The Hotel School Research Proposal: Westin Hotel Customer Satisfaction

This research proposal investigates the effectiveness of service quality at the Westin Hotel on Regent Place in Melbourne, Australia, on customer satisfaction. It addresses the problem of enhancing customer satisfaction in the competitive hospitality industry. The research aims to assess the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction, with specific objectives including analyzing respondent profiles, service quality, customer satisfaction levels, and the relationship between service quality and satisfaction. The research employs a descriptive research design, utilizing a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Data collection involves a Qualtrics survey with both closed-ended and open-ended questions, and in-depth interviews to gather comprehensive data. A simple random sampling method will be used to select 50 Westin Hotel customers for the survey. The proposal outlines ethical considerations, including informed consent and anonymity, and proposes statistical data analysis techniques using MS-excel and SPSS software. The bivariate data analysis technique, including cross-tabulation, will be employed to analyze the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Determine the effectiveness of the service quality provided by the Westin hotel on Regent
Place, on customer satisfaction

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2
Table of Contents
The problem of Statement and Objective ................................................................................................. 3
Research design ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Core function ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Information requirements .......................................................................................................................... 4
Methodology ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Data collection methods .............................................................................................................................. 5
Qualtrics survey .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Sample selection .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Ethical considerations ................................................................................................................................. 6
References .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Appendix: Survey through questionnaire (Qualtrics survey) ........................................................ 10

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 3
The problem of Statement and Objective
Westin hotel is taking into consideration towards enhancing the customer satisfaction and its
services. It also faces several challenges regarding customer satisfaction. In hospitality industry,
customer satisfaction is imperative factor for all business organizations. Furthermore, it is
addressed that profitability could be increased and loyalty could also be prominent by developing
a favorable relationship between the customers and the business firm. The key strategy for
resolving the issue is to learn regarding how to identify the needs of consumers as well as
making proper utilization of individual understanding for gaining the level of satisfaction. The
aim of this investigation is to assess how service quality can impact on customer satisfaction of
Westin hotel (Berezina, et. al., 2016).
The key objective of this investigation is to assess the effectiveness of service quality offered
through Westin hotel on Regent Place on the satisfaction of the customer.
The given below objectives would be used to complete the aim of investigation:
a) Respondent’s profile with respect to gender, type of account, education background and
banking experience
b) Service quality in Westin hotel
c) The extent of customer satisfaction in Westin hotel
d) Relationship between service quality and customers’ satisfaction in Westin hotel
Research design
Core function
In this research, applied research would be selected to solve specific issues. The specific issue of
this investigation is to assess effectiveness regarding service quality offered through Westin hotel
on Regent Place on the satisfaction of the customer (Xu, Blankson, and Prybutok, 2017).

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 4
Information requirements
In research study, several kinds of research are practiced by investigator to determine the
research issues in an appropriate way that are named as exploratory, descriptive and explanatory
research. Descriptive research type would facilitate the research scholar to elaborate on the
research concern by offering detailed information about the research concern. Under this, a
hypothesis would be developed by the researcher to conduct the research in the exploratory
research type. Apart from this, explanatory research is referred as the type of research that
addresses the effects and causes among certain variables which are related to the research
concern (Malhotra, Agarwal, and Shainesh, 2018).
Investigator would utilize descriptive research type for this research as it aids the research
scholar in determining effectiveness of the service quality provided by the Westin hotel on
Regent Place, on customer satisfaction. Along with this, this type of research would be effective
in gathering perception and beliefs of research candidates in context of research dilemma
(Adikaram, and Khatibi, 2016). In contrast to this, exploratory research type would not practice
by the investigator for this investigation as the hypothesis is not required for this research as well
as research study is not based on primary research. Moreover, explanatory research is also not
suitable for this research study due to lack of effect and cause relationship (Kuo, et. al., 2018).
Methodology
Mix research design would exercise by the research scholar for this investigation to accomplish
the investigation in a targeted time. Because it entails unique features of both quantitative and
qualitative research design. Furthermore, qualitative research design will be profitable for
evaluating the association between the effectiveness of service quality and customer satisfaction.
Along with this, limitation and barriers of investigation which are aroused during the research

