Author(s): Ogbunankwor Chibueze Emmanuel, Nwangene Ogochukwu Christian, Chendo Nkoli Augustina
Hotel room revenue and occupancy rate have continued to experience exponential growth in contemporary Nigeria. In spite of this, hotel patronage is still regarded by many as indecent behavior as a result of traditional and religious beliefs notwithstanding the improvement in hotel facilities and services. Moreover, it is not empirically established if these facilities and services provided by hotel management in Nigeria influence leisure guests’ choice of hotels. To achieve these objectives and establish a framework of leisure guests’ choice of hotels, this study used multiple regression analysis to test the formulated hypotheses with the aid of SPSS Version 20.0 software at 5% level of significance. Findings from a convenience sample of 323 respondents who lodge in hotels in Awka metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria show that the two factors investigated namely facilities and customer service influence leisure guests’ choice of hotels. More importantly, facilities have more influence than customer service. As a result, the study concludes that hotel patronage for leisure should not be seen as indecent behavior but as an avenue to scintillate consumer sense of adventure and imagination and help in boosting lifestyle and tourism in Nigeria. Finally, the study made recommendations to key stakeholders in the hotel industry.