SERVICE TANGIBILITY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN FIVE STAR HOTELS IN SOUTH COAST, KENYA
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to establish the influence of service tangibility on customer satisfaction in the hotel industry in Kenya: A case study of five star hotels in the South Coast. A descriptive survey design was used in this study. The target population of the study included all the four five star hotels at the South Coast of Kenya namely Leopard Beach Resort, Swahili Beach Resort, Diani Reef Beach Resort as well as The Sands at Nomads. The sampling frame of the study included 400 study participants who had spent at least a day in hotel before the actual data collection. A sample size of 200 respondents was sampled from the target population using convenience sampling. The study used primary data collected using a structured questionnaire. Pilot study was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the data collection instrument. Data was analyzed both descriptively and inferentially. Pearson correlation analysis was carried out to determine the relationship between study variables while regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. The results of the study showed that all the general landscape of the hotels was appealing to the eyes, and the general appearance of the hotel premises and compound was excellent and that the visitors felt good to stay in hotels that had well-manicured lawn. The study concluded that the general landscape of the hotels was appealing to the eyes, the general appearance of the hotel premises and compound was excellent. The study also concluded that the visitors felt good to stay in hotels that had well-manicured lawn. The study recommended that the hotels management should have properly designed and up to date advertisement tools both in social and mass media to market their hotels. The study recommended that the management of the hotels should ensure that physical facilities of the hotels like ambience, menu of the cuisine and drinks, transport, parking and laundry services are excellent and impeccable.
Key Words: Premise Appearance, Advertisement Tools, Service Process, Hotel Personnel, Customer Satisfaction
CITATION: Manyara M. P., & Mutuku, B. (2020). Service tangibility and customer satisfaction in five star hotels in South Coast, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 7(2), 341 – 358.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v7i2.1634
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