EFFECTS OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF ASSETS ON QUALITY OF PRODUCTION AND SERVICE DELIVERY IN SELECTED HOTELS IN KENYA

Abstract

The hospitality industry in Kenya is regulated by the central government and all hotels are categorized into five classifications (1-Star to 5-Star). The classification and ranking of hotels reflect the operational standards as stipulated in the statutes and regulations, and it also mirror the level of asset management and maintenance systems in the industry. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between maintenance and quality production and service delivery in selected hotels in Kenya. Porter’s Five-Force model was used to guide the study. The specific objectives of this study were: to determine the maintenance systems practiced in the hotel industry; to evaluate the capacity and capability of the hotel to implement preventive maintenance; to analyze the effect of preventive maintenance on the quality of production and services; to determine the relationship between preventive maintenance and quality of production and service delivery in the hotels; and to examine the challenges affecting the implementation of preventive maintenance programme in the hotel establishments. This study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population was five town hotels in the range of 3-Star to 5-Star in Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. Purposive sampling was used to select the study area, while stratified and simple random sampling were used to select the respondents. The study sample was 100 respondents consisting of middle management, supervisors and personnel in the production and service delivery sections. Questionnaires were the main data collection instruments and data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), Spearman rank correlation and χ2 test analysis. The study concluded that there was a relationship between preventive maintenance and quality production and quality service (X2 = (30.00), (7) p<0.05), and further that preventive maintenance did not affect service delivery(X2 = (13.33), (7) p>0.05), and that continuous staff training and development, customer loyalty, and repeat guest visits were also influenced by preventive maintenance in the hotel industry. The study recommends that for sustainable quality production and services in Kenyan hotels, there is need for adoption of preventive maintenance and asset management programmes.