ABSTRACT

 This study assessed the hotel corporate social responsibility on the wellbeing of host community in Umuahia Metropolis. Five objectives were set out which are; to identify the existing CSR initiatives implemented by hotels to its host community in Umuahia metropolis, to determine the extent of scholarship that hotels have provided to the host community in the course of carrying out their CSR, to examine the nature of employment that hotels offer to the host communities in the course of carrying out their CSR, to identify the infrastructural facilities that hotels provide to the host communities in the course of carrying out their CSR, and to determine the type of festival that the hotels sponsored with their host communities to improve their wellbeing. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study, with a population of one hundred and ninety-six (196) registered hotels in Umuahia metropolis. The study employed the use of self-prepared questionnaire to obtain information from the respondents of registered hotels in Umuahia metropolis. The questionnaire was designed in line with the four point likert rating scale. Simple descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentage, and mean was used to analyze respondents’ personal data and research questions while multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The result on the demographic data showed that most respondents are young (20-40 years), educated (diploma/degree holders), and mainly business owners, with a majority residing in the area for under five years. Over 60% have benefited from hotel CSR initiatives for less than three years. Findings revealed that among all CSR efforts, only festival sponsorship, particularly cultural, health, environmental, and food-related events was significantly practiced and positively perceived by the community (grand mean = 2.83, p < 0.001). Other domains such as educational scholarships (grand mean = 1.83), employment opportunities (grand mean = 2.02), and infrastructural support (grand mean = 1.98) were rated poorly and found statistically non-significant in influencing community wellbeing. Regression analysis further confirmed that festival sponsorship had the strongest impact (β = 0.961, p = 0.000), while other predictors showed limited or no statistical relevance. The study concludes that hotel CSR in Umuahia is narrowly focused and largely symbolic, with substantial gaps in strategic implementation across core development areas. To enhance CSR effectiveness, it recommends a broadened scope covering education, employment, and infrastructure; institutionalization of CSR guidelines and monitoring; inclusive community participation; and strengthened public-private partnerships. These interventions are crucial for aligning CSR efforts with sustainable development goals in host communities.