Hotel restaurant experiences - a Taiwanese perspective

Abstract

This thesis examines hotel dining experiences from a Taiwanese perspective. Current conceptualisation and measurement of customer satisfaction and service quality have been generally developed within an American and European context where socio-demographic variables were used to examine both expectations and perceptions. It is argued that in cultures (e.g. Taiwanese) very different from that of the West, the applicability of current models of service quality is questionable. Therefore, this thesis looks at the customer evaluation of hotel dining within a Chinese cultural framework. A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods is utilised to 1) identify characteristics of hotel dining in a hotel complex in Taiwan, 2) determine dimensions of service excellence, 3) analyse perceptual differences between guests, waiting staff and restaurant management, 4) identify factors influencing the evaluation of restaurant services and 5) examine the influence of culture on hotel dining. The contribution of this thesis is the development of the customer satisfaction framework in the Taiwanese hospitality setting. The thesis concludes the evaluation of hotel restaurant experiences is operationalised within Chinese cultural norms. The findings also provide implications for developing service strategies for hospitality practitioners, as well as understanding Taiwanese customers' decision making process.