Influence of hotel facilities and room product quality on guest satisfaction

Dr. Akash Sharma*

Ph.d in Commerce, Independent Researcher, Delhi, India

akashsharma2897@gmail.com

Abstract: The goal of this study is to find out how hotel amenities and room prices affect how satisfied guests feel about their stays. Through in-depth interviews, focus groups, observations, and case studies, the study looks at how different facilities affect tourists' overall experience and how they think about value for money. The study also looks into how guests judge the importance of different amenities to their total image. The data show that one of the most important things that decides how happy a guest is is how well the price of the housing meets the quality of the services and facilities it offers. If people think the price is fair for what they get, they are more likely to have a good time. Including high-end amenities like spa services and delicious food makes the whole experience better for guests while keeping the important amenities. Pricing strategies and high-quality services must be used together to make customers as happy as possible. The poll also shows that guests have different tastes, which makes it even more important to be honest about how much the service costs. Here are some suggestions for hotel management: come up with a thorough plan for prices and facilities; use qualitative research to make services more relevant; and keep up with new changes in areas like technology and sustainability. This study is important for the hotel industry because it could help shape future strategies to make customers happier and keep them loyal to the brand.

Keywords- Guest satisfaction,, perception of room pricing, integration of pricing facilities

INTRODUCTION

Because the hotel business is all about the customer, how happy the guests are is a big part of how well the business does overall. From this point of view, it looks like the prices of the rooms and the extras that are provided to guests have a big effect on their total experience. There are a lot of quantitative studies that look at the link between these factors and how happy tourists are, but not nearly as many qualitative studies that go deeper into guests' feelings and thoughts (Domanski, 2020). As the hospitality business says, one important way to judge a hotel's success and reputation is by how happy its guests are (Bharwani, 2019). This is why the amount of satisfaction is stressed as being very important. The entire guest experience is looked at, from making the reservation to interacting with staff, as well as the level of the facilities and services provided. Adhistyo et al. (2021) say that when visitors are very happy, they often leave great reviews, come back, and spread the word through word of mouth. If you want your tourism business to grow and last, all of these traits are very helpful. Several things affect a guest's general happiness with a hotel: how clean and comfortable the room is, how easy it is to get services, how responsive and friendly the staff is, and how much they think they are getting for their money. Making customer satisfaction a top priority helps hotels figure out what needs work and do it. This means that hotels may change what they have to offer to better meet the wants of their guests. The proactive approach not only makes the guests' stay better, but it also makes them more loyal, which means they'll be more likely to come back and tell their friends about the hotel, which is good for its long-term success. (Mehta 2023).

The price of rooms is frequently seen to be one of the most complicated and multi-faceted parts of the hospitality sector. It is not just the real cost of the hotel but also the value the tourist perceives that they are receiving for the money that they are paying (Chica-Olmo, 2020). Visitors frequently judge their happiness with the quality and range of services they receive based on whether or not their spending aligns with their expectations. This is because the services clients get are expected to be a lot. A guest’s sense of value for money is important to consider when determining whether or not they are satisfied with the experience (Fadly, 2019). The dynamics of room pricing can be vulnerable to major fluctuations depending on a variety of factors such as the hotel’s location, the season, and the degree of competition present in the market. For example, a hotel that is located in a prominent location may be able to demand higher prices during the peak season, but consumers will believe that the amenities and services will be equivalent with the premium cost imposed by the hotel. Similarly, in places with many of hotel choices, competitive pricing is a must. One of the most essential things for hotel owners is to be well aware of how visitors feel about the cost of rooms and how they feel about the fairness of pricing (Gao, 2021). It gives businesses the chance to refine their pricing strategies to align them more closely to the expectations of their visitors.
Therefore, this may cause an increase in the overall enjoyment of the visitors, which may lead to a return business and favorable evaluations. If hotels can find out how customers perceived their rooms’ prices, they may formulate better pricing strategies to promote customer satisfaction and loyalty (Adiningtyas, 2024).

