Personalized Customer Interactions and Customer Loyalty in Kenya’s Hospitality Industry: A Case of Sawela Lodges, Naivasha Kenya

The overall study objective was to examine the effect of service strategies on customer loyalty in the hospitality industry in Kenya, with reference to Sawela Lodges, Naivasha. The study examined the relationship between personalized customer interactions and customer loyalty at Sawela Lodges, Naivasha, Kenya. A descriptive research design incorporating mixed methods of data collection was adopted. The target population comprised 150 customers, frontline staff and managerial staff, from whom a sample of 75 respondents was selected using stratified sampling. Structured questionnaire which consisted of closed and open-ended questions was used for primary data collection. The researcher performed pilot testing and tested the reliability of the instruments by Cronbach's alpha. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression, with the aid of IBM SPSS Statistics software. The findings revealed a strong positive correlation between personalized customer interactions and customer loyalty (r = 0.703). Regression analysis further established that personalized customer interactions had a positive and statistically significant effect on customer loyalty (β = 0.375, p < 0.001). The study finds that personalised customer interactions play an important role in building customer loyalty at Sawela Lodges. In view of the findings, the study recommends that hotels and restaurants should improve their one-to-one customer service, understand preferences and act quickly to meet customer requirements to improve repeat visits and positive recommendations. Keywords: Personalized Customer Interactions, Customer Loyalty, Hospitality Industry, Sawela Lodges.