ABSTRACT

In the modern world, social media has emerged to be unavoidable source of information for the
various decisions that people make. Social media, through diverse channels and social networks,
has given rise to a high level of interactivity and information to hotel customers. Previous studies
on customers’ hotel choice mainly focused on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Consequently,
there is little information on whether social media components shape customers choice of hotels.
Furthermore, little research has empirically investigated the effects of social media components
on customer choice of hotels especially in Nigeria. Hence, the specific objectives were to
investigate the effects of social media reviews, social media interactivity and to assess the
importance of social media accounts in the hotels. The study was guided by the social exchange
theory and social media components model. Anchoring on both explanatory and descriptive
research designs, the study targeted 147 town hotels in Aba Abia State, Nigeria where 5 hotels
were selected and targeted 640 hotel guests and 40 managers. The sample size comprised of 246
guests and 5 managers. The guests were selected using simple random sampling while the
managers were purposively selected. Self-administered questionnaires and semi-structured
interviews were used to collect data from the guests and managers respectively. Furthermore,
findings from interviews conducted revealed that hotels used Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter and
Instagram as main social media accounts. The study thus concluded that social media
components are important elements of customer choice of hotel. Hence, customers should make
the most of the social media reviews that can support their choice. Hotel managers are
encouraged to show how visual and inviting their properties are through their social media
accounts, or better yet through influencer marketing with online content creators. Finally, hotels
should make the most of social media platforms, as their use is only expected to increase.
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Hotels which include small owner-operated bed and breakfast businesses to highly rated, multi-
room luxury and/or stated premises (Xia, Vu, Law & Li, 2019) are ranked as the leading
enterprise in hospitality industry (Teck and Karuppiah, 2020). The exact statistics of the size of
the hotel industry has not been precisely determined, or subjective and/or seldom published
(Stylianou and et-al 2019). Most estimates are often based on data from the ‘International Hotel
Industry’ Survey (2018) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which
estimated that there are about 1.2 million hotels worldwide, with growth rates estimated at 2.2%
over the past 30 years ( Romero and Tejada, 2020). The statistics reveal that the entire hotel
industry is likely to accommodate approximately 870 million people globally (Bu, Xu, Zhong &
Xiao, 2019). Due to the sheer number of customers and other stakeholders in the hotel industry,
there is intense competition in the industry (Veiga, et al 2020). Customers’ behaviors towards
hotels are largely unpredictable as far as choice is concerned (Mehta & Sharma, 2019; Park,
Kang, Choi & Han, 2020). Due to the presence of increasingly more knowledgeable customers,
the hotel choice decision has continued to be more complex (Donnelly, et al 2020). Customers
prefer hotels that overflow with essential functional attributes and easily substitutable services
(Ahani, et-al 2019). Customers selection of hotels may be guided by location of the hotel
(Masiero, et-al, 2019), brand name and brand imaging (Sürücü et al., 2019), different amenities
like swimming pool, golf course and fitness facilities (Wongpradu and Panichpathom, 2019),
service quality price loyalty or all of this choice mix

Traditional methods of choosing hotels including brochures, mass media, print media, word of
mouth and travel agents are still common for some customers in hotels (Chin, 2020). Although
these traditional marketing tactics cannot be overlooked due to loyalty of the customers to certain
hotels (Smironva, et-al 2019), advancements in the use of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs), have relegated these traditional methods to more modern approaches key
of which is the internet and social media. Social media remain a key component of the internet
that has gained popularity among hoteliers as one of the important marketing channels to build
loyal customer relationship (Lian and Yoong, 2019). Consumer use of social media in hotels
hasincreased significantly (Chaudhary, 2019). Social media platforms include a variety of social
networking sites and content-sharing communities that customers use to share their travel and
holiday experiences (Theocharidis et al, 2019).

The most widely recognized components of social media include online social media reviews,
interactivity of social media, social media informativity and social media accounts (Ghose,
Ipeirotis & Li, 2019). Customer reviews include comments on the social media, customer
experience, customer views, customer suggestions and posts Social media interactivity covers
aspects such as engagement, discussion, inquiries, expression and exchanges on social media
platforms (Patel, 2019). Besides, social media informativity includes images and photos, video
displays, audio and text message often form part of educational functions on the social media
users. There are social media platforms including a range of social networking sites and content-
sharing communities that customers use to share their travel and holiday experiences
(Theocharidis et al., 2019). Participation in social media platforms can take the form of social
media accounts such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram to attract their
customers via social media networks and accounts. The use of social media platforms and
accounts is well established, including blogs, content communities, forums and bulletin boards
(Hashim et-al, 2019). However, among these, components of social media, the way and the
reasons why hotel guests use social media and how social media components affect their choice,
specifically in the hospitality context, still remains little understood (Gohil, 2015). Based on this
premise, this research aimed at investigating the effects of social media components on customer
choice of hotels, contributing towards a better understanding of importance of social media to the
hotels and its effects on customer choice.

In Nigeria, social media use is on the rise in many parts of the country. In addition, there are
increasing numbers of studies in Kenya that surveyed the use of social media in hotel industry,
including the provision of services in hotels, usage of social media as a marketing tool for
tourism and building brand equity in star hotels. There is, however, a currently limited study that
looked at the social media reviews, social media interactivity, social media informativity as well
as social media accounts on the hotel choice among customers, which makes the linkage between
these components with hotel choice among customers important. Based on the above, this study
was formulated to determine the effects of social media component on hotel choice in selected
hotels in Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The choice of hotels in Nigeria has remained a challenge for many customers desiring the best
experience having forfeited alternative hotel destinations (Fredrick and Authority, 2019) This
problem persist despite the knowledge that there are numerous hotels in Nigeria providing food
and beverage, accommodation, conference facilities and recreational service. While there are
studies in Nigeria that have reported choice of hotels, they concentrated more on attributes of
hotel and revisit intention or satisfaction. Studies on customers’ hotel choice decision dwelled
more on customer and/or loyalty (Ali, 2018).However, with the fast growth of the internet and
the increasing importance of social media in recent years, consumers are accorded endless
opportunities to explore, compare and contrast numerous characteristics of the services they
receive in hotels. Social media is shown to influence decision-making process for hotel
customers in developed countries (Gupta, 2019) Yet, not much has been studied about how
social media components affect hotel choice in developing countries like Nigeria. Few Nigerian
hotel studies examined the effects of using social media in hotels. Nevertheless, these studies
primarily depended on descriptive statistics in deducing their outcomes which is sometimes
described as subjective in discerning relationships between variables.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1.3.1 General Objective

