CUSTOMER CARE AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN HOTELS A CASE STUDY OF SHERATON HOTEL

Purpose of the study The study is aimed at establishing the relationship between customer care and customer satisfaction in the hotel industry a case study of Sheraton hotel. Objectives of the study (I) To examine customer care strategies used by Sheraton hotel (II) To establish the customer care service level at Sheraton hotel (III) To examine the relationship between customer care services and customer satisfaction scope it can be concluded that Sheraton hotel Kampala has good customer care activities which include, training of employees on customer handling, after sales services like complaint handling, seeking customer opinion, avenues of customers complaints, transport services and replacement. level of customer care services at Sheraton hotel is good; customer care services such as security, parking space, hotel guides, front desk service have continously been appreciated by the hotel customers. findings there is a significant relationship between customer care and customer satisfaction, the two variables are directly proportional; the higher the customer care, the higher the customer care and poor customer care leads to customer dissatisfaction

(http://cees.mak.ac.ug/sites/default/files/publications/XTI NE.pdf)

The Customer Relationship Management in the Luxury segment of the Hotel Industry
Research objectives
Even though the service quality may be satisfactory, there may be a gap between the expected service quality by the customer and their experienced service quality refers to privacy issues of the customer and doubts about customers willing to build relationships in the long run. 1. Does the gap model explain the dark side of CRM? 2. Is there more to the of CRM than what is explained in the gap model? 3. How can the dark side of CRM be reduced?

finding
The research objectives of explaining the dark side of CRM in the hotel industry with the help of the gap model was successfully accomplished. Privacy issues are a major concern among customers today. The relationship must be a genuine one meeting our level of expectations. The customers want service as per their expectations. Service gaps are not normally tolerated by many customers, especially when they are paying for a luxurious The luxury hotels must strive to enhance their service quality which shall prove to be a key success factor for the organization. There should be zero defects in service quality to eliminate the dark side of CRM in the hotel industry. Last but not the least, the luxury hotels could follow the Indian concept of Atithi Devo Bhavah, which is Guest is God. (www.academia.edu/.../THE_IMPACT_OF_CUSTOMER_RELATIO...)

Brand Trust in Hotel Industry: Influence of Service Quality and Objective: To understand the influence of service quality and customer satisfaction on brand trust for hotel services in Dubai. Conclusion: Brand trust is a significant factor for hotel industry particularly when hotel customers have to decide upon their accommodation in an unfamiliar location and situation. Based on the consequence of this study, both service quality and customer satisfaction positively influenced the level of trust toward hotel brand. While, this impression of service quality was more significant in compare with customer satisfaction. Thus, according to the outcomes of this research, it would be a considerable obligation for hotel managers to invest on their service quality and attempt to comprehend the factors which improve the quality of their services to customers.

(http://www.ipedr.com/vol24/9-cbetm2011-m00026.pdf)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)For oberoi hotel:
Objectives of the Study: The primary objective would be: To study Customer Relationship Management in the HotelIndustry. The other objectives would be: To study the programs and practices of CRM employed by theleading hotels in India. To study the measures to build a better relationship between thecustomer/guest and the hospitality unit. CONCLUSION Implementing an effective CRM solution is not complex. A d e q u a t e planning, effective communication, stakeholder involvement and mistakeavoidance will ensure that your initiative gets off the ground easily. From this study, we can conclude that all the three leading hotels ITC,O b e r o i a n d T a j a r e f o l l o wi n g organized a n d w e l l e s t a b l i s h e d CRM practices. T h e y h a v e r e a l i z e d t h a t a h a p p y a n d s a t i s f i e d c u s t o m e r i s a retained customer and thats the key in creating superior brand equity an
(http://www.scribd.com/doc/14587797/Customer-Relationship-

Management-in-Hotel-Industry)

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MEASUREMENT IN HOTEL INDUSTRY: CONTENT ANALYSIS STUDY guest comment card (GCC). Objective of study The purpose of this study is to examine hotel guest comment cards (GCCs) and customer satisfaction management schemes in hotels of Opatija Riviera (Croatia). applied content analysis approach to examine GCCs

Findings
indicate that in most hotels GCCs can be found in a folder on a room table and are not distributed randomly. Guests can complete GCCs during their stay at the hotel. Response rates are low and no incentives are provided for completing questionnaires. GCCs are designed according to managers' personal experience, and managers usually receive analysis reports once a month. Furthermore, the diversity of GCC design is evident, and no single GCC within the survey sample meets all the best practice criteria. It can be concluded that the efficiency of customer satisfaction measurement with GCCs depends on the measurement methodology. It is clear that guests should be additionally motivated and that GCCs should be designed with a greater impact of a scientific approach. Only reliable and valid data can provide valuable information for management decisions regarding a hotels offering.

(http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/397335.PAP039.pdf)

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TOWARDS SERVICE QUALITY OF FRONT OFFICE STAFF AT THE HOTEL

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are: 1. To assess customers& expectation and perception level towards service quality of the front office staff in five dimensions: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy (Parasuraman et al. 1988). 2. To analyze the discrepancy gap between customers& expectation and perception towards service quality of the front office staff. Finding Developed by Parasuraman (1985), has been applied in designing the questionnaire by using five dimensions of service quality: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The questionnaire aimed to determine the level of customers expectation and perception towards the service quality of front office staff. This study focused further on the gap between customers expectation and their perception of front office service quality. They found that by focusing on assurance and reliability, a hotel could achieve high levels of satisfaction and service quality. (http://thesis.swu.ac.th/swuthesis/Bus_Eng_Int_Com/Alin_S.pdf)

