Hotel Service Quality Management at the Tourist Destination of Sa Pa, Vietnam

Tourism in Sa Pa, a popular mountainous destination in Vietnam’s Lào Cai province, has expanded rapidly in recent years, bringing a boom in hotel development and visitor arrivals. Ensuring high service quality in Sa Pa’s hotels is crucial for sustaining competitiveness and satisfying tourists in this growing market. This study analyzes hotel service quality management at the Sa Pa destination over the period 2022–2024, based on a combination of field surveys and secondary data. A survey of 235 hotel customers and all 145 local hotel managers was conducted to evaluate service quality perceptions and management practices. The findings show that the number of star-rated hotels in Sa Pa reached 145 in 2024 (three times the 2013 figure), and annual tourist arrivals nearly 4.6 million. Overall, customer-rated service quality met expectations on average, with most service aspects scoring above 3.0 on a 5-point scale. However, certain dimensions fell below expectations – for example, guests rated staff ability to instill trust in supplementary services only 2.57 (out of 5) on average – indicating specific service weaknesses. Moreover, high-end hotels (3–5 star) tend to deliver more comprehensive and satisfactory services than lower-tier hotels, some of which suffer from outdated facilities and inconsistent standards. The study identifies key challenges in quality management, notably a lack of trained personnel and formal quality systems at many hotels: only 27.5% of hotel employees have college degrees and ~23.7% have no formal hospitality training, and technology adoption in operations remains low. Based on the findings, several solutions are proposed to improve hotel service quality management in Sa Pa by 2030. These include strengthening staff training (especially in professional skills and foreign languages), implementing standardized quality management frameworks (e.g. ISO 9000), enhancing internal quality control and customer feedback systems, and leveraging technology for service delivery. By addressing these areas, Sa Pa’s hotels can better exceed customer expectations, leading to higher satisfaction and a more competitive, sustainable destination.