Guest Orientation of Front Office Employees' Service Quality and Rapport: Influences on Satisfaction in Egyptian Five and Four star Hotels

Abstract

This research aims to assess the guests' perceptions of service quality of employees in front office department of five and four star hotels at Cairo and Giza in Egypt. The assessment also includes the influence of service quality on the rapport between front office employees and guests. The study also assesses the influence of service quality and rapport on guest satisfaction. The study developed a conceptual model of the constructs involved. The hypotheses were proposed regarding the relationships within the model. The conceptual model and hypotheses were then tested in a sample of hotel guests. The study found that service quality dimensions contribute to predict enjoyable interaction personal connection between front office employees and guests. Moreover, enjoyable interaction and personal connection mediates the impact of front office employees' service quality on guest satisfaction. Furthermore, service quality dimensions of front office employees contribute to predict guest satisfaction. There are significant differences between four and five star hotels in perceived service quality and guest satisfaction, but not for rapport dimension. There are no significant differences between foreigner and Arab tourists in these dimensions.