Facilities, Customer Service and Leisure Guests’ Choice of Hotels: The View from Hotel Managers’ Side (Published)
A survey of 84 hotel managers in Awka metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria was conducted in January and February, 2024 to test a model of consumer choice of hotels developed by Ogbunankwor and colleagues in 2023 in which two factors (facilities and customer service) predict consumer choice of hotels. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test the formulated hypotheses with the aid of SPSS Version 20.0 software at 5% level of significance. Findings indicate that the two factors tested, namely facilities and customer service influence leisure guests’ choice of hotels. More importantly, customer service has more influence than facilities. As a result, this finding contradicts previous research executed from a guests’ perspective by Ogbunankwor and colleagues in 2023 that found facilities to have more influence than customer service. That is to say, this study is a confirmation that hotel managers do not totally understand their guests. Although the model achieved a good fit, future research is needed to validate the model in other perspectives and future research is also needed to develop a comprehensive model of consumer choice of hotels. Implications for global and particularly Nigerian industry stakeholders are discussed.
Keywords: Choice, Customer Service, Hotel, Managers, facilities, leisure guests
The Influence of Cleanliness and Location on Consumer Choice of Hotels: A Nigerian Study (Published)
This study was conducted to establish a framework of the determinants of leisure guests’ choice of hotels in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. The study became necessary owing to the fact that there is a dearth of empirical studies that examined the determinants of customer choice of hotels in any of the different segments of the hotel industry in the Nigerian context. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses with the aid of SPSS Version 20.0 software at 5% level of significance. The result from a convenience sample of 246 respondents who lodge in hotels in Awka metropolis show that the two factors investigated namely cleanliness and location influence consumer choice of hotels. More importantly, cleanliness has more influence than location. A key recommendation is that the regulator in the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria should liaise with health authorities to carry out periodic hygiene inspection on cleanliness and hygiene practices of hoteliers.
Keywords: Choice, Consumer, Hotel, Location, cleanliness, leisure guests
Competitiveness Improvement Strategy Formulation on Individual Hotel: Case of XYZ Hotel at City Of Bogor (Published)
Proportional to the growth of tourism industry in Indonesia, the city of Bogor has experienced an increase in the number of tourists, where it is followed by the growing number of hotels, including the brand-affiliated hotels. As a result, the independent hotels are at risk to experience a decrease in occupancy rate, including Hotel XYZ. Therefore, it is important for independent hotels to increase their performance thus their priceremains competitive in the market. This study aims to identify the internal and external factors of Hotel XYZ, and to formulate the strategy to increase Hotel XYZ’s competitiveness. The methods employed in this study are as follows: VRIO, PESTLE, Five Forces Porter, IFE, EFE, TOWS, and Strategic Architecture. IFE analysis shows that the employees’ loyalty and the wide area (land) have the same weighted value of 0.451. The main weakness of Hotel XYZ is the low level of education of the employees, with the weighted value of 0.223. EFE demonstrated that the main opportunity of Hotel XYZ is the technology advancement that has improved the business process to be easier, with the weighted value of 0.465. In the other hand, the main threat of Hotel XYZ is the growth of similar business thus leaving consumer with many options, with weighted value of 0.223. TOWS Matrix produced 10 alternative strategies, which then developed to the Strategic Architecture. The strategic architecture isdivided into four periods with each duration of one and a half year.
Keywords: Brand-Affiliated, Competence, Five Forces Porter, Hotel, Individu, Pestle, Strategy