Abstract
The study focuses on the nature of hotel service quality and performance in a UK Hotel
chain. It examines managerial conceptualisations, implementation and measurement and
contextual issues that affect decision-making. Although managers acknowledge the
importance of service quality and performance monitoring, their efforts are impeded by flaws
in implementation and contextual constraints. The results reveal the flaws as lack of policy
on quality, non-implementation of action plans and biased reward schemes. The contextual
constraints are identified as competition, budgetary, staff turnover and biased rewards. The
results in this study seems to suggest that service and quality are sacrificed at the altar of
profits as senior managers appear to hope for quality but reward financial performance. The
results also identify a significant gap in UK literature and a consequent paucity in knowledge
regarding the use of service guarantees as service quality strategy in hotels. It is concluded
that hotel leaders should take responsibility for delivery on service quality and business
performance.
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