Training strategies of front office personnel in the hospitality industry. A case study of three star hotels in the Cape Coast municipality

Abstract

The front office is the heart of any hotel industry. Service performances of front office personnel are therefore jeopardized because of lack of training. The study evaluates training needs of front office personnel in 3 Star hotels in Cape Coast Municipality. Descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. Purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting 64 front office personnel from sixteen (16) registered 3-star hotel in the Cape Coast Municipality. Questionnaire was used in gathering information from the front office personnel. Coding was done and the data from completed questionnaires was entered on the SPSS 23.0. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation was used in analyzing the data. The study revealed that training strategies are employed by the 3star hotels to improve front office personnel operational performance. The study showed that continuously changing environment, reduced patronage from customers, increased in complaint from customers are the major factors that influence training of front office personnel. The study found a positive and significant (p=0.000<0.01) relationship between training strategies employed by the 3star hotels and front office personnel performance. The study concluded that training strategies affect front office personnel performance. It was recommended that hotel managers should make the front office personnel know the training strategy and understand the importance of it.