Shostack (1977) and Lovelock (1996) have developed models
specifically designed for the service industry. This research is based on
Lovelock’s (1996) ‘‘Flower of Service’’ model, focussing on the ‘‘Hospitality:
Taking Care of the Customer’’ cluster. This paper contends that
supplementary services add value to core services, which gives firms
competitive advantage over their competition. In the dynamic and challenging
environment of the travel and tourism industry, operators need
to differentiate themselves in order to be successful and continue to
offer superior performance. One of the strategies to differentiate from
the competition is to enhance the core services with supplementary
services. A major Midwestern City was selected to test Lovelock’s
model. Two conventions held in mid-February were chosen for this
study. Attendees of the first convention were provided specially trained