LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PERFORMANCE OF FIVE STAR HOTELS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The 5-star hotels in Nairobi have experienced dwindling customer numbers, reduced services and products offered and quality of service as a result of decreasing number of tourists following the 2017 repeat election declaration, terrorism attacks in Dusit D2 and Corona Virus pandemic. The reduced number of customers has affected the growth, expansion, sales and number of employees in the hotel industry in Kenya. The industry also has encountered a reduced number of tourist activities which has affected customer outreach levels in the years 2016 to 2020. The current study, therefore, sought to evaluate the effects of leadership style on the performance of five-star hotels in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was anchored on resource-based theory. A descriptive research design was used. The unit of analysis was Nairobi City County’s five-star hotels and the unit of observation was the senior hotel managers. Data were collected from 104 senior managers and due to the small number, the research used a census study. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The drop and pick later method was used to collect data. Test for reliability was done through the Cronbach Alpha test and content validity and construct validity were tested through the pilot test. Qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques were used. Descriptive measures such as mean, frequency and standard deviation were used. Inferential statistics such as correlation and regression analysis were used to present the linear relationship between variables. Data was presented in tables/figures. The significant majority of respondents said that hotel management has the ability and skill to conduct an initiative of change. The study found that leadership had a favorable impact on five-star hotel performance. Environmental scanning should be encouraged in hotels because it is the only way to alleviate stress during leadership. JEL: L80; L83 Article visualizations: