1. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 –(IJM)
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
ISSN 0976 – 6367(Print)
ISSN 0976 – 6375(Online)
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012), pp. 08-16
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ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION MARKET IN PONDICHERRY: A
STUDY OF TOURISTS’ EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERIENCES USING
SERVQUAL
N. Gunasekaran1, Sangeeta Peter, Jijo George and S.Victor Anandkumar
Department of Management Studies
Pondicherry University, Puducherry – 605014
1 Corresponding Author
Doctoral research scholar
Department of Management Studies
Pondicherry University
Puducherry – 605 014
Email: aaapuducherry@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Background: Alternative Accommodation market refers to private homes that are available for
commercial use for tourists. Such non-traditional accommodation businesses are becoming
popular with tourists to Pondicherry.
Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to assess the gap between tourists’ expectations
and experiences in the Alternative Accommodation market in Pondicherry.
Methodology: This is an empirical study using primary data collected from guests at Alternative
Accommodation enterprises using a structured questionnaire consisting of a 5-point Likert Scale.
The data collection instrument is designed using the ServQual model.
Findings: The findings reveal the performance of Alternative Accommodation on the ServQual
dimensions. This study identifies the gap between expectation and actual experience of the
tourists in Alternative Accommodation and highlights the aspects to improve upon.
Practical Implications: The findings will be useful to the managers to fine tune their product,
prioritize their service offerings in order to adapt to the expectations of the tourists. The results
of this study can also help other groups such as individual entrepreneurs and self-help groups
(SHGs) who seek to enter this market.
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2. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
Originality/Value: Alternative Accommodation market in India is unconventional and under-
researched. This study illustrates the use of ServQual in studying this segment and provides
insights on the relationship between tourists’ expectations and experiences.
Keywords: Alternative Accommodation, tourists’ satisfaction, tourists’ expectation, tourists’
perception, ServQual, Gap analysis, Pondicherry.
INTRODUCTION
Hotels are considered as a traditional type of tourist accommodation (Radder and Wang, 2006).
However tourists’ are increasingly opting for alternative accommodation which refers to guest
houses, commercial homes and service apartments. These are aimed to provide short term
lodging options to tourists on a paid basis (Gunasekaran and Anandkumar, 2012). This paper
aims to identify the gap between tourists’ expectation and experience in the Alternative
accommodation market in Pondicherry.
Pondicherry is a small town located in the South-East coast of India with a history dating back to
the second century. Known for its French connection, Aurobindo Ashram, heritage buildings and
beaches, it attracts tourists from world over. Apart from the traditional hotels, Pondicherry has
been witnessing a growth in alternative accommodation (Gunasekaran and Anandkumar, 2012).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Accommodation is an important aspect of a destination’s offering (Henning and Willemse, 1999)
and plays an important role in the destination experience. Lodging options for a tourist range
from traditional hotels to alternative accommodations. The increasing role of alternative
accommodation providers was predicted by Reynolds and Emenheiser (1996). Changing
preferences of customers (Dawson and Brown, 1998), increase in competition, fragmented
market, and growth in communication technology (Novelli, 2005; Scarinci and Richins, 2008)
were the reasons cited for the growth of alternative accommodations.
An understanding of the alternative accommodation and classification of the same has been
provided by researchers (Foxley, 2001; Canwell and Sutherland, 2003; Professional Association
of Inn keepers International (PAII), 2009). There are three types of Alternative Accommodation:
Service Apartments, Guest houses and Commercial homes. Commercial homes have been
further classified into Home Stay, Bed and Breakfast Inn, Bed and Breakfast Cottages, Bed and
Breakfast Hotels and Country Inn. Service Apartments are self contained units with additional
services and aim at providing short term stay (Foxley, 2001). Guest houses have limited number
of rooms and facilities (Canwell and Sutherland, 2003). Commercial homes on the other hand
refer to a type of alternative accommodation where-in a guest stays with the host, in latter’s
home on a paid basis (Lynch, 2005; Lynch, McIntosh and Tucker, 2009; McIntosh, Lynch,
Sweeney, 2010).
