THE CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE IN HOSPITALITY RESEARCH - AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE UK LODGE SECTOR

This study examines the critical incident technique (CIT), its general application and specific use in the hospitality industry. The techniq ue is defined and the collection of data explained. A study of intervi ews with 118 UK Lodge customers is used to illustrate the data gatheri ng and classification methodologies. Strengths and weaknesses of the t echnique are examined. It was found that CIT lends itself particularly well to research in individual operational units or groups of units w ith similar characteristics. Insights into incidents allows specific r esponses to be generated to identified needs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scienc e Ltd. All rights reserved.