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 5
study could be eliminated by this research design. Apart from this, responses of research
participants would be determined by quantitative research design (Suryani, et. al., 2017). In this
way, Survey through questionnaire method would be conducted on the targeted research
participants. Whereas in-depth interview method would be performed by investigator to pool
qualitative data related to investigation concern. This technique would be an appropriate
technique to accumulate the individual’s experiences, perspectives and personal history of
respondents with respect to research issues. Consequently, it could be stated that mix research
design is based upon comprehending the practical as well as a theoretical concept in the context
of determining effectiveness of the service quality provided by the Westin hotel on Regent Place,
on customer satisfaction (Chusnul, et. al., 2017).
Data collection methods
Investigator would practice both types of data gathering tool primary and secondary in this
research study to accumulate the data associated with research concern. Primary data is fresh and
innovative data that could be gathered by executing a survey through questionnaire technique.
Qualtric survey technique is more suitable as compared to interview method because the
investigator has to spend more time and money to conduct the interview method. In addition, a
huge number of participants would be needed for this method (Adetunji, et. al., 2017). On
another hand, secondary data would be pooled by existed sources such as authentic websites,
articles, journals, textbook, and government report. This method would be chosen by the
researcher to attain authentic data about investigation. This method of data pooling would take
the least time but at the same time, it could be an expensive tool (Dewi, et. al., 2018).

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 6
Qualtrics survey
Qualtrics survey questionnaire would be practiced for gathering the information regarding
research issues. Along with this, for this survey, the researcher would use 10 questions related to
both qualitative and quantitative. Moreover, the Likert scale and fill in the blank would be
considered in framing the research questions. Both open-ended as well as, close-ended questions
would be considered in survey through questionnaire (Sukresna, et. al., 2016).
Sample selection
Probability sampling tool with simple random sampling method would be practiced by the
research scholar for this investigation to select the research candidates to conduct the online
monkey survey. This method is suitable for this research as it eliminates the biases from the
dissertation. 50 customers of Westin Hotel would be selected by the researcher, who have visited
this hotel before. This would be profitable for getting the perception and beliefs of research
candidates related to the research dilemma. Along with this, non-probability sampling tool would
also be selected by the investigator to conduct the interview systematically because in this
method participants are chosen on the basis of personal accessibility and judgment of the
research scholar (Ofori, et. al., 2016).
Ethical considerations
Certain factors are involved in ethical consideration:
Informed consent
This aspect would be considered by investigator to remove duplicities. Before conducting
questionnaire, investigator would provide knowledge related to the aim and objectives of
investigation to selected respondents (Hurriyati, and Setiawan, 2017).
Anonymity

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 7
Research participants would be advised by the researcher to fill their name appropriately in the
questionnaire Performa for attaining the reliable responses from research participants. But at the
same time, it is also analyzed that research participants would not be identified for their answers
as research scholar would maintain the confidentiality of accumulated data (Sukresna, Hamilton,
and Tee, 2016).
Proposed data analysis techniques
Statistical data analysis would be exercised by the research scholar to perform this investigation.
It makes the research scholar more capable to demonstrate descriptive statistics about data with
the use of certain tools like cross-tabulation as well as, regression correlation. It is also
advantageous to depict the reason of participant’s responses (Ofori, et. al., 2016).
In addition to this, MS-excel and SPSS software program to illustrate the gathered data in the
tabular and graphical way and also aids to correctly measure the pooled data. It is also profitable
for gaining feasible data with respect to findings and responses of research matter. In this way,
the bivariate data analysis technique would be practiced by the researcher to analyze two
variables at the same time and also assist the researcher to develop the relationship between two
variables. Cross-tabulation would be utilized for bivariate analysis (Hurriyati, and Setiawan,
2017).

