A study of expected and perceived service quality in Croatian and Slovenian hotel industry

Abstract

The main purpose of present research is the comparison of guests’ expectations and perceptions of service quality in Croatian and Slovenian hotels. In order to measure hotel guests’ expectations and perceptions modified SERVQUAL model was developed. The questionnaire was designed in accordance with researches conducted by Parasuraman et al. (1988), Zeithaml et al. (1990), Snoj and Ogorelc (1998), Pizam and Ellis (1999) and Marković (2003). The questionnaire was divided in three parts: measurement of expected service quality, measurement of perceived service quality and demographic questions. Data were collected in hotel settings in Opatija Riviera (Croatia) and Slovenia’s coastal region. A total of 253 (Croatian sample) and 172 (Slovenian sample) completed and usable questionnaires were gathered. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis. The conducted statistical analysis revealed similarities in both surveys. The research results identified high level of guests’ expectations and perceptions regarding the hotel service quality, and importance of intangible aspects of hotel service.

Humans and/or robots? Tourists’ preferences towards the humans–robots mix in the service delivery system

“…Thus, knowing tourists’ preferences towards the humans-robots ratio would allow companies to use the optimal number of robots in their service delivery systems and avoid the ‘too much automation’ phenomenon experienced at the Henn na hotel and mentioned earlier. This is especially important in hospitality, where the intimate and interactive relationship between service providers and consumers (Kandampully and Duddy 2001 ) and the politeness and empathy in the service delivery process (Marković et al 2013 ) are vital for the tourists’ experience. Moreover, knowing which factors shape tourists’ preferences toward the humans-robots mix and what clusters of customers exist based on these preferences would allow tourism and hospitality companies to design the appropriate service delivery system for their target market and to develop appropriate strategies to communicate it to their customers.…”