Dr. Gunjan Malik, Journal of Management Research and Analysis (JMRA) Available online at http://jmraonline.com ISSN: 2394-2770, Impact Factor: 4.878, Volume 05 Issue 02, June 2018, Pages: 133-135 Homepage: http://jmraonline.com, Email: jmraeditor@gmail.com Page 133 DOES CUSTOMIZATION LEAD TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION? 1 Dr. Gunjan Malik 1 (Assistant Professor, IHTM, MDU) Abstract: Objective: The study aims at examining the relationship between customization and customer satisfaction. Research Methodology: The primary data was collected from guests visiting five stars and five star deluxe hotels in NCR through a structured questionnaire and regression analysis was applied to examine the relationship. Findings: The study found that there exist a positive relationship between customization and customer satisfaction. Proposed Utility: The study will help the hotels to understand the significance of customizing the products according to the needs and requirements of customers and its relationship with customer satisfaction. Keywords: Customization, Customer satisfaction, Hospitality Industry INTRODUCTION Customer is the king today, understanding him and satisfying him is the need of every industry. Hotels which are selling homogeneous products can make a difference by understanding the accommodation preferences, paying attention to specific needs and special requirements of customers, providing them personalized service. In other words customizing the product according to the needs of customers. It makes them happy and contended and helps in creating a positive brand image. It includes small things like understanding the requirement of specific newspaper, allergies, preference for spicey or non spicey food, specific pillow requirements, other likes or dislikes. But these small things can make a big difference. Every industry if possible wishes to adopt customization as it helps in better positioning in the minds of consumers and also makes them feel special and valuable. REVIEW OF LITERATURE A firm can either offer products which are fit for all or totally customer oriented services according to the specific needs of each customer. Peppers and Rogers (1997) defined personalization as a procedure in which the detail of customers can used to deliver services according to the specific requirements of customers. Anderson in 1997 argued and proved through his study that customizing the products to meet the individualistic and diverse needs is more significant and critical for service industry. For example, Jin et al. (2012) corroborated in their study that tourism industry is also following customization by tailoring the trips according to the personal and specific requirements of travelers’. Ding and Keh (2016) in their study analyzed the positives and negatives of standardization and customization of services. They concluded that customization leads to higher customer satisfaction but also possess a drawback of higher risk. Uma, K & Chandramowleeswaran, G, 2015 connoted that customization has many benefits like it helps in creating competitive advantage; it also has a positive impact on service quality and customer satisfaction and also helps in gaining trust and loyalty of customers. Tsiotsou & Goldsmith in 2012 in their study articulated that hotel staff needs to be eager enough to understand the needs of customers so as to attain customer satisfaction and loyalty. When hotels try to understand and fulfill the peculiar needs of customers they get in hand such information about guests that helps in achieving customer satisfaction. Pedro S. Coelho & Jörg Henseler (2012) also suggested through their study that customization leads to better service, customer satisfaction and in turn customer loyalty. Much work has been done on relationship between quality service and customer satisfaction but there is a dearth of research on the link between customization and customer satisfaction. So, in this study also an attempt has been made to identify the relationship that exists between customization and customer satisfaction or whether customization leads customer satisfaction or not. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Objective The primary objective of the study is to examine the relationship that exists between customization and customer satisfaction.