Critical Incident Analysis in Measurement of Hotel Guest Satisfaction. A Case Study from Tirana, Albania

Abstract

Services sector continues to be the big contributor in GDP of Albania, with about 60% in 2011, where trade, hotels and restorants constitute the main part of this sector. Number of hotels is increased during the last years. In 1995, the number of hotels was 62 with 2,016 beds places, whereas in 2012 the number of hotels was 248 with 18,905 beds places (INSTAT). To be successful in the market it is not sufficient to attract new customers, hotel managers must concentrate on retaining existing guests implementing effective policies of customer satisfaction. The best products in all aspects of product services not necessarily provide the best quality of services. The hotel managers need to constantly monitor the guest needs that are changeable, in order to facilitate their analysis and ensure the effective management of change in the performance of the hotel product. The aim of this study is to evaluate hotel guest satisfaction based on the critical incident analysis (Hayes 2008) and determining the extent to which the quality of hotel services meets customer needs and preferences. The research was conducted in 3- star hotels in Tirana, Albania. The data are collected in 10 mid-range hotels in the period July - August 2013. Through the analysis of this case we evaluate the overall customer satisfaction level for the hotels and for each service supplied. The results obtained in this study indicate that the level of customer satisfaction is very good considering the overall evaluation but also the lower level than expected in terms of hotels facilities and Food & Drink. The research results can be used by hotel managers in order to improve and adapt hotel services to customer needs.

DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n4p437