1. Using your understanding of the chapter material and the theme topics presented, reanalyze the examples given and categorize them into what you believe to be the most appropriate themes.
2. Using your understanding of the chapter material and the theme topics presented, reanalyze the examples given and categorize them into what you believe to be the most appropriate themes.
Hotel Travelers' Cheers and Jeers at Their Experiences After braving airport security or a tedious long drive, travelers do not want to endure hassles at a hotel. Recently, ethnographers at American Demographics (AD) investigated the fol- lowing research question: "What are travelers' good and bad experiences with the hospi- tality industry?" Using content analysis and procedures for triangulation, researchers sifted through a sample of nearly 2,000 letters submitted by consumers to hotels and resorts through Planetfeedback, a division of Intelliseek, a Cincinnati-based market research firm. Of all the letters submitted to Planetfeedback's online forum. 78 percent were complaints and 16 percent were compliments, with the remaining 6 percent being either questions or suggestions. Through qualitative analysis, the researchers identified several themes, including "personalized service." "fair deal." **extra perks," "cleanliness/ hygiene." "unsatisfactory facilities," and "poor customer service." Here is what they dis- covered: Travelers overwhelmingly agree that hotel housekeeping needs to clean up its act. Among the 150 letters submitted on the topic of "cleanliness/hygiene," almost all of them were complaints. The billing and check-in departments also received a large share of complaints. Despite the efforts of the hospitality industry to personalize reservations and add amenities, nothing wins guests over like a friendly staff. The highest percentage of complimentary letters fell into the "hotel staff performance" category. Here are some examples of what consumers wrote: Customer 1 "I would like to compliment the employees of your Peoria, IL hotel. They greet me by name, ask how my day has been and if they can do anything to help me out. They always phone after I've gone to my room to see that it's adequate. When I've neglected to get a reservation, they have been kind enough to reserve a room for me at another hotel. That's going the extra mile for a guest!" Customer 2 "My partner and I are very price-conscious and tend to shop around for the best hotel rates. On one of the popular travel Web sites, I found a much cheaper rate than I was quoted by your hotel on the phone or on your own site. I pointed this out to the staff and they honored the Web rate, plus they knocked an additional 10 percent off. The entire process was very efficient." Customer 3 "When we arrived at your hotel, we asked about receiving a room upgrade, never imagin- ing we could afford it, and we received it for free. We were absolutely thrilled. The em- ployees at the front desk went out of their way to make it a pleasant stay for our family and us. It really made our day, month, and probably our year." Customer 4 "When we returned to our room, the beds were not made, towels were not replaced, and were wet on the floor, and the waste receptacles were overflowing. The front desk person informed us that there was a form in the room that we were supposed to fill out to identify Hotel Travelers' Cheers and Jeers at Their Experiences After braving airport security or a tedious long drive, travelers do not want to endure hassles at a hotel. Recently, ethnographers at American Demographics (AD) investigated the fol- lowing research question: "What are travelers' good and bad experiences with the hospi- tality industry?" Using content analysis and procedures for triangulation, researchers sifted through a sample of nearly 2,000 letters submitted by consumers to hotels and resorts through Planetfeedback, a division of Intelliseek, a Cincinnati-based market research firm. Of all the letters submitted to Planetfeedback's online forum. 78 percent were complaints and 16 percent were compliments, with the remaining 6 percent being either questions or suggestions. Through qualitative analysis, the researchers identified several themes, including "personalized service." "fair deal." **extra perks," "cleanliness/ hygiene." "unsatisfactory facilities," and "poor customer service." Here is what they dis- covered: Travelers overwhelmingly agree that hotel housekeeping needs to clean up its act. Among the 150 letters submitted on the topic of "cleanliness/hygiene," almost all of them were complaints. The billing and check-in departments also received a large share of complaints. Despite the efforts of the hospitality industry to personalize reservations and add amenities, nothing wins guests over like a friendly staff. The highest percentage of complimentary letters fell into the "hotel staff performance" category. Here are some examples of what consumers wrote: Customer 1 "I would like to compliment the employees of your Peoria, IL hotel. They greet me by name, ask how my day has been and if they can do anything to help me out. They always phone after I've gone to my room to see that it's adequate. When I've neglected to get a reservation, they have been kind enough to reserve a room for me at another hotel. That's going the extra mile for a guest!" Customer 2 "My partner and I are very price-conscious and tend to shop around for the best hotel rates. On one of the popular travel Web sites, I found a much cheaper rate than I was quoted by your hotel on the phone or on your own site. I pointed this out to the staff and they honored the Web rate, plus they knocked an additional 10 percent off. The entire process was very efficient." Customer 3 "When we arrived at your hotel, we asked about receiving a room upgrade, never imagin- ing we could afford it, and we received it for free. We were absolutely thrilled. The em- ployees at the front desk went out of their way to make it a pleasant stay for our family and us. It really made our day, month, and probably our year." Customer 4 "When we returned to our room, the beds were not made, towels were not replaced, and were wet on the floor, and the waste receptacles were overflowing. The front desk person informed us that there was a form in the room that we were supposed to fill out to identify
