Abstract:
The adoption of mass customization in the hospitality industry is a new business frontier
which surpasses mass production. The purpose of the study was to examine to which extent
customers were satisfied with custom-made hospitality product attributes. The research was
guided by three objectives which were, to establish to which extent the customers were
satisfied with custom-made hospitality product attributes, to find out strategies that can be
used to improve custom-made hospitality product attributes and lastly the challenges faced
when customizing hospitality products. The study will on a broader level contribute to the
overall achievement of vision 2030 which is to make destination Kenya become among the
top ten long haul tourist destination countries in the world (Vision 2030, 2007), the research
work will further benefit the existing hospitality facilities by enhancing Customer
Relationship Management. The study reviewed relevant literature on customer satisfaction
and customization. The study adopted a case study research design and was carried out at
Mami Hotel Wote. The target population of the study was 200.The sample size was 60
respondents who were determined using a formula by Mugenda and Mugenda (2003).The
sampling techniques used were simple random sampling for guests and purposive sampling
for the top management. The study employed the use of both primary and secondary sources
of data. Primary data was obtained from questionnaires and interviews whereas secondary
data was collected from relevant books and journals. Qualitative and quantitative data were
analyzed using descriptive statistics. The data was presented by use of graphs, tables and pie
charts. Findings indicated that guests were satisfied with custom-made hospitality product
attributes, the major challenge cited when customizing product attributes was financial
constraints, and finally one of the strategies suggested to improve hospitality products was
the implementation of an effective customer relationship management system. In conclusion
it was evident that there was need to customize hospitality products to increase the level of
satisfaction, create customer loyalty and finally gain competitive edge over other hospitality
facilities. The researcher recommended benchmarking to get best practices from the
organizations that have already adopted the concept.
Key Terms: Custom-made hospitality product, customer satisfaction