Customers’ Perception of Service Quality in the Hospitality Industry in Nigeria

M109SSL - The Postgraduate Research Project: Dissertation Route
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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1. Title
Customers’ Perception of Service Quality in the Hospitality Industry in Nigeria
2. Background
Globalization and the advent of technology have transformed customers and their
expectations from different hospitality products (Wang, Chen & Chen, 2012). Various factors
have contributed to the growth and development of the hospitality industry. Most
important amongst them being customer expectations of various innovative services and
products. Customer satisfaction and positive customer review regarding their perception
of quality service at particular hospitality chains have acted as a decisive factor
contributing to the development of various innovative products and services within the
hospitality industry (Orfila-Sintes and Mattsson, 2009, pg. 380-394). Customer satisfaction
and management of such expectation plays a crucial role in determining the
sustainability of a hospitality unit. Customers comprise of the primary recipient of
services within the hospitality sector. Hospitality sector includes hotels and travel and
tourism sector. While hotels include star category rated hotels, unclassified hotels,
motels, lodges and homestays, restaurants and catering services. Travel and tourism
include cruises, air travel, fast food chains, coffee bars, tourism park or other places and
so on (Line & Runyan, 2012, pg. 477-488). The current scope of research includes hotels,
only from all hospitality units. Therefore the term hospitality will aim at indicating hotels
only. Customers in the hospitality industry are of various types and include leisure
visitors, official visitors, and visitors for other purposes. Perception of quality of service
can be measured in the hospitality sector by analyzing the feelings of customers and
attitude of customers and so on.
The SERVQUAL instruments provide a brief dimension of the various service factors that
contribute to capturing consumer perception regarding dimensions of service. These five
dimensions of service quality have helped determine ways in which customers are
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services within hospitality units (Jauhari and Bharwani, 2017, pg. 159-185). The SEVQUAL
dimensions include reliability, tangibles, assurance, empathy, and responsiveness. Such
service quality factors measurement in the hospitality industry offers a vast scope, hence
for this study cases for hospitality units in Nigeria has been selected only. The range of
the current study aims at discussing ways these various factors of service quality
measurements impacts customer’s perception towards the service quality. Nigeria is a
rapidly developing country with high business travelers (Ladhari, Souiden & Ladhari, 2011,
pg.111-124). With the growing hospitality industry within the state, it becomes integral
that the factors which affect it should be determined. Hospitality chains and units across
Nigeria can aim at designing products and services which enhances the perception of
service such that it can attract more tourists and business travelers. Thus, this study
aims to analyze users, implying a traveler's perception of service quality in the
hospitality industry in Nigeria to understand their impact on the reputation of a
hospitality unit.
3. Preliminary Review of the Literature
The hospitality industry in Nigeria is diverse and includes various star rated hotels, homestays,
resorts, restaurants, fast food chains, air travel, and various other tourism components. Service
quality within this diversified hospitality industry in Nigeria might be complicated to understand,
due to the presence of varied types of hospitality units present. Hospitality units such as rated
hotels, unclassified hotels, motels, lodges and homestays, restaurants and catering
services, have varying factors which determine their services. Hotels are trying to
augment customer satisfaction by focussing on the quality of service that they render to
customers. However, analyzing the perception of service quality from users includes the way they
receive products, services, responsiveness from these hospitality units (Ugboma, Ugboma &
Damachi, 2009, pg. 172-193). The SERVQUAL model is an empirical model of Zeithaml,
Parasurama, and Berry, and it is used for processing the customer's understanding of the relative
importance of the service's characteristics. Potential assets include tangibles, Reliability,
Assurance, Empathy and Responsiveness. The four substances identified by the developer of
SERVQUAL are detailed. For any hospitality unit in Nigeria, it can be said that the greatest of all
factors of SERVQUAL might serve to increase user perception of service quality.
Tangibles include the physical facilities, the appearance of personnel and equipment used to
service customers. Varied groups of hotels, homestays and other lodges or tourism places aim at
enhancing the tangibles to provide a positive connotation of their hospitality unit. The outlook for
star category hotels or branded hotels remains similar globally, while for boutique hotels or
homestays such tangible or appearances undergoes significant changes. Most stars rated hotels
make use of glass decoration for their outer building look so that customers can easily see through
and get an impression of the cleanliness at these hotels. They also make use of white bed sheets
and towels as proof of their purity. Reliability is the dimension that indicates a hospitality unit's
capability to provide a designated service dependably and accurately. Star category hotels and
cruises or other tourism activities offer more or less standardized services and products within their
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properties (Jakada & Gambo, 2014). There often appears to a mismatch in service quality that is
perceived by customers at non-star category rated travel and tourism locations. To enhance
reliability and communicate clarity of services, such hospitality units often ask for user ratings and
reviews on TripAdvisor. Trip Advisor is an American Company, which includes a description with the
evaluation, prices with facilities and features of hotels, stays and tourism properties. Most hotels
have their personalized websites with user ratings and comment such that new users can access
images and such scores before selecting their stays or visit with the hotel or tourism place. Ratings
over Trip Advisor or other websites such as Bookings.com and so on allows enhancement of service
quality perception to users. Though some claims reflect that users review sites censoring feedback
that favors them, yet they provide descriptive details of hospitality units.
Responsiveness is the hospitality unit's willingness to help customers in prompt services and
meeting to customer contingencies. Responsiveness might not at appear to be an essential factor
at the onset, but it is integral especially for tourists who are business travelers. Often business
travelers require various services to be provided to them responsibly and comprehensively.
Hospitality units which might be unable to cater to such responsiveness in service might lose out
on their rating and users trusts as well. Users might end up feeling dissatisfied which in turn might
hamper their perception of service quality at the said property or location. Assurance includes a
hospitality unit having the knowledge and courtesy from employees to be able to inspire trusts and
confidence amongst its users. It is expected that a hospitality unit needs to cater to its user's
services assuredly. Assurance enables the creation of trusts amongst users, and they refer to such
hospitality units to other friends and colleagues. But in the absence of confidence, a hospitality unit
might entirely lose out upon the reliance on the particular hospitality unit. Empathy is the caring
and individualized attention that a hospitality unit pays to each of its guests and customers. It is
the empathy component that is considered to be an integral component for the creation of a long
term and sustainable relationship of the hospitality unit with its users. Empathy is a core benefit
that attracts customers towards specific hospitality unit. Analysis of these various factors reveals
that SERVQUAL factors are necessary deterministic conditions which entail that users are invited to
a hospitality unit. The examination of customer's perception of service quality can enable the
determining of a hotel's reputation.
Literature Gap
The current study will aim at understanding how a user's perception of service quality is consistent
with the SERVQUAL factors identified. Analyzing the cultural factors prevalent in Nigeria, it can be
understood that there might be present a dimension of location or any other element which might
be directly enhancing customer satisfaction and enable the hotel to maintain their reputation.
Hotel departments can devise strategies that can meet and exceed customer satisfaction and deal
with customer complaints, allowing organization stability.
4. Research Question(s) and Research Objectives
The study conducted encompassing the entire hospitality industry in Nigeria. To conduct
this study, its aim was determined to be;
To analyze the user perception of service quality at the hospitality industry in Nigeria
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