Expectations and Perceptions
“ We want hotels that really reflect their official classification . We expect that the standards reached not only meet the legal requirements but , where possible , exceed them . If , for example , a tourist is booking accommodation in a 4-star hotel , then he is coming with a set of expectations His actual experience should match these expectations and at a minimum be of a 4-star level .
Some 3 star hotels are giving 5 star services . They are indeed being rated at the very top . And the Directorate is always delighted to note that we are increasingly seeing how many go out of their way to ensure that they garner customer loyalty ,” he added . “ We cannot assess quality . It is the guest who does that . Perhaps the time will come when classification will be linked to customer ’ s rankings as they do on the influential travel websites such as Review Pro , Booking . com and TripAdvisor .”
Andre explained about an interesting academic study called Servqual which compares hotel clients ’ expectations to perceptions , and said that through it one can clearly see when a hotel is meeting the client ’ s expectations or not . Even little things such as matters of staff grooming , flower arrangements , portraits and paintings , we expect that the standards must be superior to the legal obligations
carpets , corridors , knowledge on how to set a bed , reporting faults , adorning bathroom items ( towels , toilet paper , etc ) come into the equation that make up the eventual , lasting result of a customer ’ s assessment of quality .
How does it all work in reality ?
Quality assessment is ultimately the guest ’ s prerogative .
Let ’ s say you wish to start up a tourism project . Your first port of call should be the MTA ’ s Product Development Directorate or Licensing Administration Unit , as the case may be . Here you will be advised of all your requirements and of all the help you can get from the relevant authorities .
The Enforcement Directorate assists and advises tourism stakeholders on legal aspects and the operation of the tourism establishment . Prior to issuing a licence , the Enforcement directorate inspects the premises to ensure that this is compliant with the criteria required by law . “ So when someone wants to open a guest house , restaurant or what
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SEPTEMBER | 2017
HOSPITALITY MALTA