The general objective of the study was to determine the effects of social media components on
hotel choice in selected hotels in Nigeria.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

i. To examine the effect of social media reviews on hotel choice in selected hotels in Nigeria
ii. To determine the effect of social media interactivity on hotel choice in selected hotels in
Nigeria

iii. To assess the importance of social media accounts in selecting hotels in Nigeria

1.4 Research Question

i) . Does social media review on hotel affect choice in selected hotels in Nigeria?

ii) Does social media interactivity affect hotel choice in selected hotels in Nigeria?

iii) What are the importance of social media accounts in selecting hotels in Nigeria?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The findings of this study are envisaged to benefit the hotel owners who are keen to attract more
customers in their hotels. This can be accomplished through an understanding of the use of
information technology in enhancing marketing. In this case, the contents of the social media that
may be influential in determining hotel choice may be much needed in the hotel industry. The
findings here may inform policy choices by hotels that would address strategic direction in the
hotel industry in terms of using social media as a marketing tool.

The study findings may also benefit hotels and customers that are regular social media users. The
findings will inform the hotels about their ability to influence hotel choice through social media.
Importantly, the study makes contribution to understanding the effects of social media
components on customer choice in Nigeria’s hospitality industry and hence helps integrate social
media components into the modeling of hotel choice to better understand hotel selection
behavior. Additionally, the findings will provide information to the hotel management who aim
at improving customer choice by availing information on social media aspects to understand
customer hotel choice behavior.

1.7 Scope of the Study

Although social media and hotel choice issues are broad in scope and diverse in their impact, this
study’s research scope focused on the effects of social media components on hotel choice in five
hotels in Aba metropolis, Nigeria. The components of social media were restricted to social
media reviews, social media interactivity, as well as social media accounts. The research was
conducted in Aba metropolis hotels as regards geographical scope. Lastly, the study was limited,
in terms of methodological scope, to explanatory and descriptive research design. Additionally,
the respondents for the research were drawn from Aba town hotels and included hotel guests and
hotel managers.

1.8 Limitation of the Study

The researcher encountered some challenges while trying to gather the relevant information. The
study involved gathering information from guests within hotels, which brought many challenges
of limited access to these respondents as most of the hotels were very strict to allow any access
to their guests. However, the researcher assured them that the information was for academic
purposes only.
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Concept of Hotel Choice

sector (Zygourakis, Rolston, Treadway, Chang & Kliot, 2014). As such, extensive research has
been carried out to examine the general consumer behavior and the hotel industry ( Mehta &
Sharma, 2019; Leung & Wong, 2020). Customer needs within the hospitality have been
constantly shifting in focus (Xu & Li, 2016). The expected clients always seek to make the best
choice to free and smooth their stay.
In hotels, it is the unique satisfying customer experience that counts above meals and
accommodation (Bravo, Martinez & Pina, 2019). Nevertheless, hotels face competition for
facilities with other hotels, which makes customer-centered marketing in hotels more popular
(Lai, 2019). Due to this, the behavior of hotel clients has been extensively studied (Wu & Gao,
2019; Lo, 2020; Mehrez, 2020). An insightful conclusion of these studies is that the customer
values assorted hotel attributes from the location, physical facilities, surroundings, hygiene,
security and exemplary customer experience (Wu & Gao, 2019). The superior attributes enticing
customers include the architecture, inbuilt facilities, the atmosphere, staff courtesy, pricing and
institutional soundness with security and communication at the core (Li, Liu, Tan & Hu, 2020).
Classical scholars have given their take on hotel choices. From these alternative classical studies,
qualities like the splendor of the physical appeal, personalized service, picturesque scenery,
price, serenity and relaxation opportunities carry supremacy to clients (Grønholdt & Martensen,
2019; Nicholls, 2020). The main determinants of customer preference in hotels in another study
are concerns such as corporate identity, service staff, physical environment, accessibility and
quality of services (Nguyen & Luu, 2018). There are discrepancies encountered from one hotel
to another that encompass: employees attributes, cleanliness, neatness, service quality, employee
knowledge among others (Buehring & O’Mahony, 2019). From the abovementioned studies, it is
evident that there is wide divergence in the hotel attributes which may be of significant concern
to the clients.
Hotels that enhance their strategic qualities will increase the appeal of their customers; redefine
their reputations by raising them above their competitors (Njite & Schaffer, 2017; Mandić &
Petrić, 2020). Although hotels attempt to package their attributes appropriately, there is no
agreed-upon package of attributes for universal application to satisfy customers (Trang, Lee &
Han, 2019; Baek, Choe & Ok, 2020).

