Quality perceived by the clients of the hotels in Los Ríos province, Ecuador

Abstract

Currently in the highly competitive hotel environment, a quality service is key to increase the volume of clients as well as the income of a hotel. In this sense, the general objective of this article is to evaluate the quality perceived by the client of the hotel service in Ecuador. The application of a version of the Servperf model was used as a methodological strategy, with dimensions and attributes adapted to the hotel environment in Ecuador, particularly in Quevedo, Los Ríos. A survey was conducted with a sample of 385 guests from 41 hotels. The main results of the research were: The scale proposed for evaluating the quality perceived by the clients of the hotel service -RíoshotelServperf- showed reliability, validity and precision; in 2/3 star hotels, there is medium-low quality and the perception of the image is trivial. The lowest valued quality dimension is “Personnel”. In general, the level of satisfaction of the clients of 4/5 star hotels, with the hotel's total service is medium-high and the perception of the image is medium. It is concluded that the attention provided by the staff should be improved, as well as the perception of the operation and organization of the services provided.