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 8
References
Adetunji, A.T., Adetunji, A.V., Adeleke, E.O. and Madubuike, S.C., 2017. Deregulation: The
Effect of Market-led Approach to Nigerian Universities Management. International journal of
social sciences and humanities, 1(1), pp.1-8.
Adikaram, C.N.K., and Khatibi, A., 2016. The Relationship between Customer Relationship
Management and Customer Satisfaction: A Study on Private Higher Education Institutions in Sri
Lanka. International Journal of Arts and Commerce, 5(2), p.27.
Berezina, K., Bilgihan, A., Cobanoglu, C. and Okumus, F., 2016. Understanding satisfied and
dissatisfied hotel customers: text mining of online hotel reviews. Journal of Hospitality
Marketing & Management, 25(1), pp.1-24.
Chusnul, A., Margono, S., Ainur, R. and Mintarti, R., 2017. Identification to Gus Dur: a study of
pilgrimage of Indonesian foremost Ulama’s tomb in jombang Regency, Indonesia. Russian
Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 64(4).
Dewi, M.P., Rahmatunnisa, M., Sumaryana, A. and Kristiadi, J.B., 2018. Ensuring Service
Quality in Education for Indonesia’s Sustainable Education. Journal of Social Studies Education
Research, 9(4), pp.65-81.
Hurriyati, R. and Setiawan, R., 2017. Destination Personality Analysis on Brand Attractiveness,
Brand Awareness, and its Impact on Brand Loyalty: A Survey Research in
Indonesia. International Journal of Tourism, 2.
Kuo, S., Nathania, C., Wang, A.L., Chen, W.L. and Yap, B.M., 2018. Study on the Experimental
Marketing and Customer Intention of Design Hotel. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality
Management, 6(6), pp.304-317.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 9
Malhotra, N.K., Agarwal, J. and Shainesh, G., 2018. Does Country or Culture Matter in Global
Marketing? An Empirical Investigation of Service Quality and Satisfaction Model with
Moderators in Three Countries. In Emerging Issues in Global Marketing (pp. 61-91). Springer,
Cham.
Ofori, K.S., Larbi-Siaw, O., Fianu, E., Gladjah, R.E. and Boateng, E.O.Y., 2016. Factors
influencing the continuance use of mobile social media: The effect of privacy concerns. Journal
of Cyber Security and Mobility, 4(3), pp.105-124.
Sukresna, I.M., Hamilton, J. and Tee, S., 2016. Channel relationships from the perspectives of
manufacturers and their connecting distributors in Indonesia. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing
and Logistics, 28(3), pp.525-546.
Suryani, N.K., Wardana, M., Sintaasih, D.K. and Surya, I.B.K., 2017. Human Resources
Management Practice and Organizational Performance (A Case Study of Line Manager Support
in Star-Hotel, Bali, Indonesia). International Business Management, 11(7), pp.1523-1531.
Xu, L.U., Blankson, C. and Prybutok, V., 2017. Relative contributions of product quality and
service quality in the automobile industry. Quality Management Journal, 24(1), pp.21-36.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 10
Appendix: Survey through questionnaire (Qualtrics survey)
Please mention your gender
Male
Female
Please mention your age-group
20-25
25-30
30-35
35 and above
Your opinion about Quality Provided:
Opinion
about
the
quality
Highly
satisfied
Satisfied Moderate Dissatisfie
d
Highly
dissatisfied
Savories
North
Indian
Dishes
Chat
items
Breakfast
Items
Mid Day

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 11
Items
Dinner
Items
Salads /
Juices
Your opinion on Neatness & Cleanliness
Opinion
towards
Cleanliness
&
Neatness
Highly
satisfied
Satisfied Moderat
e
Dissatisfied Highly
dissatisfied
Vessels -
(Plates &
Glasses)
Table
Floor
Waiters
Toilets
Towels
Napkins
Wash Area

RESEARCH PROPOSAL 12
Drinking
Water
Furniture
Your opinion about the Interior Decoration
Opinion
towards
Interior
Decoration
Highly
satisfied
Satisfied Moderate Dissatisfie
d
Highly
dissatisfied
Lighting
Sofa sets
Seating
Arrangement
Wall
Paintings
Screens
Floorings
Ceiling
Works
Wood
Works
Furniture
and Tables