The Connaught Hotel: Service Quality and Customer Service Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of service quality and customer service at The Connaught Hotel, a luxury establishment in London. It begins with an introduction to the hospitality industry and the hotel's context, followed by an in-depth examination of service quality dimensions, including reliability, assurance, responsiveness, tangibles, and empathy. The report also applies the SERVQUAL gap model to identify potential areas for improvement. Furthermore, it explores the four acid tests of service recovery and offers recommendations based on a survey report, highlighting areas for improvement in front office operations, housekeeping, and maintenance. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of training, new talent acquisition, and research and development to enhance customer satisfaction and overall service quality.

Project
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Determine the service quality with specific focus to dimensions and gaps................................3
Determine the four acid tests of service recovery in context of the organisation........................5
Recommendation for better customer services on the bases of survey report.............................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Hospitality industry is generally define as section which provide large number of services
to people across globe (Al-Ababneh, 2017). In simple words hospitality industry refers to the
sector which holds variety of businesses and services who's main motive is to satisfy the needs
and wants of customers. Sectors within hospitality industry are accommodation, food &
drinking and Travel and tourism. This report is based on The Connaught Hotel. It is a five star
luxury hotel established in London in year 1815. It is a part of Mayfair life and provides world
famous level of services to its guests. The topics covered in the report are service quality, four
acid tests of the service recovery and the recommendations for better customer services.
MAIN BODY
Determine the service quality with specific focus to dimensions and gaps
Service quality is define as one of the most essential tool for the business unities which
helps them in differentiating itself from that of its competitors. In context of the The Connaught,
they are dealing in hotel sector where the level of competition is quite high. Moreover it helps in
improving the operations of business and hence bring customer satisfaction.
SERVQUAL Dimensions
In general the service quality consist of five dimensions which effect the customer
satisfaction and its important for the organisation to consider them and take corrective measures
in order to obtain desire results (Mmutle, 2017). These five dimensions are explained below-
Reliability- It is the first dimension of the service quality where focus is on doing things
correctly in the first attempt only. The main focus of the organisation is to fulfil all the promises
which they have make to its customers and pay attention to the outcome obtain from the actions
taken by the management.
Assurance- It refers to steps taken by the organisation in order to develop the trust and
confidence among the guests and the staff members. It is mainly required in order to build trust
and sense of belongingness among customers so that the company would able to retain them and
convert them into loyal customers.
Responsiveness- It is define as the concept in which steps are been taken in order to help
others. This dimension focus on helping the guests within the company so that their issues,
quires, requests and complaints are addressed in the most effective and efficient manner. If
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problems and issues of customers are solved on time it helps in building the trust and has the
positive impact on the brand image of the company.
Tangibles- It refers to serving the guests so that they have physical view of the services
provided by the organisation (Mok, Sparks and Kadampully, 2013). Company should focus on
providing the physical image of the services in order to attract the customers and convert them
into loyal customers. This dimension provide adverse results as it is one of the most effective
service quality strategy.
Empathy- This is useful and provide great results as with the use of this dimension guests
are treated individually. Every guest visiting the hotel want to experience high level services and
feel important. It is one of the most effective strategy which helps is building strong relationship
with the customers. The good relation helps in providing benefit to the company as it will be able
to attract large number of customers.
Servqual Gap model
The gap model focus on the gap that take place between customer expectations and their
perceptions. It has major impact on the performance and brand image of the company. These
gaps are explained below-
Gap 1: Customer expectation – management perception gap
Sometime management of company face problem in understanding its key feature
services which provides high quality services and need satisfaction services to its customers. Due
to this the service quality perception may get affected and may has negative impact on the
performance of company (Law and et.al., 2011).
Gap 2: Management perceptions – service quality specification gap
The gap between the management perception regarding customer satisfaction and their
expectation and the actual specification services provided to customers. These gap take place due
to lack of proper knowledge , non availability of resources and many more related factors.
Gap 3: Service quality specifications – service delivery gap
The organisation face problem in matching the set formal standards for maintaining
service quality and the service deliver by the employees. This difference take place as employees
have different mind set and due to understanding issue they would be able to match the
standards.
Gap 4: Service delivery – external communications gap
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This gap take place due to miscommunication which take place between service delivery
which organisation has promise to provide and the external communication as it has impact on
the customer perception.
Gap 5: Expected service- perceived service gap
This is one of the most important gap which take place as it is gap or difference between
the expectation of customers and the service deliver to them. In order to manage the service
quality within the organisation hence it is important to remove the gap that is taking place as it
will have negative impact on the customers as they would be able to satisfy below their
expectation. It will effect the brand image of the company and they would lose its loyal
customers.
Determine the four acid tests of service recovery in context of the organisation.
Within the organisation it is important to focus on the customer issues and problems as in
context of The Connaught, customer satisfaction play great role in determining the success of the
company (Wu and Ko, 2013). Furthermore in order to make its performance better the Hotel can
use four acid test for making service recoveries so that they can take corrective actions to meet
the requirements of customers and the staff members.
 Cost of Quality- The cost of quality concept has been introduce by Juran who focus on
quality cost which business organization must consider who are dealing in service sector
as they would be able to improve their quality of services and its offerings. With the
improvement in the service quality the company would be able to decrease its other
expenses such as prevention cost, defect cost and many more. In context of The
Connaught they are providing quite good services to its guests but it further need to make
changes so that they would not face any other issue related to quality.
