Using SERVQUAL to determine Generation Y’s satisfaction towards hoteling industry in Malaysia

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to use SERVQUAL to measure Generation Y’s (Gen Y) perceived service quality and its effects on their satisfaction toward the Malaysian hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach: The required data were collected through questionnaire, distributed to 200 respondents in four areas of Klang Valley. The collected data were put through multiple regression to identify the effect of SERVQUAL dimensions on service quality. Findings: The results reveal that all the elements of SERVQUAL, except tangibility, had a significant and positive relationship with customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: It is a niche area research which is done on a small population in a specified geographical area within Malaysia, though its research implications are significant and add significantly to the tourism literature with respect to Gen Y. Practical implications: This research holds importance in the growing service tourism and hoteling industry in Malaysia, where Gen Y holds a key economic position and is predicted to grow even further in the near future. Originality/value: It is a niche area research done on very specific consumers in Malaysia. It, therefore, adds to the emerging field of tourism in relation to Gen Y.