Measuring Service Quality in the Hotel Business: A Study in a Business Hotel in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study is to identify the processes and objectives of measuring service quality in the hotel business in Saudi Arabia. The survey based approach was utilized in data collection from a selected 101 institutions operating in the Saudi Hospitality industry. The instrument was mailed to the individuals, with 54 questionnaires successfully returned by the time analysis was performed. Data analysis was performed in three stages. Primary analysis was performed through cross tabulation, with 72% of the institutions indicating that they practice service quality measurement. Descriptive statistics were applied to determine the dimensions that were prominent across the institutions, with the dimensions under Gap 1, 2 and 3 sufficing as the most prominently utilized in service quality measurement. Chi Square tests were applied on these three dimensions, with the analysis indicating that 4 out of 8 elements Gap 1 indicated statistical significance, all elements in Gap 2 were statistically significant while 16 out of 19 dimensions in Gap 3 were statistically significant. Service quality measurement in Saudi Arabian Hospitality industry is mostly focused on elements related to management’s perception of customer expectations, translation of those perceptions into service, and service delivery approaches. However, there is no indication that elements related to external communication to customers are applied in service quality measurement