part in satisfying the customers with 65% of the foreign tourists agreeing to the fact that they have been well taken care of by the hotels and satisfied them as per their needs and desires (Liat, Mansori & Huei, 2014). However, there lies room for improvement for them as 22% still believes they have been not up to the desired mark.

The main aim of this research study is in evaluating the factors that generates satisfaction within the customers, which can be applied by the Hotels for improving their service. It is important for the hotel industry in focusing on the factors of customer satisfaction for retaining the existing ones and attracting the new.

The literature review would be dealing with the satisfaction rate of the customers within the hospitality industry based on the service quality that is generally been offered by the hotels. The main focus would be on the financial that are most likely to affect the customer satisfaction or customer care within the hotel industry and the issues associated to it (Kim, Vogt & Knutson, 2015). In cases where customers are contented with the brands or the products, they in all probabilities would be becoming loyal customers and keep distributing good word about the hotel (Rahimi & Kozak, 2017). If customers are disappointed, they are likely to switch brands and talk bad about that particular hotel to diverse customers. The hotel brand is an indispensable factor that ardently influences the exercises of advertising and the hotel goodwill and image that generates good intuition. High competition rate within this industry has resulted in augmented demand having significant impact on the service quality offered to their customers by the hotels.

One of the key issues faced by the hotels in gaining competitive advantage is providing their service at lower rates to the customers (Liat, Mansori & Huei, 2014). This generally takes its toll on the service quality offered by the hotels. There exists a strong relationship between the service quality offered and the customer loyalty extent depicted by the customers. This is important in helping to develop the value of the brand of the industry of hotels.

The primary design of the research would be cross-sectional in nature signifying the fact that the plan of the research would be as per collected information over specific time period. The study aim towards identification of the factors that plays major part in satisfying the tourists paying visit to New Zealand and staying in hotels. The survey would be done on 25 customers along with 5 managers across various hotels in New Zealand. It is important to understand the desire and needs of the customers when they book hotels and the factors they give emphasis on while staying in a particular hotel.
Process of Data Collection:

Research Methodology

Researchers are in the habit of gathering two kinds of data. One being the primary one, gathered from primary sources inclusive of survey and interviews and the other being secondary, mainly based on previous relevant journals and magazines within the same domain (Zaibaf, Taherikia & Fakharian, 2013). The primary research takes in a relevant sample size for the research.
For this particular research work, the researcher would be gathering data from the survey of the customers visiting and staying at the hotels in New Zealand. The researcher would be going for a sample size of 25 customers along with 5 managers and they would be chosen on random basis, visiting the hotel at various times across the year.

The research is based on gathering relevant data from the literature review and the data collected from the secondary sources. The gathering of data is done keeping in mind the aspects required for conducting the research in a proper manner. The significance of the data can be identified by analysing the responses of the people and the managers.

In case of major limitations that might be a concern for this research is the time factor in collecting the data from the overall size of the sample selected for the research. Adding to that would be the limited cost factor allotted for the conducting of the study. This research would generally be a cross-sectional one and would be studying the customer satisfaction factors over a period of 3 years after which the results might vary as policies change after certain time period which plays a role in satisfaction of customers.

In this research, the relevant ethical factors will be considered. Private or financial information related to the hotel or the people participating in this research study should be leaked out during any point and complete secrecy is to be maintained. Once the evidence of interview and questionnaire is being shown to the researcher, it would be destroyed in due time. The data would be stored in Microsoft excel for future references and would be kept secretly by the researcher conducting the study.

The timeline for this particular research would be 3 months starting from 10th September 2017 until 10th December 2017. The timeline would be segregated for each month in keeping the work of the research on track. During the initial first months chapter would be developed followed by chapter 2 containing the literature review. Chapter 3 would be dealt with in October and Chapter 4 containing data analysis and discussions to be followed the next month. The third month would witness development of chapter 6 and chapter.

References:

Kim, M., Vogt, C. A., & Knutson, B. J. (2015). Relationships among customer satisfaction, delight, and loyalty in the hospitality industry. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 39(2), 170-197.

Liat, C. B., Mansori, S., & Huei, C. T. (2014). The associations between service quality, corporate image, customer satisfaction, and loyalty: Evidence from the Malaysian hotel industry. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 23(3), 314-326.

N. Torres, E., & Kline, S. (2013). From customer satisfaction to customer delight: Creating a new standard of service for the hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(5), 642-659.

Pizam, A., Pizam, A., Shapoval, V., Shapoval, V., Ellis, T., & Ellis, T. (2016). Customer satisfaction and its measurement in hospitality enterprises: a revisit and update. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(1), 2-35.

Rahimi, R., & Kozak, M. (2017). Impact of customer relationship management on customer satisfaction: The case of a budget hotel chain. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 34(1), 40-51.

Zaibaf, M., Taherikia, F., & Fakharian, M. (2013). Effect of perceived service quality on customer satisfaction in hospitality industry: Gronroos’ service quality model development. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 22(5), operations.