Though measuring guest satisfaction may appear as a pretty straight-forward process using leading survey tools; it’s often far from the truth. Even when relying on survey methodologies which measure guest’s expectations and perceptions, it is difficult to fully understand guest’s true opinions and behavioral intentions without taking culture and demographic into consideration. This article will discuss how cultural and demographical elements along with employee-guest interpersonal relationships are all directly correlated to guest’s overall satisfaction of a product or service in the hospitality world.

Culture and Demographic

Culture and demographic is worth paying attention to when looking at various variables that have an effect on satisfaction. It is commonly thought within the hospitality industry that various nationalities rate services differently, e.g. an American may rate a very good service experience as ‘5’ out of ‘5’, whereas a European may rate the same service experience ‘4’ out of ‘5’. The argument in this case is often that Europeans are more cognizant of the fact that perfection does not exist and feel ‘4’ represents ‘very good’, where on the other hand an American may feel that ‘4’ represents ‘excellent’. There is no right or wrong here, simply different perceptions of service quality based on culture. This however presents hospitality providers with the challenge of talking into account culture and demographic when constructing surveys and analyzing guest satisfaction results. Mattila and Cho (2006) for example found that there were major differences in satisfaction results and price perceptions between Korean and American hotel guests (Cited in Matzler et al., 2006, p. 182). Though many hospitality professionals will fathom that there are differences between distinct cultures; some may not realize that the dissimilarities do not just appear between distinct geographical regions such as between Asia and North America, but also within regions with very similar cultures. A study by Hofstede revealed significant cultural differences between Germany and Austria, though the counties are in general thought of as quite similar (Cited in Matzler et al., 2006, p. 182). These cultural differences might indicate that individuals from different cultures experience various emotions when exposed to service. This could be due to the fact that various nationalities have a wide array of cultural practices which they live out in their daily lives. These behavioral aspects occur due to individual’s biological needs and social motives which they need to address to adapt their behaviors to the context in which they live (Matsumoto, 2006, p. 35). This context can often be very different from a hospitality experience in a foreign country; hence the different behavioral and expectation elements which can be displayed by guests. It is important to understand that these cultural practices act as past experiences which organize and guide individuals and help the actual processing of social experiences (Matsumoto, 2006, p. 35), which can consequentially impact satisfaction levels depending on if expectations are met or not.

Furthermore, it is important to note that an older demographic is typically more discerning towards service standards than a younger demographic (Williams et al., 2003, p. 64). The older counterpart also expects more value for their money (Ibid), which contributes further to the difficulty of understanding individual guest expectations.

Interpersonal relationships

A logical transition from discussions on culture and demographic is to look at the interpersonal relationships between guests and employees. It is not necessary to scrutinize the employee-guest relationship paradigm to understand that there is a close relationship between guest satisfaction and employee behavior. This relationship of course exists because employees are physically the individuals delivering the actual service, and is therefore to a large degree responsible for the quality of the service. It is not surprising that a study by Presbury (2005) showed that the interpersonal relationship that is generated between guests and employees play a major role in guest satisfaction and loyalty. To guests, this relationship is what validates that the product they were promised is indeed delivered (Presbury et al., 2005, p. 361), not the physical attributes of the property. The emotions guests experience as a result of the relationships established with employees therefore heavily impact guest’s overall satisfaction.

