| dc.description.abstract | In the hotel industry success is achieved through quality of service and therefore increased competition in the tourism sector arising from globalization, has made quality become a key factor in the hotel industry. One of the strategies used to achieve quality is Total Quality Management (TQM) which is an organizational wide approach to continuously improve quality of all the processes, products and services.
The study therefore sought to explore the practice of TQM in the Kenya hotel industry. It set to establish the extent to which hotels in Nairobi have adapted TQM approach in their operations and the relationship between the extent of adoption and the operational
. performance of these hotels. The research targeted 3-5 star hotels in Nairobi numbering eighteen (18) and data was collected from managers and supervisors of these hotels using two semi-structured questionnaires. Questionnaire A was administered using a drop and pick later method on top managers and questionnaire B was administered using the same method on supervisors/staff working in rooms/food and beverages departments, the units that interact directly with customers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.
The major findings of the study were that; there is common appreciation and recognition of TQM as an important strategy for hotels competing in the tourism industry, most of the hotels in the 3-5 star classification have embraced TQM in their operations and that TOM has a positive impact on operational performance of hotels.
The research therefore recommends that, all hotels in Kenya aspiring to compete in the tourism industry should embrace TQM in their operations, the government should review the hotel classification system to reflect a focus on the customer and finally a wider and deeper study should be undertaken covering all the hotels and lodges in Kenya. | en |
