Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 19 ANALYSIS OF GUEST SERVICE ASSISTANT SERVICE QUALITY FOR GUESTS’ SATISFACTION AT THE ONE LEGIAN HOTEL I Nyoman Esa Arimbawa 1 , I Gusti Agung Bagus Mataram 2 , I Ketut Budarma 3 1,2,3 Tourism Department, Bali State Polytechnic Email: esa.arimbawa@gmail.com 1 ABSTRACT This research examines the role of the Guest Service Assistant known as receptionist, as one of the most important service agents of The ONE Legian Hotel. The purpose of this research is to analyze if there is a negative gap between the guests’ perception and expectation to the Guest Service Assistant service quality of The ONE Legian Hotel. The total of samples involved is 120 respondents by incidental sampling method. The data collection method is questionnaire which has been tested its validity and reliability, and using Likert scale. Data analysis technique used is the SERVQUAL Method. The overall research findings show that there is no negative gap between the guests’ perception and expectation which means that the overall guest perceives the service quality of the receptionist at The ONE Legian Hotel positively. However, dimension-by-dimension analysis found that the Guest Service Assistant of The ONE Legian Hotel could improve more its performance especially for the reliability service quality dimension for maximizing the guests’ satisfaction. Key Words: Service quality, SERVQUAL Method, guests’ satisfaction, receptionist INTRODUCTION Front Office, as one of the most important departments at The ONE Legian Hotel consists of some sections. Every section has its own tasks and responsibilities, and every service delivered to the guests is always aimed to get the guest’s satisfaction. One of the sections that has an important role in delivering service is the Guest Service Assistant (GSA) or known as the receptionist. Guests’ satisfaction is the priority of most hospitality industry, as well as for The ONE Legian Hotel. In order to achieve one of the goals of The ONE Legian, it has to provide excellent services as the guests’ satisfaction is becoming the priority of the hotel. However, there are still unsatisfied guests to some points of the hotel related to its service quality of receptionists or the Guest Service Assistant (GSA). As an example, according to the online guests’ review to The ONE Legian Hotel, some guests perceived that the check in time was long and some people perceived that the reception staffs are not friendly. Referring to the problems and the importance of the study, then it is important to conduct a research related to the analysis of Guest Service Assistant service Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 20 quality for guests’ satisfaction at The ONE Legian Hotel. This study is aimed to know if there is a negative gap between guests’ perception and guests’ expectation to the Guest Service Assistant service quality at The ONE Legian Hotel in which the results of the study can be a positive input for the company to enhance its service quality. According to Booms and Bateson (1992: 509) as cited in Budi (2013: 48), service quality is a measure of how well the service level delivered matches customer expectations. Service quality has been considered as a superior construct and the determinant factor for customer satisfaction (Gotlieb et al., 1994, as cited in Namin, 2017: 71). Perera and Vlosky (2013) as cited in Ismail (2016: 400) indicated that service quality is an important antecedent of tourist satisfaction. The most often instrument used for measuring perceived quality of service in the marketing literature is from SERVQUAL (Parasuraman et al., 1988, as cited in Omar et al., 2016: 386). It consists of five service dimensions which are tangibles (physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel), reliability (ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately), responsiveness (willingness to help customers and provide prompt service), assurance (knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence) and empathy (caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers).The SERVQUAL model, also known as the Gap Analysis Model, is closely related to the customer satisfaction model based on the approach/model of disconfirmation (Oliver, 1997, as cited in Tjiptono and Chandra, 2016: 149). This approach/model asserts that when the performance of an attribute increases or more than the expectations of the attribute, then the perception of service quality will be positive and vice versa (in Tjiptono and Chandra, 2016: 149). According to Kotler (2004:40) as cited in Putra and Yasa (2015: 92), satisfaction is a person’s feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance in relation to his or her expectation. Customer satisfaction research is based on three main theories: contrast theory, assimilation theory, and assimilation-contrast theory (Chiou, 1999, as cited in Tjiptono and Chandra, 2016: 205). Contrast theory assumes that consumers will compare actual product performance with pre-purchase expectations. If the actual performance is greater than or equal to expectations, then the customer will be satisfied. Conversely, if the actual performance is lower than expectations, then consumers will be dissatisfied. Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 21 METHODOLOGY The location of this research is at The ONE Legian Hotel, Bali. The object of this research is the research variable related to the GSA service quality of The ONE Legian Hotel. It is the Service Quality dimension which consists of tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy (Parasuraman et al., 1988) as cited in Omar et al., (2016: 386).On this research, to measure the GSA service quality, then the guest expectation and the guest perception will be asked on the questionnaire. This research uses qualitative data and quantitative data. The sources of data in this research are primary data which is obtained from questionnaire using the Likert Scale, ranging from 1 (for very low expectation and very low good perception) to 5 (for very high expectation and very high good perception), and secondary data which is obtained from the internet (online guests’ review for The ONE Legian Hotel). The population on this research is the guests who have stayed at The ONE Legian Hotel. The method of sampling applied on this research is incidental sampling. According to Sugiyono (2015: 156) incidental sampling is taking respondents as a sample by chance, it is anyone who by chance met with the researcher can be used as a sample if the person who happens to be found suitable as a data source. In the determination of the number of samples, this research will use the theory of Malhotra (2005: 30) as cited in Christiawan (2017: 34) that suggested the number of respondents is at least 4 or 5 times the number of indicators used in the study. Thus, the number of respondent that will be asked to conduct in this study is 5 x 24 indicators = 120 respondents. The respondents are only the guests who have stayed at The ONE Legian and have experienced the service quality indicators mentioned on the questionnaire. This research deploys some kinds of data analysis technique used. The instrument (questionnaire) validity and reliability test are conducted by involving the first 30 respondents. After finding its validity and reliability, more questionnaires will be distributed. The data collected from the questionnaire will be analyzed using SERVQUAL method. According to Zeithaml, et al., (1990) as cited in Tjiptono and Chandra (2016: 159), the SERVQUAL method analyzes gap between 2 variables, it is the expected service and perceived service, and the SERVQUAL score can be calculated using bellow formula: SERVQUAL Score = Perception Score – Expectation Score Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 22 The SERVQUAL model is based on the assumption that consumers compare service performance on relevant attributes with ideal / perfect standards for each service attribute. When performance matches or exceeds standards, then the perception of overall service quality will be positive and vice versa (in Tjiptono and Chandra, 2016: 159). In principle, the data obtained through the SERVQUAL instrument can be used to calculate the service quality gap scores at various levels in detail: Item-by-item analysis; Dimension-by-dimension analysis, and; Single measurement calculation or the SERVQUAL gap (in Tjiptono and Chandra, 2016: 159). Consumers compare perceived services with expected services. Consumers will be disappointed if the perceived service is below the expected service, and vice versa (in Putra and Yasa, 2015: 92). FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Instrument’s Validity and Reliability The instrument’s validity and reliability are tested using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 21.00. The data analysis shows that the value of r-count of all the 24 items of the instruments (both for “Expectation” and “Perception” instrument) is >0.361 (the r-table value for a minimum 30 respondents) which means the instrument is valid (Ghozali, 2005: 45) as cited in Anugraha (2015: 28). The Cronbach’s Alpha is 0.953 (for the “Expectation” instrument), and 0.957 (for the “Perception” instrument) which means the instrument is reliable as the value of Cronbach’s Alpha is higher than 0.600 (Malhotra, 2006: 274) as cited in in Anugraha (2015: 28). Respondent’s Profile Most of the respondents are male (56.67%). Most of the respondents are aged from 20-30 years old (63.33%) as this hotel is designed for young people (according to the Sales and Marketing Department of The ONE Legian Hotel, 2018). Most of the respondents (75%) are businessman/woman and employee. Most of the respondents (69.17%) know The ONE Legian Hotel from media and travel agent, both online and offline travel agent, meanwhile 27.5% of them know the hotel from relative’s recommendation. Most of the respondents booked the rooms through online travel agent (80.83%), only 10% of them made their booking directly to the hotel. Most of the respondents stay for 2 until 4 nights (47.50%) and with holiday purpose (92.5%). Half of the respondents were coming to Bali for the first time. Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 23 Twenty percent of the respondents are the repeater guests of The ONE Legian Hotel. Most of the respondents are Australians (26.27%) and Indonesians (24.17%) as the hotel is dominated by Australian and Indonesian guests (Sales and Marketing Department of The ONE Legian Hotel, 2018). Guest Service Assistant Service Quality Findings The 120 respondents were asked about their expectation and perception for each indicator. The average score for each indicator on its 5 dimensions both for “Expectation” and “Perception” is calculated to know if there is a negative gap. The negative gap means that the perception score is lower than the expectation score. According to the theory, if the actual performance is lower than expectations, then consumers will be dissatisfied. There are the analyses of the GSA service quality of The ONE Legian Hotel based on the service quality dimensions: Tangible The tangible dimension on this research consists of 4 indicators. The perception and expectation average score for the readiness of the receptionist with all material and equipment (pen, registration form, computer, etc.) before serving the guest is 4.46 and 4.49 which result a negative gap (-0.03). The perception and expectation average score for the facilities of the front desk is 4.46 and 4.49 which also result a negative gap (-0.03). The perception and expectation average score for the physical condition of the reception area is 4.54 and 4.42 which result a positive gap (0.12). And, the perception and expectation average score for the receptionist’s grooming is 4.54 and 4.37 which result a positive gap (0.17). Reliability The reliability dimension on this research consists of 6 indicators. The perception and expectation average score for the ability of the receptionist to perform quick and proper check in services is 4.44 and 4.50 which result a negative gap (-0.06). The perception and expectation average score for the ability of the receptionist to perform promised services on time is 4.34 and 4.52 which result a negative gap (-0.18). The perception and expectation average score for the ability of the receptionist to provide accurate information is 4.49 and 4.50 which result a negative gap (-0.01). The perception and expectation average score for the ability of the receptionist to answer and handle guest call quickly and properly is 4.50 and 4.53 which result a negative gap (-0.03). The perception and expectation average score for the ability of the receptionist to solve problem and complaint quickly and Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 24 properly is 4.39 and 4.50 which result a negative gap (-0.11). And, the perception and expectation average score for the ability of the receptionist to perform quick and proper check out services is 4.64 and 4.53 which result a positive gap (0.11). Responsiveness The responsiveness dimension on this research consists of 4 indicators. The perception and expectation average score for the willingness and initiative of the receptionist to help the guest is 4.57 and 4.51 which result a positive gap (0.06). The perception and expectation average score for the exact information from the receptionist about when the service will be provided is 4.52 and 4.48 which result a positive gap (0.04). The perception and expectation average score for the responsiveness and quickness of the receptionist in providing service is 4.53 and 4.49 which result a positive gap (0.04). And, the perception and expectation average score for the attentiveness and promptness of the receptionist in dealing with guest requests is 4.50 and 4.54 which result a negative gap (-0.04). Assurance The assurance dimension on this research consists of 6 indicators. The perception and expectation average score for the knowledge and skill of the receptionist in dealing with guest inquiries is 4.53 and 4.50 which result a positive gap (0.03). The perception and expectation average score for the assurance of the receptionist to the guest's safety, security and privacy of stay is 4.56 and 4.51 which result a positive gap (0.05). The perception and expectation average score for the assurance of the receptionist to the security of payment is 4.62 and 4.55 which result a positive gap (0.07). The perception and expectation average score for the trustworthiness of the receptionist is 4.53 and 4.51 which result a positive gap (0.02). The perception and expectation average score for the politeness of the receptionist is 4.63 and 4.55 which result a positive gap (0.08). And, the perception