Employees’ Empowerment, Service Quality and Customers’ Satisfaction in Hotel Industry

This study explored the relationship between employees’ empowerment, service quality and customer satisfaction among the front office staff in hotels in Benin City, Nigeria. To achieve the stated objective, questionnaires was used to collect data from respondents. Multiple regression analysis was used for the analysis of the data. Findings revealed that two dimensions of employee empowerment had a positive, and non- significant relationship with customers’ satisfaction. Regarding the strength of the relationship, the result showed that both structural and psychological dimensions had a positive, but not significant relationship. The result of the relationship between employee’s empowerment, and service quality showed a positive and significant relationship. The study further showed a positive but not significant relationship between employee’s empowerment, and customer’s satisfaction. Positive and significant relationship also exists between service quality and customer’s satisfaction. Based on these findings, the researchers suggested that authorities in charge of hotel industry in Benin City should structure their organisation to enhance intrinsic motivation of staff towards offering of quality service that could translate to customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it was suggested that emphasis on the right service culture, and organisational structure that promote meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact should be encouraged among the front office staff. Keywords: Employee empowerment, Customer’s satisfaction, Structural empowerment, Psychological empowerment.