An Assessment of Public Relations in the Hotel Industry in Kenya: a Case Study of Nairobi's Five Star Hotels
Abstract
PRJ is the practice of conveying messages to the public through the media on behalf of a client, with the intention of changing the public's actions by influencing their opinions. Public relations practitioners target certain segments of the public since similar opinions tend to be shared by a group of people rather than an entire society. Today, there is a growing number of Public Relations practitioners and firms providing different services forcing them to compete for clientele. In Kenya such firms include: Gina Din Corporate Communications, Ogilvy Public Relations Limited, Tell - Em Public Relations (E.A.) Ltd. and Bob Dewar Publicity. The study sought to establish how hotels in Kenya utilize public relations in their business operations. An insight into the factors that determine the quality of effective P R and its contribution to corporate management will enable the hotel industry in Kenya, with the right P R tools take corrective measures to remain competitive. The study investigated the P R practices employed by five star hotels in Nairobi. These hotels are considered to be an adequate representative of other hotels in Kenya whose findings can be replicated elsewhere. The study established that the hotels utilized P R within marketing departments. The study suggest ways in which PR practices' impact can be measured in order to rate their significance in the hotel industry. We recommend that hotels without PR departments should establish them as entities on their own and not under any other department.
Publisher
University of Nairobi, Kenya