and expectation average score for the clear and understandable communication in good English and/or Indonesian language mastery of the receptionist is 4.58 and 4.50 which result a positive gap (0.08). Empathy The empathy dimension on this research consists of 4 indicators. The perception and expectation average score for the availability and easiness to contact the receptionist is 4.51 and 4.54 which result a negative gap (-0.03). The perception and expectation average score for the receptionist’s personalized attention and Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 25 understanding to the guests’ needs is 4.53 and 4.43 which result a positive gap (0.10). The perception and expectation average score for the friendliness of the receptionist is 4.70 and 4.51 which result a positive gap (0.19). And, the perception and expectation average score for the recognition of the guest name and preference by the receptionist is 4.29 and 4.34 which result a negative gap (-0.05). SERVQUAL Summary The total 24 indicators on this research are calculated with the SERVQUAL method. The following table shows the SERVQUAL analysis summary: Table 1 SERVQUAL Analysis Summary Service Quality Dimensions P E SERVQUAL Score Tangible 4.50 4.44 0.06 Reliability 4.47 4.51 -0.04 Responsiveness 4.53 4.50 0.03 Assurance 4.57 4.50 0.07 Empathy 4.51 4.46 0.05 SERVQUAL gap 4.52 4.49 0.03 Source: Primary Data Analysis (2018) Note: P = Perception average score; E = Expectation average score Guest Service Assistant Service Quality Discussion The average perception score for tangible dimension is 4.50. It has met the guests’ expectation as the average perception score has exceeded the average expectation score which is 4.44 and result a positive gap (0.06). The overall guest perceives the tangible dimension positively and it can be assumed that the service quality for tangible dimension is satisfactory. Tangible is The ONE Legian Hotel’s Guest Service Assistant service quality dimension with the lowest expectation score. The average perception score for reliability dimension is 4.47. It hasn’t met the guests’ expectation as the average expectation score is 4.51 and resulted a negative gap (-0.04).The overall guest perceives the reliability dimension negatively and it can be assumed that the service quality for reliability dimension is less satisfactory. The ability of the receptionist to perform promised services on time is the indicator with the highest negative gap of all the 24 indicators. Reliability is the Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 26 most expected service quality dimension by the guests at The ONE Legian Hotel yet it has the lowest perception score and the lowest SERVQUAL score. The average perception score for the responsiveness dimension is 4.53. It has met the guests’ expectation as the average perception score has exceeded the average expectation score which is 4.50 and result a positive gap (0.03). The overall guest perceives the responsiveness dimension positively and it can be assumed that the service quality for the responsiveness dimension is satisfactory. The data analysis found that all indicators of the assurance dimension have met and exceeded the guests’ expectation. The average perception score for the assurance dimension is 4.57 and its average expectation score is 4.50, result a positive gap (0.07). The overall guest perceives the assurance dimension positively and it can be assumed that the service quality for assurance dimension is satisfactory. Assurance is The ONE Legian Hotel’s Guest Service Assistant service quality dimension with the highest perception, and also result the highest SERVQUAL score. The average perception score for empathy dimension is 4.51. It has met the guests’ expectation as the average perception score has exceeded the average expectation score which is 4.46 and result a positive gap (0.05). The overall guest perceives the empathy dimension positively and it can be assumed that the service quality for the empathy dimension is satisfactory. The friendliness of the receptionist is the indicator with the highest positive gap of all the 24 indicators. The data analysis found that the overall perception average score is 4.52 and the overall expectation average score that is 4.49. It results a positive gap as the SERVQUAL gap is 0.03. Thus, the overall customer perceives The ONE Legian Hotel’s Guest Service Assistant service quality positively (in Tjiptono, 2012: 228). The guest has satisfied as the overall perception score is higher than the expectation score (in Kanca and Wijaya, 2016: 46). CONLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS Referring to the result of the data analysis, it can be concluded that overall customer perceives the Guest Service Assistant service quality of The ONE Legian Hotel positively and it has met the guests’ expectation which means that the service quality is satisfactory. The indicator with the