ABSTRACT

The study examined employee motivation and its influence on customers’ satisfaction in the hotel industry. The study adopted descriptive survey method. A total of 260 employees and 399 customers were sampled. Hence, questionnaire were prepared and distributed to all registered hotels in Ikwuano LGA, Abia State, Nigeria. Data generated were analysed using tables, frequency, percentage and mean while the formulated hypotheses were tested using multiple regression and correlation coefficient. The findings obtained showed that majority of the respondents strongly agreed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation such as salary and wages, fringe benefits such as gifts and allowances, promotion and security, good condition of service, time off or leave, staff training and effective communication, information availability and accessibility, good sense of challenge and achievement and job autonomy adopted by hotels have significant effect on employees motivation. Majority of the respondents strongly agree that there is a significant relationship between employees motivation such as salary and wages, fringe benefits such as gifts and allowances, promotion and security, good condition of service, time off or leave, staff training and effective communication, information availability and accessibility, good sense of challenge and achievement and job autonomy and customer satisfaction. The findings obtained showed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation have significant effect on employees’ motivation. Based on the findings made and empirical findings of the study, the following recommendations were made: appropriate mechanism should be put in place to ensure that employees needs and desires are well articulated and addressed promptly, this is directed towards ensuring that employees’ needs are well satisfied at the right time and at the right proportion; appropriate mechanism should be put in place to ensure that employees needs and desires are well articulated and addressed promptly, this is directed towards ensuring that employees’ needs are well satisfied at the right time and at the right proportion as this exerts significant impact on customers satisfaction. Policies regulating the working condition of employees of hotels should be adequately reviewed to ensure that favourable policies that can increased employees’ satisfaction and performance be incorporated. This will not only improve employees’ performance but will also increase organisational productivity.