Strategic Capacity Building through Human Resources Development in the Hospitality Industry of Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Service quality is an essential ingredient for the hospitality and tourism establishments to achieve optimum performance and profitability. Hence, investing in Human Resource Development (HRD) allows hospitality establishments to enhance staff knowledge and capacities to contribute to the provision of superior service quality and customers’ satisfactions. Lokoja the Kogi State capital has become a haven for investors in hospitality business. However, the level at which these investors take cognisance of the imperative of HRD in their business outfits still leaves much to be desired. To this end, this study attempts to unearth the role, importance and import of HRD in building the capacity of the hotels establishments in the city of Lokoja towards sustainable development of the sector. The study adopts a qualitative approach and purposive sampling method was used to collect data through in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of 10 hotels in the city. 38 Managers and line managers were interviewed from the sample of 10 hotels. The interview transcripts were sorted, coded and data analysed by way of thematic analysis. Findings reveal that HRD improves Staff Attitude to work. However, most of the hotels in Lokoja were being managed by unqualified staff, as a result of wrong recruitment procedures by the proprietors. The study suggests a change in mind-set of hotel proprietors and investors, by allowing competence and professionalism as the hallmark in the recruitment of managers and staff in their establishments.