The importance, measurement methods and application of internal customer satisfaction in tourism services for achieving advantage towards quality competition: A case study in Xanadu Resort Hotel

The aim of this study is to specify the effects of internal customer satisfaction on improving service quality and gaining competitive advantage. As similar studies approaching service quality, internal customer satisfaction and competitive advantage as a whole are rare, this study is important on understanding the relationships between said variables. Hence, firstly concepts such as service, quality, service quality, competition, internal customer are identified according to different writers, giving the readers a wide perspective to the scope of said concepts. The analysis of the study includes a quantitive stage: a survey applied to the personnel of the hotel and 2 qualitative stages: an interview with hotel managers and content analysis of customer feedbacks, thus covering all three interested parties. As a result, it?s determined that the internal and external customer satisfaction levels are high but the hotel management accepts the ideas that see these two variables unrelated and seperate, emphasizing that low internal customer satisfaction level can not be an excuse for low external customer satisfaction. Besides, the manager stated in the interview that they did not compete with any other company but themselves and measure their success in competition by the ?return guest? ratios. This result shows that there may be some amount of relationship between internal and external customer satisfaction but that organizational culture and managers? leadership are other effective factors on the subject. Managers, especially those who care more about quality competition, shall take into consideration these three variables when designing, implementing and managing the organizational culture they wish to implement. However, more studies are needed on this subject and on other service sectors as well.