This paper discusses the central role of service quality in the context of health and fitness sector. This is achieved through an analysis and examination of the service encounters, drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction at Equilibre Health and Sports Center. Equilibre has forged a good reputation over the years through its personalized and tailor-made programs suitable to each member’s individual needs. The program established takes into consideration the health condition of the member, the evolution of his/her state and their lifestyle and recommendations of the medical practitioner. Applications of SERVQUAL model are discussed and the service at Equilibre is illustrated using a service blueprint. Further research involving quantitative data would be useful to establish the level of satisfaction of the members and measurement of actual benefit derived from such programs and activities in the process of adding value to sports and health centers in general and developing them further.

A characteristic of the 20th century Western economies as well as Mauritius has been the increasing importance of service industries as a proportion of Gross National Product (GNP) and as a source of employment. Various factors have contributed to fueling this growth of the service sector. Higher levels of affluence have permitted individuals to afford and participate in leisure pursuits and delegate many functions to external providers. Within the small and medium sectors of such economies, the number of service firms is much greater than that of small businesses engaged in manufacturing. In part, this reflects the growing demand for services. An equally important reason, however, is that many owners/managers are attracted to start a new service business because entry barriers in service sector are quite low. An additional factor influencing a high number of small service startups in some market sectors is that this is the conventional behavior of professionals seeking to acquire more control over their career. Thus, for example, many accountants and lawyers start their career working in well-established firms. Then after some years, they leave and start their own practice. Similarly, significant proportion of medical professionals such as doctors and dentists opt to run their own practice in preference to working for a large organization providing healthcare.

Marketing Management Journal, Guest Delight, Hotel Industry, Customer Delight, Customer Loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, Reliable Reservation System, Convenient Payment Method, Hotel Management, Disconfirmation Theory, Data Collection.