SERVICE QUALITY OR SUSTAINABILITY? DETERMINING PRIORITIES FOR HOTEL BUSINESSES THROUGH BWM ANALYSIS

Abstract

Service quality and sustainability are not only strategically important for achieving competitive advantage in the hotel industry but also serve as critical indicators of long-term resilience, customer loyalty, and multi-dimensional sustainability encompassing environmental, social, cultural, and economic responsibilities in a rapidly evolving global tourism market. Service quality practices that focus on immediate customer satisfaction-such as rapid service or high-consumption amenities-can conflict with sustainability goals. These goals require long-term planning and efficient resource use. This creates a strategic tension in hospitality management. While academic interest in these two concepts has increased in recent years, the interaction between them and how different stakeholder groups prioritize these concepts have not been sufficiently investigated. In this context, the present study aims to determine the prioritization of service quality and sustainability dimensions among different stakeholder groups (hotel managers, academics and institution representatives) in the hotel industry. To this end, we used the Best Worst Method (BWM), one of the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques known for its simplicity and consistency. The data were collected through interviews with a total of 18 experts. The findings revealed that, across all stakeholder groups, service quality dimensions were prioritized over sustainability dimensions. Hotel managers emphasized operational efficiency and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, while academicians focused on reliability and adopted a more balanced view of sustainability, institution representatives prioritized tangible aspects of service quality. Social and cultural sustainability dimensions were consistently assigned lower importance by hotel managers and institution representatives. The priority given to service quality highlights the short-term and performance-oriented mentality in the hotel industry. The limited emphasis placed on social and cultural sustainability, particularly among practitioners, suggests that these dimensions are still not sufficiently considered in strategic decision-making processes. Taken together, the results of the present study highlight the varying evaluation patterns among stakeholder groups and underscore the need for a more holistic perspective on managing service quality and sustainability in hotel businesses.