Abstract
This study is based on the premise that the hospitality industry operates within a highly
competitive business environment and that the creation of customer-perceived value is a business
component that concerns the striving to gain competitive advantage in terms of financial success,
customer satisfaction and loyalty. The aim of the study was to explore the hotel value attributes
perceived as being most important by hotel customers. To achieve the objective, a quantitative study
design was employed, in terms of which data were purposively and conveniently collected by means of
a survey questionnaire that was administered to hotel guests staying in 3- to 5-star hotels. The findings
revealed that hotel customers tend to attach a high degree of importance to the issue of value for money,
whereas the appearance of the hotel was least important to them of the tourism-related characteristics
about which they were asked. Overall, the study found that hotels in Gauteng generally provide service
that is satisfactory to their customers, but that the remaining challenge for hoteliers lies in their ability
to sustain such levels of satisfaction through continuous employee motivation and skills development.