Improving service quality in hotels in Uganda through total quality management

Abstract

The hotel industry is a dynamic one in which the guest dictates the pace and type of service. Service quality is one of the competitive priorities which enable hotels in the hospitality industry to survive. This paper aims to establish the relationship between Total Quality Management and Service Quality in hotels in Uganda, Kampala. The hypothesis that certification helped hotels to have higher performance levels is verified. This study will help managers and researchers to take decisions based on factual data and consider the importance of total quality management in the hotel sector. The main aim of this project is to analyze the motives and impact on the decision of hotels to embark or not on the implementation of a total quality management system. In order to achieve this goal, the research assessed the enablers and results of a total quality management in hotels in Uganda. Hotels considered in this study are Serena Hotel, Metropolitan Hotel and Fairway Hotel. The Serena Hotel and Metropolitan Hotel are considered because they have been winners of several awards such as the Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor or the National Quality Award and enjoy a very good position in the market and Fairway Hotel has ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 22000 certification. This research work showed whether the performance of the certified Serena Hotel was higher compared to the non-certified Metropolitan Hotel and Fairway Hotel. The employee satisfaction/dissatisfaction in the certified Serena Hotel was also addressed in this research work.