Investigating the Effectiveness of Branding on Customer Loyalty in Some Selected Hotels in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

The study investigated the effectiveness of branding on customer loyalty in some selected hotels in Accra. In all, 250 questionnaires were administered to the customers and 200 representing 80% were retrieved. Five selected hotels in Accra were used for the research. The study revealed that some hotels apply branding strategies in selling their products while others do not. This was attributed to the fact that managers of those hotels are unaware of the benefits of effective branding strategies. The study also revealed that services that attract customers most to a hotel include front office, food and beverage and housekeeping. From management perspective, it was realized that 40% of customers mostly patronize housekeeping services and 40% also patronize food and beverage services mostly. Finally the study found that, factors such as trust, commitment, high quality services, customer satisfaction and reward programmes influence customer loyalty in the hotel industry. Customer satisfaction appeared to be the major factor that influences customer loyalty in hotels. Hotel managers and employees should therefore maintain a friendly relationship with customers and customer’s needs should constantly be met as this could help to make customers highly satisfied.