These hotel attributes affect customer choice collectively. However, hotel should be in touch
with real-time consumer needs, that keep changing and market research is crucial for any hotel to
stay ahead of the pack in satisfying customer needs (Tran etNal., 2019a; Tran, Ba & Huynh,
2019b). While the choice of hotel customers is well known, the classical literature shows that
customers can select a hotel based on subjective and intrinsic values (Masiero et al., 2019). The
subjective nature of choosing a hotel is clear and real (Wongpradu & Panichpathom, 2019).
Hotel guests have a preference for serene location, clean room, price and security, while leisure
guests think about safety, comfort of mattresses, pillows and towel quality hotel name and
reputation, cleanliness, personal contact but rarely on the hotel prices (Hu & Yang, 2019;
Mukhtarom & Prasetio, 2020). The elements that navigates customers’ subjective hotel choices
suggest that hotel guests prefer an excellent location, spotlessly clean room, fair prices and
security (Isa & Nayan, 2020). Free-spirited leisure seekers often enjoy cozy beds, pillows and
standard towels, the hotel’s brand and prestige of personal contact with prices most often and the
bottom of the score (Radojevic, Stanisic & Stanic, 2019). Intrinsic and interest requirements for
customers also depend on a hotel’s preference (Rahimi & Kozak, 2017). The analysis of
customer choice on hotels needs to consider both subjective and the intrinsic view of customers.
There are intrinsic factors for customers that affect their overall hotel choice like emotional
considerations for customers (Wang, 2019). In this context, hotel customers engage in good
judgments and feelings and/or something that brings fun, excitement and pleasure (Fitrizal &
Limakrisna, 2019). There is plethora of research examining the intrinsic attributes of customers
that affect hotel choice. The most studied ones are customer satisfaction (Prabhakar, Yeong &
Knox, 2020), booking ( Park et al., 2020), hotel preference (Liu & Hung, 2020),
recommendations (Sepula & Bello, 2019), repeat visits (Talón-Ballestero et al., 2018),
willingness to pay (Namkung and Jang, 2017), experience (Toscano, Cabello Eras, Viviente,
Gutierrez & Gomez, 2019), loyalty (Lee & Park, 2019) and perceived value ( Xie, Guan & Huan,
2019).
However, in most hotel choice studies, consumers focus on the important and/or determinant
attributes of hotel selection such as satisfaction, revisit intention (Masiero et al., 2019), but they
are limited in identifying true real trade-offs among different attributes in the context of hotel
choice. Other existing research into hospitality choices is primarily focused on revealed choice
studies and/or reviews of consumer revisit after a hotel stay or experience (Coba, Rook &
Zanker, 2020). Customers who are emotionally bound clients will return, offer referrals and
disregard prices as they while making the hotel’s ultimate choice. Clients are on the lookout for
something that tickles their sensual balance when they sign up with fun, excitement, and
enjoyment (Kim, Kim, King & Heo, 2019).

Kenyan hotel selection data are commonly exclusive to customer experience (Chepngetich,
Ouma & Aila, 2019a; Chepngetich, Ouma & Aila, 2019b), hotel brand image (Nyairo, 2016;
Zipporah et al., 2019), customer satisfaction with hotels (Kiprop, Rotich & Chepkwony, 2017),
customer loyalty (Kangu, Wanjau, Kosimbei & Arasa, 2017; Kangu, 2017), physical attributes of
a hotel (Bor et al., 2018; Miricho & Adedipe, 2018) and customer perceptions of hotels”
(Mutuku & Wambua, 2019). However, so far little research has attempted to understand the hotel
choice in relation to the cognition of customers with several attributes of hotel preference,
recommendations, repeat visits, willingness to pay, promotion, hotel selection and preference in
Kenya. (Zhang et al.., 2020)

2.2 Use of Social Media among Customers

In the past, business organizations have used traditional methods of interacting with customers,
including brochures, print media, television, newspapers, radio, magazines, word of mouth,
travel agents among others (Law, Bai, Ip & Leung, 2011; Mustafa & Al-Abdallah, 2020).
“However, many consumers no longer trust the traditional hyped marketing because of
disadvantages such as being costly, slow and rarely reaching more people over a given period of
time (Halawani, Soh & Halawani, 2020; Xie & Shi, 2020). It has been established that print
media like magazines and newspapers provide expensive content to customers whereas
marketers pay for
advertising privileges in the content (Fortunati & O'Sullivan, 2019). These apparent
disadvantages of traditional ways of communication and business strategies have seen more
drastic changes over the last decade (Mahnam & Ashoka, 2011). More recently, a plethora of
new communication channels have emerged that provide consumers with opportunities to
actively provide information on services and products (Wang, Ying, Lyu & Qi, 2019).