highest SERVQUAL score is the friendliness of the receptionist (on the empathy dimension) meanwhile the indicator Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 27 with the lowest SERVQUAL score is the ability of the receptionist to perform the promised service on time (on the reliability dimension). Dimension-by-dimension analysis found a negative gap on reliability dimension which means that the overall customer perceives the reliability dimension of The ONE Legian Hotel’s Guest Service Assistant service quality slightly negative. Item-by-item analysis found a negative gap on some items or indicators of the research, they are: The readiness of the receptionist with all material and equipment (pen, registration form, computer, etc.) before serving the guest; The facilities of the front desk; The ability of the receptionist to perform quick and proper check in services; The ability of the receptionist to perform promised services on time; The ability of the receptionist to provide accurate information; The ability of the receptionist to answer and handle guest call quickly and properly; The ability of the receptionist to solve problem and complaint quickly and properly; The attentiveness and promptness of the receptionist in dealing with guest requests, The availability and easiness to contact the receptionist, and; The recognition of the guest name and preference by the receptionist. In order to maximize the guests’ satisfaction, it is suggested for The ONE Legian Hotel to concentrate and prioritize on these indicators and improve the performance of the Guest Service Assistant and its service quality by conducting more training. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anugraha, A. D. (2015). The Effect of Rewards to Employees’ Job Satisfaction in Grand Mirage Resort and Thalasso Bali. Bali: Tourism Department, Bali State Polytechnic Budi, A. P. (2013). Manajemen Marketing Perhotelan. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Andi Christiawan, H. (2017). The Influence of Housekeeping Department Service Quality to Guest Satisfaction in Swiss-Belhotel Tuban. Bali: Tourism Department, Bali State Polytechnic Ismail, M. N. I., Hanafiah, M. H., Aminuddin, N. and Mustafa, N. (2016). Community- based Homestay Service Quality, Visitor Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intention. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 222, Pages 398-405, ISSN 1877-0428,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.192. (Downloaded on 10 November 2017 from http://www.sciencedirect.com /science/article/ pii/S1877042816302671) Kanca, I. N. and Wijaya, I. N. (2016). Persepsi Wisatawan Terhadap Kualitas Pelayanan Kantor Depan Di Ibis Style Bali Kuta Circle. Media Bina Ilmiah, ISSN No. 1978-3787, Volume 10, No. 10, Oktober 2016. Bali: Tourism Department, Bali State Polytechnic. Namin, A. (2017). Revisiting customers' perception of service quality in fast food restaurants. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Volume 34, 2017, Pages 70-81, ISSN 0969-6989, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.09. Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality Volume 2, Number 1, March 2019 28 008. (Downloaded on 11 October 2017 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/S0969698916302430) Nugraha, I. W. A. (2016). Implementation of Customer Relationship Marketing at Grand Mirage Resort and Thalasso Bali. Bali: Tourism Department, Bali State Polytechnic. Omar, M. S., Ariffin. H. F., and Ahmad, R. (2016). Service Quality, Customers’ Satisfaction and the Moderating Effects of Gender: A Study of Arabic Restaurants. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 224, 2016, Pages 384-392, ISSN 1877-0428, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05. 393. (Downloaded on 11 October 2017 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/S1877042816304748) Putra, I. K. M. and Yasa, N. K.. (2015). Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan Terhadap Kepuasan Mahasiswa, Citra, dan Positive Word of Mouth Politeknik Negeri Bali. Jurnal Bisnis Dan Kewirausahaan, Vol 11 No. 1 Maret 2015. Bali: Business Administration Department, Bali State Polytechnic Sambodo, A. and Bagyono. (2006). Dasar-dasar Kantor Depan Hotel. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Andi Sugiyono. (2015). Metode Penelitian Manajemen. Bandung: CV. ALFABETA. Sunarsa, I. W. (2015). Persepsi Wisatawan Terhadap Pelayanan Hotel Melati di Kawasan Wisata Sanur. Bali: Bali Tourism Institute Suparthiwi, N. N. (2015). Analisis Kualitas Pelayanan Food and Beverage untuk In- House Guest Pada Karma Kandara Resort. Bali: Tourism Department, Bali State Polytechnic Tjiptono, F. (2012). Service Management Mewujudkan Layanan Prima. 2nd ed. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Andi Tjiptono, F. and Chandra, G. (2016). Service, Quality dan Satisfaction. 4th ed. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Andi