The Influence of Cleanliness and Location on Consumer Choice of Hotels: A Nigerian Study

Abstract

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.