This will enable hoteliers to develop better pricing strategies. The experiences that customers have during their stay at hotels are significantly influenced by the facilities they offer. These facilities include not just the basic aspects such as comfy mattresses and clean bathrooms but also the more expensive offerings such as spa treatments, superb meals and individualized help from the concierge (Baquero, 2023). The quality, accessibility and distinctiveness of these amenities are highly correlated to the consumers’ impression of value and happiness they get. Basic needs are met by fundamental facilities and form the basis of a pleasant visit, while rich decorations add value and create memories that last a lifetime (Dafillin & Wijoyo, 2024). This method goes beyond quantitative research, showing the key aspects that impact the decisions visitors make and the levels of enjoyment they feel. Some visitors will want a comprehensive exercise facility to keep up with their training regimens, while others might value a relaxing lounge space more for leisure activities. Cultural variations also contribute to the determination of whether amenities are considered of major value. The hotels can employ qualitative research to customize their services to satisfy the varying needs and preferences of their customers to enhance their happiness and loyalty (Huang, 2019). When hotel operators understand this information well, they can dedicate their resources and sell the facilities that matter most to their target consumer. This allows guests to have a more tailored and fulfilling experience when staying at the hotel. In conclusion, with the help of qualitative insights it is possible to reach higher levels of guest enjoyment, positive evaluations and a rise in repeat business through the planned upgrade of hotel facilities. This is possible

In the notoriously competitive hospitality industry, a hotel’s success hinges on the amount of client pleasure it can achieve. Many quantitative studies have been conducted to determine the link between room pricing, facilities and guests’ levels of pleasure; however, we know little about the qualitative attributes related to this relationship. Sometimes, quantitative data is not always able to give enough levels of information to grasp the unique experiences and opinions of visitors. In contrast, quantitative data may illustrate general trends and relationships. A difficulty for hotel marketers and management is the lack of detailed qualitative data. Their focus is on improving their pricing techniques and facilities to better meet the wants and expectations of their clientele. If hotels don’t really understand how consumers interpret and are influenced by room price and services, they may find it difficult to make improvements that really matter to customers.
Other factors, such as personal preferences, cultural differences, and unique experiences, also play a big role in determining how satisfied tourists are.

Guests do not think about the price of the accommodation and its facilities in isolation, but as part of the entire image they acquire of their stay. More study is needed to understand the multiple ways in which these elements interact with each other to affect levels of visitor satisfaction. This research is an attempt to fill an urgent demand and explore the qualitative elements of the influence of hotel pricing and facilities on visitors’ levels of satisfaction. It is hoped that at the end of this research, hotels will have the knowledge that they need to improve the enjoyment and memorability of their visitors’ stay and that this will lead to an increase in their customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth advertising. The purpose of this study is to acquire a comprehensive understanding of how hotel clients evaluate the value of the rooms they book and the quality of the services they receive, by using qualitative research methodologies. The purpose of the study is to determine the main factors that influence visitor enjoyment or dissatisfaction through in-depth interviews and focus groups. This approach allows hotels to better understand the specific likes of their visitors and provides them with useful information to enhance their price and service offers. Finally, our study contributes to the emerging debate on how to increase consumer happiness in the hyper-competitive hotel industry.

METHODOLOGY

The use of in-depth interviews is one of the most essential qualitative tools that can be used to investigate the experiences and opinions of visitors in more detail. Individual interviews with hotel guests are carried out as a component of this approach. The purpose of these interviews is to get comprehensive information on the customers' viewpoints on the cost of rooms and the services that are provided by the hotel. Semi-structured interviews are used by researchers so they may ask open-ended questions and allow participants to speak freely about their own experiences and perspectives. The study may be adapted to individual tastes, offering a fuller understanding of how customers perceive the fairness of hotel prices and how varied facilities affect their pleasure. The data is then analyzed using thematic analysis to identify reoccurring themes and patterns once the interview transcripts have been transcribed. This approach provides in-depth, contextual data that can uncover the underlying reasons for guest satisfaction or dissatisfaction, furnishing hotel management with vital information for improving their pricing strategies and facilities offers. (Creswell, 2023).

The insights may be used to enhance the price and service strategies of the hotel. The use of focus groups may provide a collective awareness of the level of enjoyment experienced by visitors. This technique is when a few people have led discussions regarding their experiences with hotel room rates and facilities. The focus group sessions are interactive and the participation of focus groups allows for the creation of group dynamics and group opinions. The focus group format provides an opportunity for open conversation among participants and a structured discussion guide ensures that all relevant topics are covered. Participants can build on each other’s comments, which leads to a more full picture of the preferences and fears shared by all participants. This method is beneficial in the search of tourists with different backgrounds and similar expectations as it shows not only the consensus view but also the contrasting opinions of the majority of visitors.
The next step is to transcribe the data from the focus group and record it for themes. This approach provides a more complete understanding of how different aspects affect the amount of satisfaction visitors experience. This collective vision is in support of the individual insights gathered from the interviews which in turn contributes to a holistic picture of the needs of visitors.

