Quality function deployment in lodging establishments

ABSTRACT The search for sustained, competitive advantage in the lodging industry has become focused to a large degree on service quality. Organizations could protect themselves from price-based competition, lower the costs, achieve higher profit rates, and retain qualified employees in the organization through improving the service quality. Quality Function Deployment (QFD), a systematic team-based planning tool for quality improvement, offers significant potential for lodging establishments. QFD is a systematic, structured approach for designing new products and services or improving extant products and services with a focus on both customer needs and organization capabilities, involving all members of the organization. In this thesis, an application of QFD in the lodging industry is presented. The thesis is segmented into three parts. In the first part, basic information about lodging establishments are given and related concepts are explained. Then, the concepts of service and service quality are discussed. Finally in this part, the product in lodging establishments and its characteristics, service quality in lodging establishments and quality management in lodging establishments are analyzed. In the second part, the concept of QFD and its relationship with TQM (Total Quality Management) are explained first. The strengths and weaknesses of QFD are discussed and the quality management tools used in the QFD process are explained. Then, an overview of the QFD models are presented and the QFD process is explained in detail, followed by an overview of the use of QFD in service environment. In the third part, the QFD process applied to a lodging establishment is explained step by step and results of the application are analyzed. VI