CUSTOMER PERCEPTION ON SERVICE QUALITY IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR WITH A FOCUS ON HOTELS IN ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA

Abstract

The hotel industry is largely dependent on service quality and customer satisfaction for continuous and efficient growth. The main aim of this research is to determine how perceptions of service quality have influenced hotels' operations in determining customer loyalty and satisfaction. To this end, a sample of 148 customers was drawn from the hotel industry in Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria. The study used a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire that ranges strongly agree (5) to strongly disagree (1). Different tests such as demographic analysis, descriptive and reliability test were applied to achieve the objective. The variables employed are tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, confidentiality, communication, sociability/valence, and waiting time. The results clearly show that customers only have a low satisfaction level about the quality of hotel industry services, with an average score of 2.69. The study recommends that the managers and all hospitality service providers provide enough functional and technical quality, which most consumers consider before using such services repeatedly. This is because exclusive customer experiences increase customers' intention to promote firms through Word of Mouth (WOM). The study leverage first-hand data in the hospitality sector of Abeokuta.