The internet has gained wide recognition among people and with business entities in nearly all
aspects of human interactions (Gupta, 2019). In fact, the latest reports indicate that more than
four billion people (54%) worldwide can access and use the internet (Lal, Ismagilova, Dwivedi
& Kwayu, 2020). This is mainly due to the use of internet for several issues pertaining to
information search, retrieval, sharing, discussion, and making inquiries (Lapatinas, 2019;
Ferreira & Sousa, 2020). This has seen the internet transform the way customers connect
worldwide to overcome existing constraints (Scaglione & Murphy, 2020). In the process, the
internet has created online communities that connect to each other for sharing information,
discussing issues and making inquiries (Kelechi, Akujuobi, Sadiku, Chouikha & Alam, 2020). In
fact, the number of internet users has increased by approximately 5000% over the last 10 years
(Statistics, 2018) and continues to expand worldwide due to its versatility (Othman & El-Mousa,
2020). In the past, the creation of new internet applications has improved the level of user
engagement with other target audiences (Martínez-Torres & Gámez, 2019). However, it is the
Web 2.0’s second generation development that has revolutionized internet actions (Faulkner,
2020).
Currently, web 2.0 is a new mode of business communication (Mariani, 2020) which involves
linking social networking with collective knowledge (Orenga-Roglá & Chalmeta, 2019) to
facilitate participatory information distribution, interoperability and customer-centered design
(Harris & Rea, 2019). The network comprises a technical framework that enables the social
phenomenon of collective media and includes a range of technological advances that promote
cheap content creation, interaction, collaboration, and community participation in the World
Wide Web (Pollacia & McCallister, 2019). Web 2.0 usage enable customers to work together
and join forces via social media (Mariani, 2020).
Social media is described as a group of Internet-based applications that build on technological
foundations of Web 2.0’s ideology and allow the interaction, collaboration, creation and sharing
of user-generated content (García-Morales, Martín-Rojas & Garde-Sánchez, 2020). It entails
“electronic modes of communication through which users create online communities that
exchange knowledge, ideas, personal messages and other content” (Fuchs, 2017; Morris, 2020).
A more widely accepted social media has penetrated the public virtual square with resources that
allow user feedback compared to web 1.0 diaries (Martín-Rojas, García-Morales, Garrido-
Moreno & Salmador-Sánchez, 2020). The revolution gave users new engagement tools like
wikis, podcasts, photos, video tags, instant feed and blogs (Nguyen, Calantone & Krishnan,
2020).
Using social media has radically transformed the internet into an enormous space for social
networking, information exchange and user communication that allows people to connect at the
personal and community levels (Etter, Ravasi & Colleoni, 2019).
While social media, originally designed as online networks for individual, private use
and not intended to function as organizational tools, has withered external pressure and a global
acceptance that finds its way into business organizations as ways of communicating with
customers (Shareef, Mukerji, Dwivedi, Rana & Islam, 2019). Therefore the sheer magnitude of
different types of business organizations adopting social media as their customer engagement
platform is currently increasing (Ahmed, Ahmad, Ahmad & Zakaria, 2019). More significantly,
the use of social media in hotels remains an important consideration.
Hotels can use social media communities to establish customer relationships and lay the
foundation for unconditional loyalty (Tatar & Eren-Erdoğmuş, 2016). The power of the
relationship between active online communities lay in the capacity for trust and loyalty of past,
present and future customers to the brand (Garrido-Moreno, Lockett & García-Morales, 2018b).
The understanding of the online world has motivated researchers and practitioners to understand
these emerging business communication models through social media (Jung, Dieck & Chung,
2018). There are, however, few empirical studies on the effect of social media on the actions of
online communities on hotel choice (Varkaris & Neuhofer, 2017; Hajli, 2018).
From the above mentioned studies, Varkaris and Neuhofer, 2017, established that the way
consumers search hotel information have changed, as social media play an important role
influencing their decision-making process. Furthermore, social media has been recognized as an
informative venue in that it assists the relationship among customers by sharing their
experiences, which can provide valuable information for others (Halji, 2018). Social media has
emerged as a dominant digital communications channel and has significantly influenced the
marketing communications environment as it not only allows interaction between customers and
companies (Muresan and Sinuraya, 2018) but also among customers (Xiang and Gretzel, 2010).
The use of social media in hotels has been growing internationally, regionally and locally
(Kucukusta, Perelygina & Lam, 2019; Pacheco & Moreira, 2020). Hotels have incredible greater
opportunities, including enhanced marketing strategy, consumer knowledge and invaluable
instant direct customer input using social media (Garrido- Moreno, García-Morales, Martín-
Rojas & García-Sánchez, 2016). Social media provides hotels with several benefits including
enhanced brand identity, customer awareness and valuable feedback on hotel services (Giglio,
Pantano, Bilotta & Melewar, 2019; Tanford, Kim & Kim, 2020). The continued use of social
media in hotels in developed countries has been reported more than in developing countries
(Högberg & Olsson, 2019; Padma & Ahn, 2020). In the hospitality industry, there is now a
movement towards online social media interactions, which has altered the way travelers check,
rate, assess, buy and consume products and services on the web (Kim & Chae, 2018).
Hotel guests use different social media for online information depending on each travel stage, it
has been argued that social media unfolds its most important function in the pre-travel stage,
when guests use social media for travel planning, information search and pre-booking (Halawani
et al., 2020). From a practical perspective, online marketers should establish marketing strategies
to keep active online communities alive by defining what benefits group members seek in
participating and keeping members willing to participate in a long-term community relationship.
Customer gives the raw facts about a hotel on social media space that offers clients better up-to-
date information to influence their choice (Ramdin & Naraidoo, 2020). The internet via social
media has changed the way hotels communicate with their customers in customer relationships,
incorporation into their business processes and real-time interaction (Boubaker & Dauxert,
2020). Social media has provided customers a range of feedback and counter-check deals for
adverts and real customer experience (Nadeem & Al-Imamy, 2020).
2.3 Social Media Interactivity and Hotel Choice

The concept of interactivity has been defined and measured from a technological perspective.
Interactivity is described in most research as the capability of the device to exchange information
between users and the interface (Huang, Liao, Wang & Lin, 2018). Some researchers, however,
suggested that psychological factors would describe and quantify interactivity. Combining these
two description paths, interactivity involves the probability of interaction involvement, the
perceived ease of interaction and the degree of relationship that is enabled (Margarita, Mabell &
Elizabeth, 2017). Previous literature findings suggest that individual users appear to trust
information when they perceive a high degree of interactivity within a social media network
(Kim & Lee, 2019). Consequently interactivity is believed to be closely related to medium
credibility. An individual who has experienced a high degree of interactivity on a medium is
more likely to consider the media information as credible. Interactivity emerged as a key
component of collaborative relationship building research (Kelleher, 2009). Many public
relations scholars used the conceptual classification of interactivity by (Sundar, Kalyanaraman,
& Brown 2003): functional and contingency. Functional interactivity involves site-specific
features that allow users to interact in a variety of modes. Contingency interactivity occurs when
the roles of users are interchangeable and “interactants” respond to one other (p. 35).

Twitter provides organizations with the opportunity to engage in contingency interactivity with
publics and offer the kind of relationship-building contact that has been missing from websites.
(Lovejoy et al.., 2012) suggested that the potentially contingent interactive messages such as
replies and mentions from Twitter can help organizations communicate with other users.
The ultimate consensus arising from recent (Karampela, Lacka & McLean, 2018). Three
dimensions of interactivity include cognitive, affective and behavioural (Xu, Yao & Sun, 2019).
Specifically, cognitive engagement is similar to the overall mental activity focused on
something, involving attention and absorption (Madej, 2016). Affective engagement is composed
of enthusiasm and enjoyment with regard to an engagement object.
Last, behavioural engagement represents the active manifestations of the concept, including
sharing, learning and endorsing behaviours. Social media interactivity is a context-specific
occurrence of consumer engagement worth considering since interactivity varies across online
media (Lee & Lee, 2019). Social media engagement comprises community engagement and
brand engagement, and therefore understanding how these two focuses of engagement coexist
becomes important (Brodie et al., 2013). Their specific dynamic might in fact contribute to the
creation, sustenance and vitality of the communities and affect customer relationships and
brand management strategies (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2010). Despite a lack of research on the
interplay between community engagement and brand engagement (Dessart et al., 2015, 2016),
conceptual studies suggest that community engagement leads to increased levels of brand
engagement (Wirtz et al., 2013). This observation is in line with other community studies that
prove the positive impact of community practices on brand engagement (Schau, Muñiz, &
Arnould, 2009).