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3. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
Research indicates an increase in the popularity and growth of Alternative Accommodations
(Dawson and Brown, 1998; Ingram, 2002; PAII, 2005). In India, particularly Pondicherry,
despite the growth of Alternative Accommodation there is no empirical study conducted on the
Tourists’ expectation and experience of Alternative Accommodation. This study aims to fill that
void.
Customer satisfaction is the result of subjective comparison of expectation and perception
(Oliver, 1981; Oh, 1999). Expectations predicts what should happen (Teare, 1998), are beliefs
against which customers judge the performance and is influenced by customers needs, staff
promises, word of mouth communication, and past experience (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2000). A
customers perception is affected by image, price, service encounter and evidence of service
(Ugboma et al., 2004; Radder and Wang, 2006). A Visitor’s experience with accommodation is
essential for understanding their satisfaction (McIntosh and Siggs, 2005). In specialist
accommodation a study by McIntosh and Siggs, 2005 listed five factors namely uniqueness of
the environment, personalized attention, homely ambience, quality, and value added information
based on which gusts will evaluate their experience in specialist accommodation.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This is a descriptive study based on primary data collected using a structured questionnaire,
through the survey method at the alternative accommodations. The ServQual model
(Parasuraman, et. al. 1985) was used to develop the questionnaire. The ServQual dimensions of
tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy were adapted for this study as
appearance, ability to perform, willingness to help, knowledge and courtesy and caring
individual attention respectively. The tourists were asked to indicate their response on a Five
point Likert scale with ‘5’ representing a strong agreement, ‘1’ indicating a strong disagreement
and ‘3’ indicating a neutral opinion. The sample comprised 51 tourists. The sampling method
used was convenience sampling. The data was collected during Q1, 2012.
DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Profile characteristics
Table 1 lists the profile of the respondents namely their demographic and travel characteristics.
The guests opting for alternative accommodation are young, well educated, and have moderate
income. They are generally first time visitors on a holiday accompanied by friends looking for
budget accommodation. 56.9% indicated that alternative accommodation was their first
experience in the present trip.
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4. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
Table-1. Sample profile
Demographic characteristics Travel characteristics
Age % Visit Status %
• 20-29 74.5 • First visit 74.5
• 30-39 7.8 • Second visit 5.9
• 40-49 13.7 • More than two visits 19.6
• 50-59 3.9 Purpose %
Country % • Holiday 94.1
• Wellness Tourism
• India 90.2 (Yoga) 3.9
• International 9.8 • Leisure / Fun 2.0
Employment_Status % Travel with %
• Govt. 16.0 • Alone 9.8
• Private companies 8.0 • Friends 78.4
• Business 23.0 • Business Partner 9.8
• Others 4.0 • Family / Relatives 2.0
Education_Level % Stay %
• Schooling 7.8 • 2-3 days 41.2
• College 23.6 • 3-4 days 56.9
• University 43.1 • more than 4 days 2.0
• Professionals 25.5 Budget %
Income % • < USD 40 49.0
• < USD6000 p.a. 7.8 • USD 40-60 9.8
• USD6000-10000
p.a. 41.2 • USD 60-80 31.4
• USD10000-14000
p.a. 41.2 • > USD 80 9.8
• > 14000 p.a. 9.8 AA Facility %
• First time 56.9
• More than once 43.1
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5. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
Table 2: Expectation – Experience Gap Table
Variables Average Expectations Average Experiences Gap Type of Deviation
Modern 4 4 0 Nil
amenities
Visually 3.98 3.57 0.41 Negative
appealing
Smart staffs 4.49 4.1 0.39 Negative
Host promise 4.06 4.94 -0.88 Positive
Guests’ probe 4.24 3.59 0.65 Negative
solving
First time itself 3.94 4.45 -0.51 Positive
Service on time 3.92 4.02 -0.1 Positive
Error free 4.02 3.37 0.65 Negative
service
Service perform 4.41 4.8 -0.39 Positive
Prompt service 4.63 3.31 1.32 Negative
Willing to help 3.82 3.55 0.27 Negative
Response to 3.63 4.78 -1.15 Positive
guests
