Godfred Osei Boakye* and Foster Frempong
Studies have focused on how the hotel industry can flourish in certain locations, neglecting the main facilitators that make it possible. This study has taken a critical look at how locational characteristics influence the operation and performance of a hotel. Using exploratory design, a purposive sampling technique was used to select 30 hotels in both residential and slummy areas of Kumasi, to comparatively inquire about their operations based on their distinctive locational features. Employing a mixed method approach, the study aimed to draw a hypercritical conclusion to rationalize how the physical, economic and sociocultural aspects of an area exert positive and negative control on the hotel business. The results of the study have produced novel evidence that physical ambience, settlement, natural environs, visibility and accessibility, sanitation, as well as safety and security, are among the factors influencing the operation of hotels in developing countries, determining service delivery, patronage level and customer satisfaction. The study recommends that local authorities in Kumasi and similar areas should do their best to produce policies that will provide an enabling environment such as a constant supply of good road networks, proper sanitation and security systems for local businesses to thrive.
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