CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TOWARDS SERVICE QUALITY OF ...

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, the methodology of the study consisted of four sections which
were participants, research instrument, procedures and data analysis.
Participants
The participants of this study consisted of 60 customers who stayed at the hotel
from 1 st -15 th September 2009. The researcher selected the respondents by randomly
sampling method.
Research Instrument
A questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The questionnaire
instrument consisted of 5 parts as follows;
The first part contained general background which included gender, age,
nationality, occupation, purpose of traveling, and frequency of visits.
The second and third parts included 5 factors according to service quality
dimensions of the SERVQUAL system: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance,
and empathy based on Parasuraman et al. (1988). The researcher explored customers�
expectation and perception levels towards service quality of the front office staff at the
Mercure Hotel Pattaya. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 customers on their
arrival at the reception desk of the hotel. These customers were requested to complete