 Service Process Control- This process is commonly known as feedback control system
where they can compare the performance with the set standards so that identify the areas
which need improvement (Jauhari and et.al., 2012). In context of The Connaught they
can use in order to know the customer experience so that they would able to make
necessary changes. Moreover it also helps in self evaluation of the process so that points
can be identified which need to be improved by management so that it will able to
provide better experience to its customers.
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 Statistical Process Control- This is the technique which incorporates certain arrangement
of strategies and key parts of profitable and successful help quality. The instruments
empower to roll out factual improvements and advancement in administrations for The
Connaught Hotel when the yields are intensive broke down and spillages are recognized
for rolling out fitting improvements in the cycles for advancement and diminishing
deformities from tasks either structure items or administrations which are advertised.
 Unconditional service guarantee- It is one of the most important factor which helps the
hospitality sector as to identify the needs and wants of the customers so that they would
make the necessary changes (Cetinkaya, Ergul and Uysal, 2014). This is a significant
explanation which features on the estimation of the client benefits explicitly to add more
an incentive among results of individual hotel. This is likewise utilized by the client
assistance for distinguishing explanation that deliver and show about high worth that
make unrestricted assurance to upgrade and improve administration chain. It results that
the lodging society should be created in an efficient manner to offer best quality
assistance to expand trust of staff to make positive discernment among working
environment.
Recommendation for better customer services on the bases of survey report
Bases Response
Overall experience about front office operation
which includes check-in and check out and
complaint procedures by the guest relations
officer.
Negative
Experience about hotel's Housekeeping
performance.
Negative
Experience about Hotel's Maintenance
department
Positive
Description of survey report
The above survey questionnaire is based on three questions which was provided to 30
person for knowing the customer service standards of the Connaught hotel. The point of view of
the respondents is describe below-
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 On the very first question out of 30 respondents, 80% of respondents are not happy and
are not satisfied with the services which are provided by The Connaught hotel front office
department. Whereas 20% of the respondents where happy and satisfied with the services
provided by the front office department of the hotel.
 In the second question 40 respondents where asked their review and suggestion where
90% of the respondents where not satisfied with the services and facilities provided by
housekeeping department of the hotel (Eja, 2012). Whereas 10% of the respondents are
satisfied with the services and facilities provided by the housekeeping department of the
hotel.
 For the last question the reaction of respondents is positive that is 90% of people are
happy with the maintenance department and their services. Whereas 10% of the
respondents are unsatisfied with the facilities and services of maintenance department.
Recommendation
 Training and development- Singular occupation or job opportunity anyway their
understanding and practices through which maintain sources of income are performed
should be revived by the changing work practice of the business. The genuine atmosphere
is getting intense and changing social components is building up the necessities and
tendencies of people are advancing. Consequently, it is endorsed to The Connaught hotel
for becoming new getting ready and improvement gatherings for the individuals of
affiliation, this will similarly offers a preferred position to staff for overhauling their
scopes of capacities and move further in their occupation. This will provide motivation to
employees so that they will able to improve their performance and helps in making
workplace healthy and effective.
 Focusing on new and skilled candidates- As alluded to a portion of the audits and
remarks gave by existing clients on independent booking destinations the food and drink
menu and dishes of The Connaught are normal. That is their food and drink menu for
breakfast, lunch and supper should be changed. This raises the need and worries for new
staff individuals for a refreshed and new perspectives and thoughts. The lodging is
deprived for developing and making changes in their food and drink menus and
introduction styles. This is the reason new staff part should be recruited for getting new
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thoughts and creating changes by meeting the new social patterns and necessities of the
clients visiting hotel (The Connaught).
 Research and development- The company should focus on research and development in
order to identify the latest trend in the marketplace and the customer preferences. It helps
in making the desire changes so that they would able to make changes in its current
system in order to stand on the need and preferences of customers. This will help in
attracting large number of new potential customers and also helps in increasing the sales
and revenue of the company. They should make changes in its house keeping sections as
most of the respondents are not happy with their work and services.
CONCLUSION
From the above study it has been concluded that companies belonging to hospitality sector
need to focus on its services in order to provide satisfaction to its potential customers. The
company with effective services and facilities able to attract large number of customers
which is quite essential for the success of the business. With the help of effective
management skills and strategies organizations would able to get success and can increase
its revenue. The gap between customer expectations and service deliver to its potential
customers has impact on the business. Hence main focus of the business organization should
be on removing the gap in order to make its customers happy and satisfied.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Al-Ababneh, M., 2017. Service quality in the hospitality industry. Available at SSRN 3633089.
Mmutle, T., 2017. Customers' perception of service quality and its impact on reputation in the
hospitality industry.
Mok, C., Sparks, B. and Kadampully, J., 2013. Service quality management in hospitality,
tourism, and leisure. Routledge.
Law, R. and et.al., 2011. Hospitality quality: new directions and new challenges. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Wu, H.C. and Ko, Y.J., 2013. Assessment of service quality in the hotel industry. Journal of
Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism. 14(3). pp.218-244.
Jauhari, V. and et.al., 2012. Challenges for the global hospitality industry: an HR
perspective. Worldwide hospitality and tourism themes.
Cetinkaya, A.S., Ergul, M. and Uysal, M., 2014. Quality of relationship on information
technology outsourcing for organizational success in hospitality industry. Journal of
Hospitality and Tourism Technology.
Eja, E., 2012. Assessment of tourist perception on service quality in the hospitality industry in
cross river state. Assessment. 3(2).
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