FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DECISION TO USE THE SERVICES OF SUAN SUNANDHA PALACE HOTEL, SUAN SUNANDHA RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the factors that influence customers’ decisions to use the service of Suan Sunandha Palace Hotel, a university-owned hotel located on the campus of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in Dusit, Bangkok. The hotel provides accommodation, meeting rooms, banqueting services, and Thai cuisine, and also serves as a practical training and business incubation unit for the university. Guided by the SERVQUAL framework — tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy (Parasuraman et al., 1988) — this research examines how perceived service quality shapes guests’ decision-making and continued use of the hotel’s services. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 25 participants, comprising 18 hotel guests (external and internal clients) and 7 key informants (front office, housekeeping, food and beverage, and sales staff). Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns across narratives. Findings show that all five SERVQUAL dimensions significantly influence the decision to use the hotel, but they interact with three additional decision factors: price – value perception, location and accessibility, and the unique identity of the university heritage setting. Tangibles such as cleanliness, heritage ambience, and meeting facilities function as “qualifying factors” that must reach a minimum acceptable level. Reliability and responsiveness (e.g., handling bookings, problem-solving, and event support) are “performance factors” that strongly drive satisfaction and repeat use. Assurance and empathy — especially staff courtesy, safety, and flexibility towards student and government clients — act as “relationship factors” fostering trust, word-of-mouth, and long-term loyalty. The study contributes to the hotel service quality literature by applying SERVQUAL in a university hotel context and by linking service quality perceptions directly to hotel selection decisions. Managerial implications emphasize targeted staff training, clearer service standards, and differentiation based on the hotel’s university heritage and academic environment. Future research directions include mixed-methods designs, comparative studies with other university or training hotels, and the integration of online review analytics with qualitative insights.