Service Convenience and Customer Loyalty among Non-Rated Hotels in Murang’a County, Kenya

Abstract

Service environment is characterised by intense competition as organisations rival each other for customers. This underlines the significance of customer loyalty, as it is vital for a firm’s survival and growth. Building a loyal customer base has not only become a major marketing goal, but it is also an important basis for developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Keeping customers has been a challenge among hotels in the hospitality sector. Customers will continue to defect from one hotel to another, which has cost implications for the customer and the hotel itself. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of service convenience on customer loyalty in hotels in Murangá County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to establish the effects of SERVCON scale dimensions (access convenience, decision convenience, transaction convenience, benefit, and post-benefit conveniences) on customer loyalty. The study targeted establishments that are hotels in the County. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. Data was collected from customers dining in the hotels through self-reported questionnaires. Moreover, 384 respondents were conveniently selected. Variables were measured using adapted and modified constructs from previous research. Questionnaires were pretested in one hotel in Kiambu County to assess their usability for the study. Content validity was used to assess the validity of the questionnaire. The reliability of the constructs was examined using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient technique. Descriptive statistics (means, percentages, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (multiple linear regression analysis) were used to analyse quantitative data. The study revealed that service convenience dimensions have a significant positive influence on customer loyalty. The study results provide strong evidence that service convenience influences customer loyalty positively. This finding has great implications for managers of hotels in Murang’a County. Foremost, there is a need to ensure that information regarding the hotel is accessible via different platforms to ease customers’ decision-making. This can be done through an investment into available social media platforms and hiring sales representatives to keep the platforms active and up to date. Secondly, managers of hotels in Murang’a County need to ensure that it is easy to locate and access the hotels. To this end, there is a need to use crystal clear sign boards and lobby Murang’a County to ensure that access roads are updated to tarmac standards and maintained.