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The aim of this study was three-fold: first, to develop an instrument to evaluate food and beverage service quality in spa hotels; second, to identify aspects of food and beverage service quality of which customers had the highest expectations, i.e. the key dimensions of food and beverage service quality in spa hotels; third, to measure customer perceptions of the spa hotels in this study and to identify those dimensions with the largest gap between customer expectations and perceptions.

A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to 331 customers at four different spa hotels in Balikesir, Turkey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify service quality dimensions. Cronbach Alpha indicated the reliability of the factors identified. Customer expectations, perceptions and gaps between expectations and perceptions for each dimension were measured.

Factor analysis revealed six quality dimensions: “assurance and employee knowledge”; “healthy and attractive food”; “empathy”; “tangibles”; “responsiveness of service delivery”; “reliability”. Customer expectations were highest for “tangibles” and “assurance and employee knowledge”. The largest gaps between perceptions and expectations were for “healthy and attractive food” and “tangibles”.

Key dimensions for food and beverage service quality in spa hotels were identified and a reliable instrument for measuring provision was developed. This should be applied by managers on an ongoing basis to evaluate their performance and give them a better understanding of food and beverage service quality in spa hotels. The study provides specific information on the performance of Turkish spa hotels in relation to food and beverage service quality.

This research addresses the paucity of research on customer perspectives of food and beverage provision in spa hotels and contributes to enhanced understanding of spa tourists and their expectations and perceptions of the service quality of food and beverage service quality.

The number and importance of small and medium‐sized hotel enterprises (SMHEs) is increasing. As in many countries, SMHEs in Turkey play a great role in the economy, due to their significant share within the tourism industry in terms of number of enterprises, employment and investment. SMHEs accommodate a significant part of foreign and domestic visitors, especially in coastal areas. Therefore, the management of those establishments needs to be investigated. This article focuses on perceived training needs of the owner‐managers of the small and medium‐sized hotel establishments in a Turkish tourist town, Bodrum, on the Aegean coast and examines the impact of the current situation on the management practices. The findings indicate that the training level of the SMHEs at the managerial level is not satisfactory. This prevents the managers being successful in management and productive hotel operations. General outcomes can be drawn for hotel operators and tourism policy makers.

The purpose of this study is twofold: it aims to examine hotel website features by conducting a content analysis and it analyses customers’ viewpoints about the importance of the contents of hotel websites. The study involves a quantitative method of measurement and evaluation of the information provided by hotel websites. It tries to evaluate the richness of definite and ample information dimensions, which as a whole constitutes the information services offered through the website.

The study is based on two pillars: all five-star hotel chains (113 hotels) in Egypt as the population frame to evaluate the contents of their websites; and a sample of 406 customers selected to examine the customers’ views on the importance of the contents of hotel websites. This study proposes a quantitative evaluation frame of all dimensions provided by hotel websites which is developed, tested and validated.

The study has revealed important findings that can help hotel managers to adjust the information on the websites to be more efficient and customer-oriented.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed frame again in further studies.

The study includes implications for the development of hotel website evaluation from the perspective of two sides, hotel managers and customers, by using a unique quantitative evaluation model.

This research has for the first time combined statements from the perspective of two sides – hotel managers and customers.