Efficacy of the Use of Mobile Applications on Front Office Operations; a Case Study Hilton Hotel Nairobi

Abstract

The general objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of mobile applications in front office operation operations. The specific objectives studied include; examining the efficacy of guest service mobile applications; finding out the effectiveness of mobile wallet applications; and investigating the efficacy of mobile mapping and travel applications in front office operations. The study was anchored on the theory of the technology acceptance model. The study used a descriptive research design to investigate these objectives. The study area was Hilton Hotel Kenya, a five-star hotel in the Nairobi CBD. The targeted population included 76 employees working in the front office department of the hotel. Random sampling technique was used to identify participants, while Slovin’s formula was used to calculate the sample size. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data and descriptive statistics used to analyze it. The study found that the majority agreed that guest service apps used in hotels enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty as well as enabling guests to access hotel services conveniently, faster and cheaper. The study also established that mobile wallet applications used in hotels make payment for services convenient, more rapid, accountable, and secure. The research further found that mapping and travel apps help visitors approximate the cost of travel to various destinations, remind visitors of their travel plans/takeoff, and inform visitors of environmental details. The study concluded that mobile apps enhance the efficiency of front office operations by allowing convenient, faster, and cheaper execution of transactions. The study recommended that the management and ownership of hotels should ensure the adoption and implementation of the use of mobile applications to offer guest services owing to the numerous benefits they have.