An fsQCA analysis of service quality for hotel customer satisfaction

Managing customer satisfaction (CS) by adapting to market changes is essential for achieving customer loyalty. This study analyzes the asymmetric relationship between service quality (SQ) and CS in the hotel sector by applying the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to a five-star hotel in Cuba. Results of customer SQ perception analysis as configurations of conditions that explain the outcome of CS identify the individual contribution made by each of the services. In this specific case, when combined with other conditions in three different configurations, the quality of food in specialized restaurants is shown to be the determinant of the studied hotel’s CS outcomes. This research shows that fsQCA is useful for managing the causal complexity of hotel processes and activities. Additionally, it helps managers optimize CS by determining which attributes they need to focus on and which they do not, thus responding to the need to determine how SQ dimensions influence CS. • Evaluating hotel processes in relation to service quality (SQ) optimizes customer satisfaction (CS). • Configurational analysis allows to find asymmetric relationships among SQ and CS. • This hotel shows that 3 SQ configurations, notably restaurants food quality, drive CS.