Exploring Asymmetric Impacts of Service Attributes on Guest Satisfaction in Senegalese Hospitality Sector: Integrating Three-Factor Theory with Penalty-Reward Contrast and Asymmetric Impact-Performance Analysis

This research examines the relationship between service attributes and guest satisfaction in Senegalese tourism and hospitality context. The study is grounded in the three-factor theory, which provides a framework to analyze the mechanisms by which different attributes influence customer satisfaction. Additionally, we employ Penalty-Reward Contrast Analysis (PRCA) and Asymmetric Impact-Performance Analysis (AIPA) to identify the asymmetric relationships between service attributes and guest satisfaction. These methods offer a refined perspective on the extent to which certain attributes contribute to or detract from overall customer satisfaction. The primary objective of this research is to quantify the asymmetric impact of different service attributes on guest satisfaction and identify which attributes should be prioritized for improvement. To this end, we collected 349 user ratings posted on TripAdvisor by guests who had stayed at one of seven prominent hotels in Dakar. This analysis utilized convenience sampling, a non-probabilistic sampling method. Our results show asymmetric effects of attribute performance on satisfaction, with “Location”, “Cleanliness”, “Sleep Quality”, “Service”, and “Value” classified as Basic Attributes, and “Rooms,” as an Excitement Factor. Notably, no attribute was found in the Performance category. By leveraging the three-factor theory along with PRCA and AIPA, this study may provide actionable recommendations for hospitality managers seeking to rationalize their resources while optimizing their service offerings and enhancing guest experiences.