Measuring service quality in Macau luxury hotels using the QFD method: a case study

Abstract

With the vigorous development of its gaming industry, Macau has become a very popular tourist destination and many well-known brands in the hospitality industry have entered this highly competitive market. In order to improve service quality and maximise customer satisfaction, it is critical for hotels in this region to clearly understand the true needs of their customers. This study applied the quality function deployment (QFD) method to empirical data collected from 280 Macau customers at three hotels, four Macau hospitality managers, and one academic expert. The resulting customer requirement weights and improvement priorities can be used by hotel administrators to assess their current service offerings and to make adjustments as needed to achieve service quality assurance. Further, the study shows how the QFD method, with some modifications, can be applied more generally by tourism and economic development agencies in creating programs which support improvement priorities across an entire region.