Consumers Attitude Towards Professional Standards of Hotel Staff in Food and Beverage Department in Hotel Business, Krabi Province

Abstract

          This research attempted to (1) examine demographic information of hotel consumers in Krabi  This research attempted to (1) examine demographic information of hotel consumers in Krabi (2) study their food and beverage consumption behaviors, (3) explore their attitudes towards the hotel staff professional standards in food and beverage department, and (4) propose supportive guidelines for development hotel staff in food and beverage department in hotels located in Krabi Province. The question-naire was quantitative research by collecting data from the 1-5 stars hotel business in Krabi Province were employed and a sample of 400 Thai tourists who consumed food and beverage was chosen by means of purposive sampling. The collected data were analyzed by statistical analysis including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Results showed that (1) the consumers were females aged between 21-30 years old, married, with Bachelor’s Degrees. They are company employees, and their average monthly income is between 10,001-20,000 Thai baht. (2) Most of these visitors spent 2-3 days in Krabi. They were satisfied with very friendly and welcoming staffs in food and beverage department. They consider cleanliness and pleasant atmosphere in the dining rooms. The average cost of food and beverage spent is 500-1,000 Thai baht. They also considered effective service management system in food and beverage department. (3) Their attitudes towards the third level professional qualification was at the highest level ( = 4.21), followed by their attitudes towards the first and the second levels of professional qualification which were rated as high ( = 4.14 and 4.13) respectively. (4) It was suggested that the first level professional standards at operational level should meet the hygienic standards in the hotel area, cleanliness in the dining room and equipment. They must be able to provide first aid treatment for consumers who have minor accidents. As for the professional standards in the second level includes waiters, waitress and a foreign supervisor who can use of English with customers. The hotels should provide English language training. It should be supplemented with additional learning to use the 3rd language communication skills for the low season tourist group. The professional standards of the third level staff in the positions of hostess and service manager can apply safety standards at work. The tools used in the restaurant must be at the highest level of safety and security before serving customers.