The social media is the most apparent component for interactions among customers and business
owners (Kim & Lee, 2019). This can only happen when individual, firm or corporate entity,
really participate and engage with others on media platforms. Interactivity in social media refers
to a motivation for social media users to connect and engage with others (Huang et al., 2018). In
this regard, social media is used to engage with online communities with a view to developing
new business models that include a new product marketing platform and creating strong
customer relationships by overcoming timing constraints (Xu et al., 2019). On the other hand,
online communities engage with marketers to gather information from their profiles about
potential or current consumers, infer needs and preferences of consumers based on their
community history, and obtain direct responses from consumers (Kim & Lee, 2019).
The presence of numerous social media networking sites has more interactive features
than other online communication platforms (Phelan et al., 2013). These networking sites can
facilitate online social a one on one and arm length interactive experience with other customers
online (Phelan, Chen, & Matthew, 2013). The interactivity has changed the working of online
marketing with the practitioners being driven and improvised by the customer conversations
improving their authenticity from the real- time and evolving experience of customers (Sigala,
2003). The interactive sphere is the edge of social media available for hotel marketers.
Feedbacks from online participation in the social media space have necessitated the creation of
new products and radical business models (Ulusu, 2010).

Though contents on social media may stimulate consumers to inquire information about the
hotels from the each other, studies have shown that social media provides new avenues of user-
generated content with the hotel provider having limited power other than to respond and
improve their internal offerings based on customer reviews (Hajli, 2013). Customers dream
locations can be matched to their aspiration from customer insights, sublime photos, video
content and satisfied comments (Florendo, 2018). The liberalized and interactive information
sharing on social media is preferred by most clients.

Social media interactivity is vital in the travel, tours and hospitality industry. According to Scott
and Orlikowski (2010), interactivity impacts the management and the bottom line of hotels by
providing unsolicited inputs from clients. Actually, in the hospitality industry, interactivity can
decide the fate of an entity as a going concern. The social media interactive space is the ultimate
arena for information dissemination. Experts and hotel marketers pivot on the social media
interactive platform to share knowledge and best practices and engage customers in their journey
through the hotels' choices (Panahi, Watson & Partridge, 2012). The internet-savvy millennial
are coming of age with their obsession with handheld smart devices as the tool to find the
experience they want in their travels (Briana, 2019). Social media offers real-time experiences
fending for the authenticity of products and services by customers (Briana, 2019). Social media
curbs damage to the brand by giving timely responses and redress to complaints by clients
(Jones, 2014). Social media conversation is informative to users, products and service providers.

2.4 Theoretical Framework

This study was guided by the social exchange theory and social media components model.

2.4.1 Social Exchange Theory

The theory of social exchange is a broad philosophical paradigm formulated to encompass a

number of social science disciplines including management, social psychology and
anthropology. It is not a single concept but is a philosophical model family (Dick & Henningsen,
2020). This theory implies that individuals make choices on the basis of certain outcomes.
People prefer exchanges leading to the greatest possible levels of safety, social approval and
freedom as well as alternatives leading to the least expense, consequences and social
disapproval. Therefore, any decision on social exchange can be a complex decision requiring an
individual to evaluate various costs and rewards. The theory further pre-supposes that humans
rely on interactions from others who share similar perceptions about their experiences
(Raghunathan, & Corfman, 2006).

In this case, people rely on exchanging information through social media platforms from other
communities. Additionally, social media includes, among others, platforms such as Facebook,
Instagram, YouTube and Twitter that people connect with each other and share information
about their hotel experiences (Lipschultz, 2017). Consequently, it is important to consider the
behaviours and motives of social media users. Generally, “social exchange theory assumes that
humans can accurately anticipate the benefits of a variety of interactions” (Griffin, 1994, p. 198).
People’s minds are comparable to computers. Like with computers, the human mind is only as
good as the data it holds (Griffin, 1994).

Obtaining a lot of data allows comparison of many different situations, while getting little
feedback allows comparison of a couple of different situations. Grefen and Ridings (2002) state
that when people expect rewards, they engage in exchange relationships. In the social media
analogy, human experiences with online communities are like one having various data sets for
which activity of preference can be discerned. Therefore, social media interactivity involves
discussion forums in which people engage each other online to inquire and express their views
and even exchange ideas and news.” Social media is also informative and involves sharing of
information about videos, photos, audio-recordings and other media among social media users.
An individual may begin to consider possible alternatives from which to make choices as a result
of reviewing, interacting and exchanging information on social media platforms, Therefore, the
theory of social exchange is important to understand human

interaction and decision making in this case, the interaction between and among the online
community and hotel choice behavior.
2.4.2 Social Media Components Model

Social media has three linked components which must be available in order to operate properly
online, these are: content and conversation, media sharing and social networks (Dann & Dann,
2011).

Media sharing is the extent to which individuals connect, distribute and receive social media
information through images/photos, videos and podcasts (Lee & Ma, 2012) where individuals
use tweets, forums, status updates to exchange knowledge, meet new like-minded people or to
create themselves as an opinion leader (Smith, 2007). In the current study these group of people
constitute the customers in hotels. This envisages well with social media interactivity component
of social media in the present study where customers contribute to sharing information among
individuals in terms of photos, videos, messages and audio recordings. The social media
component model helps in understanding of the sharing of information among individuals
(Falstrup, Denick, McClain, Murray, Ambriz & Hadnagy, 2019). The sharing can be in the form
of feedbacks or reviews in terms of comments, experiences and even suggestions that people
leave on social media platforms (Ham, Lee, Hayes & Bae, 2019). On the other hand, content is
what motivates the individual to visit certain social media environment, it can be photographs,
music, social news or videos while conversation is the extent to which customers communicate
with each another through social media. Conversation can therefore be interactive in nature in
terms of exchanging messages, engaging, expressing themselves through blogs and making
inquiries and exchanging opinions on social media platforms. In most social networking sites the
main aim is to promote communication between individuals and interest groups (Kietzmann,
2011). Starting or engaging in social media discussion is a way to make a message understood
and making an impact on subjects (Kietzmann, 2011). Moreover, organizations which are hotels
in this case use social media networks to educate customers about their products (Kietzmann,
2011).

