An examination of the factors which influence a positive customer experience within the Irish hospitality industry

Although more and more academic researchers place importance on the services marketing concept of the ‘customer experience’, there is seen to be little practical research and guidance for personnel in the hospitality industry to implement an exceptional customer experience in their places of work. This study will focus on hospitality customers in Ireland who regularly visit Irish hotels, and use a phenomenological approach to explore and gain insights into their past experiences in hotels. The data collection consisted of six qualitative semistructured interviews with customers who often visit Irish hotels, obtained through purposive sampling. The findings, using thematic analysis, reveal the factors which were deemed most important in the customer’s experiences with hotels, grouped into themes which mirror the components of the Services Marketing Mix. In the case of this study, the factors which most strongly influence a positive customer experience are staff competency, staff amiability and service recovery. The results provide advice to hotel management on what areas to focus on in providing an exceptional customer experience