Abstract
Guest houses operate in a highly competitive arena and aim to satisfy the customer needs and to differentiate their product from the ones of competitors. In order for these establishments to provide a product which satisfies the patrons, guest house owners have to know everything they can about the customers – what they want, what they think, how they make decisions, what influences their decisions. To gain a better understanding of these influences on customers’ satisfaction, the study included information collected by primary and secondary data. The secondary data provided literature on the notion and significance of customer satisfaction, analysed the guest house product, customer behaviour and service quality. It also provided guidelines on the type of primary data that had to be acquired. The primary data was obtained in the form of questionnaires completed by 65 managers and 169 customers of guest houses in the province. The questionnaires were distributed during December 2004 and February to May 2005. The findings indicated that the factors that contribute to customers’ satisfaction in guest houses in Gauteng Province are: the warm and friendly hospitality of the host and staff; the friendly environment; the feeling of being home away from home; the neatness, comfort and hygiene; the great service; walking the extra mile to meet the customer needs; attention to detail; complete package; value for money and best security. In other words it is the personalised service offered at the guest houses that customers choose over other types of available accommodation.
Dr. N. C. Bresler
Prof. J. Spowart