Lastly, social networks are platforms that allow content sharing and social interaction among
users where social interaction is the contact one user may have with others through one of the
various social media accounts. The present study was based on the social media components
model as most of the social media components found in themodel were similar to those that
make up social media reviews, social media
interactivity, social media informativity and social media accounts (Ghose et al., 2019; Halawani
et al., 2019) which may affect hotel choice. Therefore, these components can be used to
understand how the usage and functionalities of social media can be utilized and exploited to
influence hotel choice by customers and by hotels
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHOD

3.0 Introduction

This chapter presented the method used in conducting this research. It was treated under the
following headings; Research design, Population of the study, Sample Size and Sampling
Technique, Description of Research Instruments, Validity of gathering Instrument, Reliability
of data gathering Instrument, Method of Data Collection, and method of Data Analysis .

3.1 Research Design

The research method used for this study was survey research method because it studies both
large and small population by selecting and studying samples chosen from the population. The
survey research design was considered appropriate for this study because it helped in gathering
first-hand information on the effect of social media components on customer choice of selected
hotels in Nigeria. The method provides the researcher with the opportunity to ask direct
questions that are relevant to the study that is being carried out.

3.2. Target Population

A population is a full set of inferences from which all possible cases of interest are referred to in
a study (Jacobsen, 2020). “The target population, on the other hand, refers to the entire group of
individuals involved in generalizing the findings (Dawson, 2019). At the time of study, there
were a total of 147 town hotels (https://hotels.ng/hotels-in-abia/aba). However, the study selected
5 hotels in Aba, Abia State where 640 hotel guests were specifically targeted based on 60.18 %
average occupancy rate recorded between November and December 2023. The study also
targeted 5 marketing managers from five selected hotels in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria

3.3. Sample size.

Mark (2010) asserts that samples for qualitative studies are generally smaller than those used in
quantitative studies. Sample sizes in a research should not be too large because it may be
difficult for the researcher to extract heavy and rich data. (Marshall, 2011) affirms that an
appropriate sample size for a research study is one that adequately answers the research question.
Taro Yamane’s formula was used in the determination of the sample size.
The formula for obtaining the sample size is:
n= N
1+N( e)2
Where n = sample size
N =Population
1 = constant
e = margin error =0.05
Determination of sample size
n= 640
1 + 640( 0.05)2
n 640
1 + 1.6
n= 4000
2.6
n = 246.003

3.4 Sampling Technique

The researcher in the course of conducting this study will use the simple random sampling
techniques. Simple random sampling will be used as the sampling technique for the reason that
the method ensures equal chance of selection among the respondents but also, the method avoids
and minimizes biasness hence enhanced validity and reliability. Every respondents has the same
characteristics.

3.5 Instrumentation
The major instrument for data collection in this study will be the questionnaire. The
questionnaire will cover information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the
respondents. The questionnaire will be designed to have two sections. Specifically all questions
in section ‘A’ were drawn to provide some general and demographic information of the
respondents, while the remaining questions in section ‘B’ were formed and directed to address
the research questions.

3.6 Reliability of the Instrument

A reliability test will be conducted on the instrument to determine how consistent the responses
are. The researcher will utilize test/retest method of reliability testing whereby the questionnaire
was administered at two different times to the same group of respondents.

3.7 Validity of Instrument

To make sure that the research instruments in this study were valid, the researcher ensured that
the instrument measured the concepts they were supposed to measure. A proper structuring of
the questionnaire and a conduct of a pretest of every question contained in the questionnaire
were carried out to ensure that they are valid. Also the design of the questionnaire was made easy
for respondents to tick their preferred choice from the options provided.

3.8 Data Collection technique

Given that this study is survey in nature, the method of data collection is the construction and
distribution of well structured questionnaires and micro interviews to the targeted respondents.
Hence, this research will adopt questionnaire technique in gathering data for this study. The
researcher issued questionnaires

3.9 Method of Data Analysis

This research will make use of frequency tables/percentages to analyze the descriptive
characteristics of the respondents to give answers to the various research questions
 CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction

This study set out to determine the effects of social media components on hotel choice in
selected hotels in Nigeria. This chapter presented and analyzed the data collected as well as
discussed the findings. A total of 246 copies of questionnaire were administered to various
respondents, 230 were retrieved.

The study posed the following research questions:

i) Does social media review on hotel affect choice in selected hotels in Nigeria?

ii) Does social media interactivity affect hotel choice in selected hotels in Nigeria?

iii) What are the important of social media accounts in selected hotels in Nigeria?

4.2 Data Presentation and Analysis

Demographic information of hotel guests was analyzed in terms of; age, gender, education level,
nationality, reasons for travel and status of stay.
4.2.1 Analyzing the age of the respondents

No. of
Age Respondents Percentage
Valid Below
90 39.1
30
31-40 75 31.6
41-50 46 20.0
50&
19 8.3
above
Total 100.0

Total 230 100.0

Table 1: Age of Respondents
The findings revealed, in terms of age, that 39.1% of the respondents were aged between below
30 years, followed by respondents aged between 31 to 40 years (32.6%), while 20% were aged
between 41 to 50 years. Meanwhile, 8.3% of the respondents were above 50 years of age and
13.8% were below 20 years. The results show that in hotels in Aba, young people were in charge
of the social media.

4.2.2 Gender of Respondents

Frequency Percentage
Valid Male 125 54.3
Female 105 45.7
Total 230 100.0

Table 2: Gender of Respondents

In terms of gender, 54.3% of respondents were male while 45.7% were female suggesting a
relative gender balance of hotel guests. This shows that both men and women equally ventures as
hotels guest in the hotels.
4.2.3 Academic qualification

Qualification Frequency Percent

Secondary 67 29.1
Under graduate 119 51.7
Post graduate 48 20.9

Total 230 100.0

Table 3: Academic qualification of Respondents

The level of education of the respondents also showed wide disparity. Those with an
undergraduate level of education were the most dominant group at 51.7%, followed by those
with secondary level who were 29.1% and the least guests with a post graduate level of
education at 20.9%. These results show that majority of the guest visiting the hotels were
educated with undergraduate levels of education

4.2.4 Reasons for Travel

Reasons for travel No. Respondents Frequency

Leisure 76 32.8
Visiting family 93 40.1
Business 63 27.1
Table 4: Reasons for Travel

The reason for visitation showed that the majority of the guests (40.1%) visit for recreation,
followed by guests visiting for business (32.8%) while the least numbers visited family and
friends (27.1%). This seems to suggest that hotels in Nakuru have recreational facilities that can
accommodate the need of the guests.

