UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 12-1-2012 Room Service Principles and Practices: An Exploratory Study Stanley Douglas Suboleski University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Food and Beverage Management Commons Repository Citation Suboleski, Stanley Douglas, "Room Service Principles and Practices: An Exploratory Study" (2012). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1780. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/4332761 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ROOM SERVICE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY by Stanley D. Suboleski Bachelors of Science in Theater Syracuse University 1984 Masters of Science in Hotel Administration University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2006 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality Administration William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2012 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Stanley D. Suboleski entitled Room Service Principles and Practices: An Exploratory Study be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality Administration William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration Patrick Moreo, Ed.D., Committee Chair Karl Mayer, Ph.D., Committee Member Jean Hertzman, Ph.D., Committee Member Alan Miller, Ph.D., Graduate College Representative Tom Piechota, Ph.D., Interim Vice President for Research & Dean of the Graduate College December 2012 ii ABSTRACT Room Service Principles and Practices: an Exploratory Study by Stanley D. Suboleski Dr. Patrick J. Moreo, Ed.D., Examination Committee Chair Professor of Hospitality Administration University of Nevada, Las Vegas Room service is the delivery of food and beverage products to a guest’s sleeping room in a hotel. It is an important, distinguishing characteristic and a necessary service for first- class and luxury hotels. Very little academic research has been conducted on the operating procedures of room service. This was an exploratory study that aimed at identifying the key principles and practices of room service operations in first-class and luxury hotels. This study used a mixed-method approach. Using content analysis on operating audits for room service from a range of hospitality companies, expert panel review, field testing, and analysis of variance (MANOVA), this study resulted in a generic room service audit representing the key principles and practices currently in place in the first-class and luxury hotel segment. Key elements of the generic audit were then tested in a sample drawn from a population of hospitality professionals throughout the United States, resulting in what they determined to be the most important elements in room service from the abbreviated list of items that was presented to them. Keywords: room service, operations, first-class hotels, luxury hotels, hospitality, operating audit, policies and procedures iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provided the funding for this research. I would like to thank my chairperson and committee members for their dedication and commitment to this research. Without their input, collectively and as individuals, I would not have been able to complete this study. Their knowledge and guidance will serve to direct my scholarly efforts for the rest of my career, and for that I am grateful. I would like to thank all of my professors from my time here at UNLV. Without their teaching, I would lack the tools to undertake this project, as well as the insight and confidence to pursue this research. I would like to thank my professional associates in the panel of experts, and my colleagues involved in the coding process. Without their participation and input, this study would lack the accuracy, robustness, and completeness that a dissertation should contain. I would like to thank my editor. Her expertise in editing made it easier to concentrate on the content of my work, and her collaboration on the tables and figures for the study saved me from insanity. I would like to thank the administrative and support staff at UNLV. Without their patience and direction, this study could not be completed. I am grateful and proud to have had the opportunity to interact with all of them, and am hopeful that there will be more opportunities to do so in the future. iv DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my father, who always showed me that the pursuit of truth is vital, and who always encouraged me to do as well as I could, at whatever I attempted. I dedicate this work to my mother, who always saw the best in me, even when I did not. I dedicate this work to the love of my life, my wife, and her constant support and encouragement, without which I could not have undertaken a career in academia. I dedicate this work to my friend and mentor, Dr. Pat Moreo, whose unbelievable patience and insightful advice kept me focused and productive in spite of myself. I dedicate this work to my committee and my colleagues, whose interest in and contribution to my efforts energized me and made the final result that much better. Finally, I dedicate this work to my students, who have justified my second career, and who give me reasons every day to celebrate learning. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................8 Room Service ...................................................................................................................9 Academic Research ........................................................................................................23 Marketing .......................................................................................................................25 Menu Engineering ..........................................................................................................26 Operating Trends ...........................................................................................................28 Service Quality and Quality Control..............................................................................30 Operating Audits ............................................................................................................35 Hospitality Operational Audits ......................................................................................38 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................40 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................42 Research Overview ........................................................................................................44 Content Analysis ............................................................................................................46 Panel of Experts .............................................................................................................49 Field Testing ..................................................................................................................52 Quantitative Analysis .....................................................................................................53 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................56 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS ..................................................................................................57 Content Analysis ............................................................................................................57 Panel of Experts .............................................................................................................65 Field