THE EFFECT OF INTERNAL MEASURES OF SERVICE QUALITYON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE: A CASE OF HOTEL INDUSTRY IN
MALAYSIA Problem Statement Paraskevas have identified substantial studies that were focused on the outcome of the service i.e., the customer's perspective. The primary reason for seeking service quality improvement is the inference that the increase of customer satisfaction can contribute significantly to business performance . Therefore understanding the business performance in relation with quality service is important. objectives of the study To study the relationship between internal measure of service quality and business performance in the hotel industry in Malaysia by using internal measure of service quality. To identify applicability of the measurements used by Caruana's study for the internal measure of service quality in Penang's hotel industry. Literature Review Discussion and Conclusion The study was an attempt to statistically identify whether the level of internal quality of a hotel is positively related to their business performance. Adaptation of model for internal service quality measurement was sought as an underlying model to establish the construct of the study in Malaysian perspectives particularly in the hotel industry. Study by Caruana and Pitt (1997) in large UK service firms found that the original items were reduced to half in factor analysis. However in this study the original items were only reduced to about 7%. The result implied that studies on specific industry minimized the probability factors cross loading due to different interdependent characteristics ofthe respondents perception against the measured concepts. It also meant that the factors found were significant in this study, might not be applicable in the industry other than hotel.

(prints.usm.my/.../The_Effect_Of_Internal_Measures_Of_Service_Q...)

Service Quality Management in Hotel Industry: A Conceptual Framework for Food and Beverage Departments
Introduction Hotel management scholars consider service quality a precedent to guest satisfaction. Some experiential studies show that getting a good quality of service from the food and beverage (F&B) department of a hotel is important for many guests Researchers have defined service quality in relation to the concept of consumer-perceived quality, which is based solely on the perspective of customers. Such a perception is built in a place where an organization supplies goods and services to customers in a manner that satisfies them and where they examine service quality and empathy care for and individualized attention to guests. Conclusions It can generally be contested that there are two perspectives to explain Parasuraman`s model. Firstly, the guests directly gain loyalty from the service quality dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. When they perceive a higher service quality, they will ultimately turn into a loyal guest of a specific service quality provided such as the F&B department, and secondly, guests may have higher satisfaction level. The application of this model by hotels can bring success for food and beverage departments to achieve high service quality which has a direct effect on satisfaction level of guests. As this paper is only conceptual, future studies may incorporate empirical data that will be collected from F&B departments in selected hotels in Jordan. www.ccsenet.org/ijbm International Journal of Business and Management.

(ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijbm/article/download/15592/12467)

The customer's satisfaction with service

the objectives of this study were:

To understand the level of customers' satisfaction by conducting a survey. To analyse the characteristics of the customers' satisfaction which contribute their loyalty for the particular resort or hotel. This will be done by analysing purpose of visit, gender, age, education and other characteristics. To suggest a strategy to retain customer loyalty by adopting an effective marketing strategy

Conclusions
The review of literature demonstrates clearly the interlink of customers' satisfaction with the service quality. It is only the service quality that attracts the customers and makes them loyal to the industry and repeat visitors. As it has been discussed in the previous chapter, the improved service quality provided to the customers enhances their loyalty to the service provider. That is why the hotel industry has to improve the service quality (Rust & Oliver, 1994). Mullin, Hardy, and Sutton (200) have endorsed the same opinion that the satisfaction is a major outcome of marketing processes that culminate in purchase, and satisfaction is also thought to contribute to post-purchasing phenomena such as word-of-mouth communication, repurchase intention, and brand loyalty. The results of this study reveal that there are also significant factors relating to age, gender, occupation and purpose of visit which have to be kept in mind while considering customers' satisfaction. In this particular study, the results reveal that individuals ranging from 40 to 49 have more tendencies to visit hotels and resort. It may be attributed to the fact that it this stage, people are usually well established and have enough money and time to go aboard to see places offering attraction to them. Further, at this stage, people want to revitalize themselves and improve their physical health. That is why, many people like to visit Thailand as in this region the hotel industry offers spa facilities to its customers which have positive impact on physical health.

(www.satisfactionservicesinc.com/customerservice.htm)

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT- ANALYSIS, TAJ HOTEL

Taj hotels are an international chain of hotel which is based in India. Taj hotels are the under the group The Indian Hotels Company Limited. Taj hotels are a part of Indias leading business enterprise, TATA. Taj hotels have 76 hotels, twelve resorts and spas, seven palaces which are spread over in five continents. Apart from Taj hotels operating in India, they are having their properties operating in USA, Australia and Srilanka This is to enhance their service standards to the international service standards they conduct proper assessment regularly. For the external assessment also luxury division has applied, this is processed by the Tata Quality Management Services. With the help of external and internal assessment report, they plan their actions to constantly increase their bar of service standards. The key things they focus will be on the following, improving their level in terms of service and product quality: To raise the service standards to the international level of service standard they conduct external audits. They introduce Customer Feed Back System back in 2003, and they have implemented this in their various hotels. CFS is the main customer feedback system of IHCL group. Each feedback is recorded and aggregated then it is evaluated properly in order to raise their service standards, also it will help to point out where they are lacking in terms of customer services and their products. it can produce unpredictable or unknown influences on the product delivered. There will be also a chance of uncertainty as no one can understand what a customer accurately need and what can they assume as nonstandard. The uncertainty remains in terms of measuring service as it cannot be stored, then the service standard should be measured at the same time. Lastly service is delivered when on demand of the customer, so measurement taken will too late to avoid the decrease in service standard.

(www.hotelhrm.com/2011/.../total-quality-management-analysis-taj.ht.)