SERVICE QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE HOTEL AND RESTAURANT BUSINESS: SYSTEM AND PROCESS APPROACHES

Abstract

The article examines the problem of service quality management in the hotel and restaurant business under conditions of increasing competition and growing consumer demands for service stability, consistency, and predictability. In the contemporary hospitality market, service quality is becoming a key factor in ensuring competitive advantage and long-term sustainability of enterprises. However, in practice, quality management is often reduced to fragmented control measures and isolated standards that fail to provide stable service outcomes. This situation determines the relevance of developing an integrated managerial approach to service quality management based on coherent theoretical foundations. The purpose of the study is to substantiate and develop system and process approaches to service quality management in the hotel and restaurant business and to form a conceptual vision of mechanisms for ensuring stable service quality in hospitality enterprises. The research methodology is based on methods of theoretical generalization, analytical comparison, logical analysis, and conceptual modeling, which made it possible to structure the key elements of service quality management and identify their interrelationships. As a result of the study, conceptual models of service quality management were developed, reflecting the interaction between external environment requirements, managerial decisions, service quality standards, key service processes, and feedback mechanisms. The proposed models interpret service quality not as a spontaneous outcome of service delivery but as a managed result of coordinated strategic and operational activities within the enterprise. The integration of system and process approaches allows ensuring consistency between strategic objectives, internal standards, and operational processes, as well as reducing variability in service performance and improving controllability of service quality. The practical value of the article lies in the possibility of using the proposed conceptual approaches as a methodological framework for improving service quality management systems in hotel and restaurant enterprises of various formats. The results can be applied in the development of internal service standards, organization of quality control, and implementation of continuous service improvement mechanisms, contributing to enhanced service stability, customer satisfaction, and competitive positioning in the hospitality market.