Emotions

The Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI), which base hotel performance on guest evaluations, has made some interesting findings on the role emotions play on satisfaction and loyalty. The Market Metrix basically demonstrates that emotions play a significant role on satisfaction and even loyalty (Barsky et al., 2003, p. 175). Studies show that individuals are willing to pay considerably more for hospitality products and services that simply promise experiences that will induce certain emotions (Ibid). Little research need to be studied to understand that comfort, and the associated emotions of comfort, is one of the emotions guests in general wish to experience from a hospitality product. Interestingly enough, simply receiving value for price paid for a service or product is something which makes guests feel comfortable with their hospitality experience (Barsky et al., 2003, p. 176). A study by McDougall and Levesque (2000) on guest’s expectations, quality, product delivery, value and value perceptions confirms that the value guests see in a product or service indeed have a statistical significant effect on overall satisfaction (Cited in Gilbert et al., 2006, p. 300).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is difficult to fully understand guest satisfaction without taking culture and demographics into consideration. When interpreting results, hospitality professionals must look at dissimilarities between different regions of the world, between different countries in the same region, and even states within the same country. The differences in expectations and perceptions of service, quality and value are often caused by the individual needs and social motives of guests, which relate to the cultural practices of guest’s daily lives. There are also behavioral and expectation related differences between an older and young guest demographic. In addition to cultural and demographical considerations that need to be made when measuring satisfaction, the interpersonal relationships that are established between employees and guests need to be understood. Lastly but not least, the emotions guest’s experience in relation to the service, product and value must be captured to complete a true picture of guest’s opinions.

References

Barsky J. & Nash L. (2003). ‘Customer Satisfaction: Applying Concepts to Industry-wide Measures’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 44 (5-6), pp. 173-183, Science Direct. [Online]. DOI: 10.1016/S0010-8804(03)90122-4 (Accessed: January 6, 2008).

Gilbert R.G. & Veloutsou C. (2006). ‘A cross-industry comparison of customer satisfaction’, Journal of Services Marketing, 20 (5), pp. 298-308, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. [Online]. DOI: 10.1108/08876040610679918 (Accessed: January 4, 2008).

Matsumoto D. (2006). ‘Culture and Cultural Worldviews: Do Verbal Descriptions about Culture Reflect Anything Other Than Verbal Descriptions of Culture?’, Culture Psychology, 12 (33) pp. 33-62, Sage Publications. [Online]. DOI: 10.1177/1354067X06061592 (Accessed: February 9, 2008).

Matzler K., Renzl B. & Rothenberger S. (2006). ‘Measuring the Relative Importance of Service Dimensions in the Formation of Price Satisfaction and Service Satisfaction: A Case Study in the Hotel Industry’, Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 6 (3), pp. 179-196, Informaworld. [Online]. DOI: 10.1080/15022250600872850 (Accessed: January 6, 2008).

Presbury R., Fitzgerald A. & Chapman R. (2005). ‘Impediments to improvements in service quality in luxury hotels’, Managing Service Quality, 15 (4), pp. 357-373, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. [Online]. DOI: 10.1108/09604520510606835 (Accessed: February 9, 2008).

Williams C. & Buswell J. (2003). Service Quality in Leisure and Tourism. Cambridge, MA. Cabi Publishing. [Online]. Available from: (Accessed: January 8, 2008).

Patrik Hellstrand is a published hospitality industry expert with international leadership experience. He excels at uniting business strategy and brand operations with people processes to bolster efficiency, improve organizational performance, and increase profitability.

Patrik is the Managing Director at SQInsight Hospitality Consulting, a boutique firm specializing in operational efficiencies, quality assurance, business analysis, revenue-maximization, customer service, brand strategy, and product development.

Patrik has strategic experience in a wide-range of business segments and leading FORTUNE 500 corporations such as Hilton Hotels where he was responsible for the global operation of the Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand, and Princess Cruises where he initially managed the Food & Beverage operation and later accepted further responsibilities where he directed the global Hotel Operation. He is seen as a visionary and entrepreneurial leader who produces sustainable growth.

Patrik’s extensive work on understanding guest satisfaction and capturing guest’s true opinions have been published by Cornell University; he earned his M.B.A. from The University of Liverpool; was schooled in financial management at Cornell University, and holds a Six Sigma Champion Certificate. This coupled with his executive experience makes him a specialist in organizational leadership, project management, process improvement, and customer service.

More information on SQInsight Hospitality Consulting can be found on the company website:

Patrik Hellstrand
Managing Direcor
SQInsight