4.2.5 Usage of Social Media Platforms among Respondents

What social media platform do you use

Social Media No. of Respondents Percentage (%)

Facebook 49 21.3
Whatsapp 66 28.7
Google 37 16.1
Instagram 29 12.6
Linkedin 13 5.6
Twiter (Z) 10 4.3
Tiktok 19 8.3
Snapchat 7 3.0

Total 230 100

Table 5: The social media platforms used by guests when seeking information on the hotel to
stay in.

he findings indicate that among the social media platforms studied, the ones that demonstrated
high use were Whatsapp which was at 28.7%, followed by Facebook at 21.3%, Google at
16.1%, Instagram 12.6%. On the other hand, Twitter, Linkedin, Tiktok and Snapchat, indicate a
low usage with a percentage of 4.3% 5.65, 8.3%, %and 3.5% respectively among social media
platforms used.

4.2.6 Social Media Reviews.

Responses No. of Respondents %

I take interest in hotel comments made on social media 52 22.6
platforms
I read other users’ hotel experiences accessible on social media 54 23.5
platforms
I make opinions out of hotel views made on social media 61 26.5
platforms
I get hotel suggestions from other users on social media 45 19.5
platforms.
I am not in any way influenced by views, comments and 18 7.8
suggestions made on social media
Total 230 100

Table 6 Social Media Reviews

From the table above, 61(26.5 %) of the respondents make opinions out of hotel views made on
social media platforms, 54(23.5%) read users hotel experience accessible on social media
platforms, 52( 22.6%)take interest in hotel comments on social media platforms, 45(19.5%) get
hotel suggestion from other users on social media platforms, while the remaining 18(7.8%) are
not any way influenced by views, comments and suggestions made on social media.

4.2.7 Social Media Interactivity

Responses No. of Respondents %

I follow keenly when people exchange opinions about hotels on 49 21.3
social media
Responses to hotel inquiries on social media are helpful to me. 47 20.4
User expressions on social media help me to form opinions 67 29.1
about hotels
Discussions held on social media help me make opinion 50 21.7
I am not in any way influenced by people’s opinions, responses 17 7.4
to hotel enquiries, user expressions and discussions on social
media
Total 230 100
Table 7: Social media interactivity

The table above shows that 67 (29.1%) of the respondents agree that user experience on social
media help them to form opinions about hotels, 50( 21.7%) agree that discussions held on social
media help them make opinions, 49 (21.3%) follow keenly when people exchange opinions
about hotels on social media while 47( 20.4%) agree that responses to hotel enquiries on social
media are helpful to them and the remaining 17(7.4%) are any way influenced by people’s
opinions, responses to hotel enquiries, user expressions and discussions on social media.
4.2.8 Importance of Social Media Accounts in Selected Hotels in Higeria
The study’s final objective was to assess the importance of social media accounts in selected
hotels in Nigeria. This objective was in the form of a research question stating “How are social
media accounts important in selecting hotels in Nigeria?”
In order to address this question, an interview with five marketing managers was conducted. Five
marketing managers were designated as: [Manager 1, Manager 2, Manager 3, Manager 4 and
Manager 5].
Benefits of using social media platforms
On further review of the benefits of using social media in the hotels, it was evident from the
interviews that one of the main advantages social media accounts offer is a cheaper means of
advertising their products and services by reaching out to more potential customers at lower real
time prices. Participants of the interview said:
“… [Having a social media account] is one of our digital marketing strategies that allows us to
reach more targeted people at a lower cost and hence improve bookings …” [Manager 2]
“… Customers get to know about the products and services of our hotel and it has really sold
out… [Manager 4]
“ … It has really paid off as far as marketing is concerned, we use Facebook, Instagram and
LinkedIn in advertising and eventually delivering lunches to the offices around town and even to
the homesteads around. After one week of posting we got feedback from customers…”
[Manager5]
Another participant further explained that they have:
“… sold out [the] Hotel because many people have got to know about the hotel through social
media … Post a picture [of the hotel] and [you] find people asking for it … people ask/enquire
and as marketers we engage them, and they end up visiting the hotel…” [Manager 1]
On the aspect of promptness one participant said:
“ … You reach a lot of people within a short time since most people are using social media
today…” [Manager 3]
4.3 Discussion of Findings
4.3.1 Effect of Social Media Reviews on Hotel Choice
The study’s first objective examined the effect of social media reviews on hotel choice in
selected hotels in Nigeria. The results showed high rating of social media reviews suggesting that
they are used extensively in hotels. Online reviews are more important for the hotel industry now
than in the past, since the ability to be perceived as a liked and trusted brand can be the
difference between success or failure for the business (Shin, Perdue & Pandelaere, 2020).
Consumers generally have confidence and consider these reviews as trustworthy, which may
reflect how they 98 relate to the hotel industry (Jin, Ji & Gu, 2016; Xu, 2020). A previous report
also found that online reviews ranked as the hotel industry’s second most reliable source of
brand knowledge relative to other sources recommendations (Qi, Zhang, Jeon & Zhou, 2016).
Additionally, users are thought to have no patterns when posting reviews online (Xiao, Wei &
Dong, 2016), with no known structured pattern of posting the reviews (Thakur, 2018). Online
reviews, on the other hand, are an important resource for consumers that can allow them to
determine prior product quality and service excellence before taking part in the important
decision to buy the product or service from the business.
This is in line with studies that have indicated that while social media are primarily used to assist
consumers for inspirations, limiting choices and verifying decisions, hotel reviews are used to
form a ‘consideration set’ of possible choices (Gonçalves, Silva & Martins, 2018; Liu et al.,
2020).