The qualitative data used to compliment the quantitative data is from a combination of observation and case studies . These approaches are based on specific hotel events and visitor behavior in real time. The observational strategy is systematic and uses various locations such as dining rooms, check-in desks etc. to record guests’ interactions with the hotel’s services and their responses to the room prices. This technology allows to capture the genuine behavior and involvement of visitors without compromising the quality of experience, providing practical knowledge about how guests use and respond to facilities. Case studies need detailed research of a range of hotels.
The motivation of this research is to find out how the pricing strategies and the amenities of different hotels impact the satisfaction level of their clients. In-depth interviews, analysis of guest feedback and protocol-based monitoring of operations enable researchers to identify effective approaches and improvement chances in these hotels. Documents analysis, including online reviews and visitor feedback forms, helps extend this knowledge. These publications provide different views on the degrees of happiness. Different methodologies combined can provide a more full picture of the hotel guest’s experiences and find behaviors that consistently lead to greater levels of satisfaction across different types of hotels.

RESULT

Perceptions of Room Pricing

There is a considerable correlation between the price of a room and the amount of pleasure that visitors feel, with the notion of obtaining excellent value for the money being a crucial influence. This was shown by the qualitative study that was conducted. It was more probable that guests would report being content with their stay if they believed that the payment was both transparent and commensurate to the quality of services and facilities that were offered. Conversely, visitors who perceived the price to be high or not adequate to the quality of the services provided, showed lower levels of satisfaction with the total experience. Interviewees and focus group members emphasized the necessity to preserve price parity; visitors like knowing precisely what they are paying for and any additional services or amenities. The findings revealed that customers were more inclined to write positive reviews and express higher satisfaction when they saw the prices as fair in relation to the originality and quality of the amenities supplied. But, any discrepancy between the quality of the experience and the price caused dissatisfaction. No matter how high the price was, or how inexpensive, this was true. Hotels thus need to make sure that their pricing strategies are totally in tune with what their consumers want and the value they think they are getting. The Importance of Hotel Amenities.

The study underlined the importance of the hotel facilities in determining the level of happiness of the clients. The guests were very happy with the quality and cleanliness of the amenities and said that was the most significant part of their visit. High satisfaction levels were commonly reported with the inclusion of luxuries such as spa facilities, fine dining and personal concierge services.

These aspects were important, but they were also included in the package. The results of an analysis of data gathered from focus groups and observations revealed that visitors who were supplied with facilities that were reserved exclusively for them and were kept in good condition reported having more amazing and satisfying experiences. The visitors, on the other hand, displayed a broad variety of preferences with regard to certain facilities. The pursuit of lavish and sumptuous experiences was actively sought by some people, while others placed an emphasis on experiencing essential comfort and pleasure. This version places an emphasis on the need of understanding the preferences of visitors and tailoring the choices that are available at the facility to meet a diverse range of requirements.

Integration of Pricing and Facilities

Because of the combination of the price of the accommodation and the quality of the facility, there has been a considerable rise in the number of visitors who are more than happy with their stay. In order to achieve higher levels of client satisfaction, hotels that were able to effectively combine low prices with high-quality amenities were shown to be more successful. The results of case studies and document analysis suggested that the tourists appreciated hotels with a compelling value proposition. this meant that the charges were proportionate with the type and level of facilities provided. The poll found that the businesses that excelled were those who successfully connected their pricing strategy with the actual experience visitors had at their facilities. This aimed to make people feel it was money well spent. Customers were often angry when they felt there was a mismatch between the quality of a facility and the amount they were being charged. This pairing produced more happy visitors and favorable feedback. The study suggests that hotels should balance low rates with excellent services to improve client contentment.

