EXPLORING RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBSTACLES OF ROOM ATTENDANT IN GUEST SERVICE AT ONSEN HOT SPRING RESORT BATU

This study explores the responsibilities and obstacles of room attendants in delivering guest service at Onsen Hot Spring Resort Batu. The study is guided by two research questions: What are the responsibilities of room attendants in guest service? And What obstacles do they face? A qualitative case study approach as employed, with data collected through open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews involving four room attendants (P1 – P4). The findings for RQ1 reveal that room attendants’ responsibilities cover two areas: (1) operational service, which includes maintaining cleanliness, neatness, and comfort of guest rooms by cleaning rooms and bathroom, preparing beds, replenishing amenities, and checking room facilities; and (2) interpersonal service, which involves professional attitude and behavior such as neat and professional appearance, honesty, politeness, courtesy, and responsiveness as supporting in carrying out these responsibilities. The findings for RQ2 identify four key obstacles: (1) back-to-back arrivals, which creates time pressure and requires rooms to be prepared quickly without reducing service standards; (2) time management, this can cause the room attendants to rush the cleaning process; (3) language barriers when interacting with international guests; and (4) busy periods demand strong teamwork and coordination, as attendants must rely on mutual support to maintain workflow. Overall, the study concludes the guest service delivered by room attendants depends on consistent operational performance and professional behavior, while being challenges by back-to-back arrivals, time management demands, language barrier, and coordination pressures.