A STUDY ON THE DETERMINANTS OF THE SERVICE QUALITY OF QUARANTINE HOTELS ON THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, SRI LANKA

Abstract

1. Introduction During the COVID-19 situation in 2020, the hotels were converted to quarantine centers, which was a major transformation and a new experience for the hospitality industry. The purpose of the study is to identify the specific quality attributes related to the quarantine hotel services and to evaluate customer/patient satisfaction. 2. Research Methodology The sample unit was randomly chosen Covid patients who stayed at quarantine centers in star-level hotels as per their employer arrangements in the Western province. The sample size was 384, as per the Morgan table. SERVQUAL model was the base model for developing the survey questionnaire. The collected data was evaluated using SPSS, Factor analysis, Correlation and regression analysis. 3. Findings and Discussion There were five service quality dimensions identified: Medication and patient care, Mental health and food supply, Hotel room arrangements and services, Empathy with patients, and Communication and Personal care as per the factor analysis. Among them, Medication and Patient Care, Mental Health and Food supply, Hotel room arrangements and services and Empathy for patients have shown a positive association with customer satisfaction. Among them, the mental health and food supply had a 34% positive impact on customer satisfaction. 4. Conclusion and Implications The hoteliers can identify a special niche market as medical care need- based guests, and the findings will be useful in designing the service quality attributes for them. “Empathy” and patient care are identified as a specific training area for hotel employees. Customized food and room settings, incorporating new technology such as AI and robotic tools, may improve the guest experience further.