SERVICE QUALITY OF HOTELS SERVING SAUDI TOURISM INDUSTRY

This research aimed to get insights into the current Saudi Arabian research relating to service quality of hotels compared to other countries, and to identify areas of improvement relating to the service quality of Saudi Arabian hotels. A systematic review was conducted with relevant keywords and using the Google Scholar search engine. A review of 59 shortlisted papers indicated that research relating to service quality of hotels serving the Saudi tourism industry could be classified into two major topics, i.e., 'General' for different countries, and `Halal, Islamic or Sharia-compliant hotels'. The findings from the review indicate that, generally, there is a dearth of research on service quality of hotels serving the Saudi tourism industry; SERVQUAL and its adapted versions have been used by several researchers studying service quality of hotels in other countries; Malaysia leads in the research into Islamic and Sharia-compliant hotels; Malaysia and Indonesia have shown tendencies to enforce strict Islamic practices in international hotels; and Saudi Arabia, has not demonstrated how well it complies with Islamic standards when receiving foreign tourists. Therefore, the importance of more research on Halal/Sharia/Islamic compliant services in Saudi hotels can hardly be overemphasized, especially, given that Saudi is a significant Muslim pilgrim destination. Clarity about the compliance with Islamic standards in Saudi hotels is an essential aspect of service quality offered by hotels. The practical implication of this research is that Saudi hotels need to demonstrate greater clarity about compliance with Islamic standards to improve their service quality.