Effect of Social Media Use on Guests’ Post Purchase Evaluation and Loyalty in Four and Five Star Hotels Kenya: Quantitative Approach

Abstract

Abstract: Demand for quality hotel service has led to adoption of information and communication technologies. Lately, online social media has revolutionized communication, post purchase evaluation and the marketing of tourism industry. Despite the contribution of social media in hotel business, the extent of its use by hotels in Kenya for guests’ transactions has not been established. Moreover, the extent to which guests use social media for their hotel transactions remains unexplored. Guests’ post purchase evaluation and loyalty further influence hotel performance, yet information on them is not well documented. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine the mediating effect of social media use on guest’s post purchase evaluation and loyalty in 4 and 5 star hotels in Kenya. The population comprised of 3644 guests and 68 top managers in 4 and 5 star hotels in Nairobi and Mombasa where there is highest concentration of the hotels as well as hotel bed space of 3644 based on the year 2015 bed occupancy rate calculated at 40% and 31% for Nairobi and Mombasa respectively. Krejcie and Morgan formula was used to determine a sample of 362 guests and top managers. This study employed multi - stage random sampling technique. Both questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. Quantitative analysis revealed that Social media use had partial mediating effect on the relationship between post purchase evaluation dimensions and guest loyalty i.e. Purchase importance (beta difference= 0.133), Service performance (beta difference= 0.034) and Information sharing (beta difference= 0.283). The study concluded that Social media use had a mediating effect on the relationship between guests’ post purchase evaluations and guests’ loyalty. The study recommended that stakeholders in the hotel industry should monitor and control social media use since it mediates the relationship.

Keywords: Social media, post purchase evaluation, guest loyalty, hotel industry, mediating