Exploratory Research on the Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction of Chinese Guests Towards Serviced Apartments in Auckland, New Zealand

Date
2021
Authors
Liu, Chao
Supervisor
Harkison, Tracy
Mooney, Shelagh
Item type
Dissertation
Degree name
Master of International Hospitality Management
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

Customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction have always been a topic of academic research, and it has increasingly been paid more attention because it directly affected customer experiences (Lu et al., 2015). Previous studies on customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction have focussed on hotels, resorts and restaurants, with little research conducted on serviced apartments. However, increasingly more Chinese guests are attracted to serviced apartments because it is cheaper in price and the same service compared to the hotel (Zheng & Wang, 2012). This study focusses on serviced apartments in Auckland, New Zealand and uses online reviews to analyse the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of Chinese guests evaluating serviced apartments in Auckland, New Zealand. The interpretivism paradigm was adopted in this study. At the same time, this dissertation used a qualitative research method. In this study, 23 serviced apartments rated 4-5 stars on the Booking.com website were selected from 379 serviced apartments in Auckland as the data source. This study used satisfaction and dissatisfaction reviews on Booking.com as a database. A total of 370 online reviews were collected from Booking.com from 1st December 2019 to 31st December 2019, which included both satisfaction and dissatisfaction online reviews. Content analysis was the data analysis method of this dissertation. According to the findings of this study, serviced apartments located in the central business district (CBD) of Auckland, with clean rooms, well-equipped facilities and positive staff, were the factors found to satisfy Chinese guests. In the dissatisfaction section, the cleanliness of the rooms is the most important factor that leads Chinese guests to be dissatisfied with serviced apartments in Auckland. Unusable facilities, having to pay for parking, and staff with negative attitudes have played a significant role in causing dissatisfaction amongst Chinese guests evaluating serviced apartments in Auckland. This study could be useful for managers of serviced apartments in Auckland to provide them with advice on how to ensure and improve the satisfaction of Chinese guests. These findings also help to provide an understanding of the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of Chinese guests for future research in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Description
Keywords
Customer satisfaction , Customer dissatisfaction , Serviced apartments , Hospitality management , New Zealand
Source
DOI
Publisher's version
Rights statement