Authors

Akintade E. A., Oluwole A. & Aina, O. C.

Abstract

Poor customer perception of service experienced is still a significant problem in many parts of the world and customer service expectations are not met. Customers often expect a certain reaction from a enterprise and when those expectations are exceeded pleasantly, the enterprise has somehow passed an important psychological threshold. This study aims to improve knowledge on the interconnection between customers’ perception of service experienced and customers’ service expectations at some selected hotels in Ondo State, Nigeria. Some features were selected using a questionnaire specifically designed for this study, using data from 1140 lodgers. Analyses of data collected from 1076 respondents who participated in the survey and correctly filled the questionnaire revealed that respondents’ scores on service received were higher than their scores on corresponding service expectations for most of the variables examined. The average scores of customers’ perceptions of service received and service expectations at the hotels and given remarks on service quality recorded are based on the GAP values of 5.54 (either positive or negative between the mean scores of each variable. Pearson’s correlation was used to test this hypothesis there is no significant relationship between customer’s perceptions on service experienced and service expectation. The findings show that service received had a positive correlation with service expectation (r = 0.604, p-value = 0.001). It was also observed that the total respondents’ rating of some variables was unsatisfactory with a mean value of (2.68) as 52% of respondents rated their service experience as unsatisfactory. It was recommended that hoteliers should employ staff with requisite qualifications (academically) and qualified employees who understand the importance of being able to offer a constant acceptable service quality to hotel guests and to ensure that assurances made to guests are met, if not outstripped. To exceed customers’ expectations, hotels should provide genuine hospitality, a valuable experience, and a commitment to maintenance of continuous improvement.

Keywords: Customers Perception, Service Experience, Service Expectation, Hotel