Staff behavior 3.86 4.12 -0.26 Positive
Safety 4.24 3.59 0.65 Negative
Courteous 4.22 3.88 0.34 Negative
Knowledge to 3.8 3.39 0.41 Negative
reply
Individual 4 3.86 0.14 Negative
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6. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
attention
Time convenient 4.76 3.45 1.31 Negative
Host attention 4.25 4.02 0.23 Negative
Best interest 3.8 4.04 -0.24 Positive
Understand 3.96 3.47 0.49 Negative
specific needs
In order to identify the gap between the tourist expectations and experiences, the difference
between the respective mean was calculated. Table 2 details the gap between the tourists’
expectation and experience. Of the 21 variables studied, the variable modern amenities showed
no deviation. The mean value of the experiences of seven variables namely Host promise, Staff
skillfulness, Service on time, Service performance, Response to guests, Staff behavior, Best
interest was higher than the mean expectations. The score of the mean expectations on the
thirteen variables namely visually appealing, smart staff, guests problem solving, error free
service, prompt service, willingness to help, safety, courteous, knowledge to reply, individual
attention, time convenient, host attention, understand specific needs was higher than the mean
experience.
To evaluate the gaps in tourists’ satisfaction with the alternative accommodation enterprises, the
21 variables were grouped under the five ServQual dimensions namely Appearance, Ability to
perform, Willingness to Help, Knowledge and Courtesy, and Caring individual attention. Table 3
displays the mean scores on the ServQual dimensions.
Table 3: Mean Scores on ServQual Dimensions
DIMENSIONS EXPECTATIONS EXPERIENCES
APPEARANCE 4.16 3.89
ABILITY TO PERFORM 4.11 4.02
WILLINGNESS TO HELP 3.89 4.01
KNOWLEDGE AND COURTESY 4.14 4.03
CARING INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION 4.17 3.74
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7. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
A radar chart (Figure 1) was generated based on the mean scores on ServQual dimensions
APPEARANCE
4.2
4.1
4
3.9
CARING
3.8 ABILITY TO
INDIVIDUAL 3.7 PERFORM
ATTENTION 3.6 EXPECTATIONS
3.5
EXPERIENCES
KNOWLEDGE WILLINGNESS
AND COURTESY TO HELP
Figure 1: Expectation – Experience Gap Analysis
Figure 1 reveals that gap exists on two ServQual dimensions of Appearance and Caring,
individual attention.
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
This study shows that the guests’ expected the alternative accommodation enterprises to have
convenient operating hours, be visually appealing, replete with modern amenities. The staffs
were expected to be smart, being able to understand their needs and provide personalized,
individualized services. However gaps were found in the above mentioned areas. The alternative
accommodation market is still at its infancy and is an entrepreneurial/ small business venture in
Pondicherry. The employees are not professionally trained and have basic educational
qualification. This probably explains why the host/ employees failed to understand the Guests’
needs and provide individualized services.
SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION
To improve the performance it is suggested that the employees be professionally trained. This
will help the employees understand the customers’ needs, their point of view and offer
personalized services. Quality of service can be used to differentiate one alternative
accommodation from another. Hence aspects of service quality like efficiency, understandability,
appearance, language skills and politeness should be stressed upon. Guests who are satisfied with
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8. International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 – 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6510(Online),
Volume 3, Issue 3, September- December (2012)
their stay are likely to become repeat customers and are likely to give positive word of mouth
publicity.
The findings concerning the alternative accommodation market in Pondicherry will be useful to
the managers to fine tune their product, prioritize their service offerings in order to adapt to the
expectations of the tourists. The results of this study can also help other groups such as
individual entrepreneurs and self-help groups (SHGs) who seek to enter this market.
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