Perceptions of instructor quality, loyalty and recommendation intentions in fitness centers: a comparative analysis by role and users characteristics

Background Service quality is a critical determinant of satisfaction and behavioral intentions in fitness centers. Instructors play a pivotal role in shaping users’ perceived quality and, consequently, their loyalty and recommendation intentions. This study aimed to compare users’ ratings of quality of intervention, loyalty intention, and recommendation intention with instructors’ estimations of how users would rate these same dimensions, and to examine how users’ ratings vary according to sex, age, educational level, and gym attended. Methods A total of 589 users and 145 instructors from five gyms within a Portuguese fitness chain completed an online questionnaire in which users rated quality of intervention, loyalty intention, and recommendation intention, while instructors reported their estimations of how users would rate these same dimensions, rather than providing their own evaluations. Independent samples t -tests and one-way ANOVA were performed to compare perceptions between users and instructors, and across user groups by sex, age, education level, and gym attended. Results Users consistently rated instructor quality, loyalty, and recommendation intentions higher than instructors did. Among users, significant differences were found across age, education level, and gym attended: older and less-educated participants, and those from specific gyms, reported higher scores. Only recommendation intention differed by sex, with female users more frequently reporting that they would recommend the gym. Conclusion This study highlights the crucial role of instructor quality in shaping satisfaction and behavioral intentions within fitness settings. The results emphasize the importance of reflective professional development for instructors and segmentation-based loyalty strategies for users. These findings offer actionable insights for fitness managers to tailor service delivery, strengthen customer loyalty, and foster sustainable organizational success in a competitive market.