CONCLUSION

The main point of the study is to show that there is a strong link between the price of a hotel room and the level of care that guests receive. One place where this link is important is when measuring how satisfied a customer is. The next part of the statement says that tourists' opinions on the facilities' quality and how much they cost are important factors that have a big effect on how satisfied they are with the experience as a whole. Most of the time, guests are happier with their stays at hotels whose prices are fair for the services they provide. Companies that run hotels want to make their customers happier, so they need to come up with a plan that combines low prices with well-kept, high-quality services. In this way, they will be able to reach their goal of making people happy. It's possible that qualitative research could help us understand and meet the different interests of guests, which could lead to better facility offerings and price plans. You can also help guests manage their expectations in a healthy way by being clear and accurate about what is included in the cost of lodging. More study is also needed to find out how new themes, like sustainability and technology progress, affect how visitors feel and how happy they are. In the very competitive hotel business, hotels can make their guests' stays better and keep them coming back. This could be done by keeping an eye on these factors all the time and changing how they do things as needed.

Refereces

1. Aakash, a. (2022). Assessment of hotel performance and guest satisfaction through ewom: big data for better insights. International journal of hospitality and tourism administration, 23(2), 317–346. Adhistyo, t., hardiani, w., & ... (2021). Effect of e-service quality and online review on guest satisfaction at virtual hotel operator in the city of semarang. Kontigensi: jurnal ilmiah …, query date: 2024-02-11 19:46:56.

2. Adiningtyas, h. (2024). Analysis of customer satisfaction levels in five-star hotels based on online customer reviews. 2024 2nd international conference on software engineering and information technology, icoseit 2024, query date: 2024-07-26 20:44:48, 167–174. Https://doi.org/10.1109/icoseit60086.2024.10497518

3. Alrawadieh, z. (2019). Determinants of hotel guests’ satisfaction from the perspective of online hotel reviewers. International journal of culture, tourism, and hospitality research, 13(1), 84–97.

4. Alrawadieh, z., & law, r. (2019). Baquero, a. (2023). Is customer satisfaction achieved only with good hotel facilities? A moderated mediation model.

5. Administrative sciences, 13(4). International Journal of Economics, Business Management and Accounting (IJEBMA) Vol.6, No.2, 2024: 131-142 141

6. Bharwani, s. (2019). Business model innovation in the indian hospitality industry: a study of the willingness to outsource specialty restaurants in luxury hotels. Worldwide hospitality and tourism themes, 11(4), 362–377.

7. Chica-olmo, j. (2020). Effect of monumental heritage sites on hotel room pricing. International journal of hospitality management, 90(query date: 2024-07-26 20:43:56).

8. Creswell, j. W. (2023). Research design-qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approach. Sage publications.

9. Dafillin, m., & wijoyo, t. (2024). Elevating guest experience: enhancing order taker services at the sunan hotel. Journal of international …, query date: 2024-07-22 21:03:47.

10. Domanski, m. (2020). The concept of a smart hotel and its impact on guests’ satisfaction, privacy and the perception of the service quality.

11. Divaportal.org. Ervina, e., taufiq, r., & masatip, a. (2021). Guest satisfaction on star hotel preparedness in new normal era of covid-19. Apmba (asia pacific management …, query date: 2024-07-22 21:03:47.

12. Herrera, y. A. (2022). How to overcome maintenance issues complaints in a hotel and obtain guest satisfaction. Repositorio.unicartagena.edu.co.

13. Huang, y. C. (2019). Customer experience, well-being, and loyalty in the spa hotel context: integrating the top-down & bottom-up theories of well-being. Journal of travel and tourism marketing, 36(5), 595–611. Hussain, s. (2019). Guest satisfaction: a comparative study of hotel employees’ and guests’ perceptions. International journal of hospitality and tourism systems, 12(1), 83–93.

14. Hutabarat, d. P. (2023). Smart system for controlling and monitoring electronic facilities in budget hotel rooms. Indonesian journal of electrical engineering and computer science, 30(2), 770–777.

15. Subakti, a. G. (2020). The impact of consumer perceptions to technology-based facilities at bobobox capsule hotel, jakarta. Proceedings of 2020 international conference on information management and technology, icimtech 2020, query date: 2024-07-26 20:44:48, 233–237. Https://doi.org/10.1109/icimtech50083.2020.9211196

16. Tyas, d., & supriyanto, a. (2022). Keputusan konsumen dalam memilih hotel syariah: ditinjau dari halal lifestyle, muslim friendly facilities, dan knowledge. …, query date: 2024-02-13 20:49:41.

17. Vinod, b. (2019). Hotel retailing with attribute-based room pricing and inventory control. Journal of revenue and pricing management, 18(6), 429–433.

18. T. (2022). Guest online review: an extraordinary focus on hotel users’ satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty. Journal of quality assurance in hospitality and tourism, 23(4), 913–944.