Assessing the Quality of a Local Authority Conference and Hospitality Venue Using the ServQual Model

• Main Authors: Donnelly Mike, White Edward P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2014-11-01
• Series: Nang Yan Business Journal
• Subjects: ServQual; Public Sector; Conference and Hospitality Venue
• Online Access: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/nybj.2012.1.issue-1/nybj-2014-0003/nybj-2014-0003.xml?format=INT

The close attention paid to service quality by successful private companies has become part of the environment within which most public service organizations now operate. The ServQual model has been used with success to help companies quantify customers' expectations and perceptions of their service and to use this analysis as the basis for improvement. More recently, the ServQual approach has been applied in public service contexts with mixed reliability and validity. This paper reports on the application of the ServQual model to a conference and hospitality venue operated by a Scottish local authority. The study investigates five distinct customer segments: conferences, meetings, receptions, performances, and weddings. The expectations-perceptions gaps are assessed for each of these segments using the ServQual model and the size and antecedents of ServQual Gap 1 is also examined.