The ‘Big Easy or the Hard Ask’: A Case Study of Service Quality in New Orleans Hotels

ABSTRACT This paper examines the issue of service quality in one of the top tourism and convention destinations in the United States. It focuses upon the hotel industry, in particular the mid to upscale market segment, using an expert panel approach to identify critical issues in service quality. In an increasingly competitive market for corporate, leisure and convention business, individual hotels and destinations have seen the need to address the issue of service quality as a means of differentiating themselves. The New Orleans market has several characteristics that set it apart from other destinations as is suggested by its colloquial name ‘The Big Easy.’ This name brings to mind connotations of a laid back and unhurried lifestyle often attributed, in music and verse, to the sultry southern climate of this historic city on the banks of the Mississippi river.