The dissertation empirically investigates the area of service process using a hospitality research setting. The concept of process has previously been identified as a key element in the marketing of services. However, the area of process design has had a reduced status in services, with the result that detailed service planning remains an unexplored research area. Similarly, no empirical research appears to have been conducted that defines the dimensions of the service delivery process. This study addresses that gap by developing a general model that identifies the key dimensions of service process. The model proposes that service process can be represented by a series of situational and structural descriptors, which are linked to encounter satisfaction. It further proposes that a customer\u27s perceptual filters influence both the situational and structural dimensions of service process. Then, by examining a portion of the general model, this study assesses guest satisfaction with the check in experience using path analysis to analyze data that was collected from a survey instrument that was distributed to hotel guests. Five situational descriptors of service process emerged from the data analysis. The results of path analysis indicate that encounter satisfaction primarily works through each of these five descriptors to influence guest satisfaction, rather than through a guest\u27s perceptual filters. Thus, this dissertation adds new perspective to an under-researched area in the services marketing literature