4.3.2 Effect Social Media Interactivity on Hotel Choice

In particular, inquiries, expressions, discussions, engagement and exchanges were explored as
attributes of interactivity. The study, revealed that social media interactivity has a positive and
significant effect on hotel choice. The findings showed that rating for social media interactivity
was high which implies that social media interactivity employed by the hotel guests received
above average rating among hotel guests. The current findings concur with those of Aluri et al..,
(2016) who found that social media interaction among customers and between customers and
hotels enable them share joyful or bad experiences from their hotel stay. Therefore, the findings
of this study confirm that social media platforms are widely used by customers for engagement
and socializing purpose which enhances interactivity (Whiting and Williams, 2013).
4.3.3 Importance of Social Media Accounts
The results indicated that social media platforms are quite effective in enhancing marketing
among the hotel owners. This is in line with the findings of Filo Lock and Karg, 2015 and
Saxena and Khanna, 2013 that social media has been largely realized as an effective mechanism
that contributes to the marketing objectives and strategy of the firms; especially in the areas of
customer engagement, customer relationship management and communication. Furthermore, the
study established that social media platforms help in communication and promotion of hotel
products and services to potential and existing customers. These findings are in line with those of
Raab et al,. (2016) noted that the use of social media has developed improved communication
between companies to loyal customers and have positively increased the relationship with their
members through social media communication quality and customized information. Garretson,
2008 further established that social media platforms not only enable the product or service
company to convey their brand, culture and product but the platforms also offer them the
opportunity to initiate and maintain communication pathways with their consumer.
 CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Introduction
The chapter presents a summary of the study’s findings, discussion, conclusions and
recommendations
.
5.1 Summary of Research Findings
The main purpose of this study was to determine the effects of social media components on hotel
choice in selected hotels in Nigeria. The study covered effect of social media reviews, social
media interactivity, and importance of social media accounts on hotel choice.
This finding reveals that social media reviews had a positive and significant effect on hotel
choice, social media interactivity had a positive and significant effect on hotel choice and the
study’s final objective assessed the importance of social media accounts when choosing hotels in
Nigeria. Among the seven types of social media platforms identified for the study, WhatsApp,
Facebook, Google and Instagram demonstrated high daily use. The important aspects of the
social media accounts included, reaching people, promotion of the hotel products, creating brand
awareness and advertising. Accordingly, hotel social media accounts were found to be very
effective in enhancing marketing of the hotels to the customers.

5.3 Conclusions
It is evident from the study that social media components affect customer choice of hotel. The
study determined that social media reviews and interactivity affect customers’ hotel choice in
selected hotels. Social media interactivity was the highest contributor among the social media
components. Social media interactivity has an effect on customer hotel choice. This can be
attributed to the fact that interactivity is concerned with how people communicate with one
another to inquire, discuss and share information and opinions on social media. The present
study has demonstrated that hotel guests engage each other on social media to exchange their
views on hotels as well as to express their opinions on hotels, thus there discussion can equally
provide useful information leading them to make recommendations to each other thus choice.
Social media reviews have an effect on customer hotel choice as customers seek hotel-related
experiences on social media by viewing posts, comments and suggestions that users leave on
social media platforms about other hotels before making bookings and visits to a particular hotel.
Wide varieties of social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Google,
Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat and LinkedIn should be used by the hotels. Accordingly, hotel
social media accounts were found to be very effective in enhancing marketing of the hotels to the
customers as the important aspects of social media accounts included, reaching people,
promotion of the hotel products, creating brand awareness and advertising.

5.5 Recommendations of the Study

From the findings, this study recommends that customers should utilize social media reviews in
selecting their preferred hotels as they can get social proof from people who have been there
before them which is a greater force for buying decisions

This study further recommends that hotels make the most of social media platforms, since their
use is only expected to rise. Therefore, rethinking the use of social media and technology is
critical for hotels not only to promote the business but also to enhance customer care and guest
experience, which will help strengthen brands’ reputation and drive growth. Social media
accounts offer hotels the opportunity to build relationships with guests and strengthen the image
of the hotel online. Additionally, it is an opportunity for a company to showcase what they have
to offer and build guest expectations. Having an effective social media strategy and an active
presence across as many networks as possible is absolutely essential for hotels to build
relationships with and successfully market to past, current and prospective guests. In addition,
apart from making social media an indispensable tool for hotel marketing, it is also important for
hotels to create a public profile to show their products and services and engage with their guests,
to build that authentic and human connection across their social media platforms in the same way
that influencers do.
 QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Respondent,
I am a HND student of Abia State Polytechnic. I am currently undertaking a research work on:
“Effects of Social Media Components on Hotel Choice in Selected Hotels inNigeria, Kenya”.
The study is being conducted for academic purposes and the information you shall provide will
be treated with utmost confidentiality. You have been identified as one of the respondents and
you are kindly requested to participate by filling in this questionnaire. Thank you for your
cooperation.

PART A: General Information

Please put a "tick" in the spaces provided to indicate the most appropriate response:
1. Indicate your age bracket:
Less than 30 years [ ] 31-40 years [ ] 41-50 years [ ] 51and above[ ]

2. Gender: Female [] Male []

5. State the highest level of your education:

Secondary [ ] Degree [ ] Postgraduate [ ]

6. Reasons for your travel:
Business [ ] Leisure [ ] Visiting family and friends [ ]
Which of the following social media platforms do you use when seeking information about
this hotel? [Tick [√]where applicable].
a) Facebook []

b) Google []

c) Twitter []

d) WhatsApp []

e) Instagram []

f) Tiktok []

g) Snapchat[]

h) LinkedIn[]

8. Please indicate how any of these affects your choice of a hotel to stay in (tick (√) where
applicable).
I take interest in hotel comments made on social media
platforms
I read other users’ hotel experiences accessible on social media
platforms
I make opinions out of hotel views made on social media
platforms
I get hotel suggestions from other users on social media
platforms.
I am not in any way influenced by views, comments and
suggestions made on social media
9. Select any of the following that applies to you

I follow keenly when people exchange opinions about hotels on

social media
Responses to hotel inquiries on social media are helpful to me.
User expressions on social media help me to form opinions
about hotels
Discussions held on social media help me make opinion
I am not in any way influenced by people’s opinions, responses
to hotel enquiries, user expressions and discussions on social
media

10.Interview Schedule

What do you think is the benefit of using social media in this hotel