Challenges Faced in Linen Management and Effect on Guest Satisfaction in Selected Hotels in the Upper East Region of Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t3110Abstract
Hotels face various challenges in their operations, with linen loss being inevitable. This study investigated the challenges with linen management and its impact on guest satisfaction in selected hotels in the Upper East Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The sample comprised 52 hotel employees from 24 star-category hotels, including general managers, supervisors responsible for accommodation and laundry, and the president of the regional hotel association. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, and multiple linear regression for inferential statistics, were used to test the hypothesis at a 5% significance level. The findings revealed that hotels face linen management challenges, including linen theft, unauthorized movement of linen within departments, and the use of linen for cleaning spills. Additionally, hotels lacked the technology to track linen movement. Hypothesis testing showed that challenges in linen management significantly affected guest satisfaction (R = 0.522, R² = 0.272, F = 3.441, p = 0.010), leading to the rejection of the hypothesis that linen management challenges have no significant effect on guest satisfaction (p = 0.010 < 0.05). Approximately 27.2% of guest satisfaction variance could be attributed to the predictor variables in linen management challenges. The study recommended that hotel management intensify education for both staff and guests to reduce linen loss. Furthermore, each hotel could consider forming a committee to review linen management practices and address related challenges.
Keywords: Linen Management Challenges, Customer Satisfaction, Selected Hotels, Upper East Region, Ghana.
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