Exploring the relationship between hostel service quality and guests’ satisfaction: a comparison between younger and older guests

Authors

  • Rita Lima Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)
  • Paula Vicente Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL)

Keywords:

hostel industry, Lisbon, service quality dimensions

Abstract

The hostel began as a type of accommodation chosen mainly by young travelers who appreciate staying in a place that allows them to meet other people and share information and experiences at a low price. Nowadays hostel clients are diverse and may include families, business tourists, and less young travelers. Despite the heterogeneity in the profile of hostel guests, research on the impact of service quality on hostel guests’ satisfaction has not considered that diversity. The purpose of this paper is to compare hostel preferences of young and older guests. We take data from a survey conducted with 223 hostel guests in Lisbon. The outcomes reveal that the main drivers of older guests' overall satisfaction are cleanliness and price whereas for younger guests it is primarily the staff’s competence and friendliness.

Author Biographies

Rita Lima, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)

Rita Lima has an MSc in Management at Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Portugal. She is currently working in a consulting firm - WINNING Scientific Management - as a Business Analyst.

Paula Vicente, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL)

Paula Vicente is an Assistant Professor of Statistics and Data Analysis at Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) and researcher at Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), Portugal. She has a Ph.D. in Quantitative Methods with a specialization in Surveys and Opinion Polls from ISCTE-IUL. Her main areas of research include survey methodology, and market and social research.

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Published

2018-02-18

How to Cite

Lima, R. and Vicente, P. (2018) “Exploring the relationship between hostel service quality and guests’ satisfaction: a comparison between younger and older guests”, e-Review of Tourism Research, 14(5/6). Available at: https://ertr-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/ertr/article/view/143 (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

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Section

Articles