Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction on the Relationship between Customer Engagement Practices and Customer Loyalty in Hotels in South East Nigeria

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This study examines the mediating role of customer satisfaction on the relationship existing between customer engagement practices on customer loyalty in hotels in South East, Nigeria. Specific objectives were to; examine the mediating role of customer satisfaction on the relationship existing between social media marketing (Facebook and Instagram) and customer loyalty in the hospitality industry; examine the mediating role of customer satisfaction on the relationship existing between short messages services (SMS) and customer loyalty in the hospitality industry. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The target population comprised customers who had used the services of the selected hotels at least once. A sample size of 396 customers quests was chosen from the population. Questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. A two-shaped structural equation modeling procedure was applied to test the hypotheses. The results show that at 5% level of significance, customer satisfaction has a statistically significant mediating role on the relationship existing between social media marketing (Facebook and Instagram) and customer loyalty, given that ß1 = 0.035; p = 0.015, ß1 = 0.78; p = 0.000, and the mediating role of customer satisfaction is statistically significant at 5% level of significance on the relationship between short messages services and customer loyalty, given that ß1 = 0.521; p = 0.000. The studyconcludes that; customer satisfaction play a mediating role on the relationship existing between social media marketing, and short message services, The study recommends that; to influence customers’ attitude and thoughts; hotel marketing managers should have up-to-date information about the new advancements and developments related to social network websites; Hotel marketing managers should also, ensure that short messages services alerts are persistently sent to relevant customers to enhance their loyalty.