Abstract:

The idea that customers may not be satisfied while at the same time not be dissatisfied has been expressed repeatedly in the consumer satisfaction (CS) literature. This article relates the development of an innovative application of conjoint analysis using hotel services to demonstrate the existence of the so-called "zone of indifference." Results support the existence of a zone but the emergence of a new pattern has led to a tentative typology of service attributes which can assist managers in operational and strategic planning. This work makes a first contribution to satisfaction research in particular, and a second to marketing research in general with the innovative use of a visual conjoint stimulus to depict intangible service attributes.