Evaluation of quality of service: real case in the hotel fitness center

Abstract The justified purpose of the theme: The number of companies in the service sector has been increasing steadily in recent years. At the same time, consumers are increasingly demanding quality of services offered by the various providers in the market. Customer satisfaction is fundamental to the success of these organizations, and for this reason, the adoption of specific techniques for assessing quality of services is necessary. Purpose: this article aims to develop a framework to support hotel management. Methodology/Design: The study used an adaptation of the classic SERVQUAL model for the evaluation of customer expectations and perceptions, enhanced by the QUESC model, which is an instrument specifically applied to quality evaluation in fitness services, in order to obtain a more complete and targeted approach. The survey was conducted with 206 customers on the quality of service in the hotel's fitness center. Results and Originality: With the application of the model, we found that SERVQUAL was insufficient to evaluate customer satisfaction since the highest rated items pointed to the gaps coming mostly from the QUESC model. The findings provide a new perspective that can encourage those involved in the fitness center to manage these businesses considering the characteristics of the customer. This structure can help the hotel manager identifying which quality dimensions need more attention, improve the quality of the hotel service, develop customer loyalty, improve employee satisfaction, and differentiate from competitors. The article presents a new focus on guest view, which can be used to manage services offered by hotels.