CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AS AN INDICATOR OF SERVICE QUALITY IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY

One of the greatest challenges for stakeholders is to ensure customer satisfaction, especially in service industries such as tourism and hospitality. The aim of this paper is to show that restaurant guest satisfaction depends on numerous factors as well as to show the connection between satisfaction and loyalty. Customer satisfaction and loyalty are excellent indicators of service quality. For the purpose of this paper, empirical survey was conducted and the results of the research were analyzed by statistical method. Factors which affect customer satisfaction are: kind staff, professionalism, speed of service, food quality, ambience and comfort. This implicates a special need for the introduction of strong Human Resource Management, food safety standards (e.g. HACCP) and effective space planning. The study implies that the care for quality of products and services is necessary at all levels and that it is impossible to ensure the customer satisfaction or create customer loyalty without strong management system (including space projecting) and without controlling it.