PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN HOTELS: A STUDY IN DELTA STATE

The study examined the influence of participatory management on patronage in hotels in Asaba, Delta state. The specific objectives include to; to determine the influence of consultative management on patronage in selected hotel operations in Asaba, Delta State. To achieve the objectives of the study, survey design method was used. The researcher adopted primary source of data through the use of well-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using simple regression analysis. The findings revealed that (i) there is a significance relationship between consultative management and patronage in hotel operations in the study area,(ii) there is no positive association between quality circle and patronage in hotel operations in the study area, the study recommends that consultative management, quality circles are important participatory management practices and indeed affect patronage in hotel operations. The study also recommends that a framework that will successfully link patronage with joint decision making and attitude surveys should also be incorporated.