Investigating the factors of seasonal changes on hotel business performance in selected star-rated hotels in kabarnet town

Abstract

The hospitality industry faces ongoing operational difficulties because customer demand and revenue streams and staffing patterns and strategic planning all experience seasonal changes. The research studied the main elements which determine how seasonal variations impact the operational success of selected star-rated hotels in Kabarnet Town Baringo County Kenya. The research used a cross-sectional descriptive study design to gather quantitative data from 40 participants who completed structured questionnaires. The researchers used simple random sampling to choose participants from a population group which consisted of 200 hotel employees. The research team calculated descriptive statistics which included frequencies and percentages and displayed the results through tables using excel. The study identified essential seasonal elements which included climate changes and tourist arrival patterns and local cultural activities and agricultural planting and harvesting times. The research results showed that 80% of participants reported substantial changes in hotel occupancy patterns which occurred because of seasonal fluctuations while 90% of participants reported that seasonal fluctuations impacted hotel service availability. The revenue implications showed that 90% of participants reported that hotels decreased employee work hours or terminated staff during non-peak periods because of revenue constraints. The operational impacts included demand instability which affected 80% of operations and service contraction which affected 90% of operations and workforce instability which affected 90% of operations and adaptive revenue management through flexible pricing which affected 80% of operations. The hotels used flexible pricing as their primary response to demand fluctuations while staff reduction and service availability adjustment remained the most commonly employed responses to demand fluctuations. The research found that companies underused their advanced strategies which included service diversification and strategic partnerships and digital marketing. The research demonstrates that seasonal weather variations cause major disruptions to hotel operations in Kabarnet Town because these conditions lead to lower guest occupancy and reduced hotel services which occur during times of low demand. The study shows that revenue fluctuations force hotels to implement emergency cost reduction tactics which result in staff hour cuts and employee terminations. The research shows that hotel business operations depend on seasonal patterns because these patterns influence how visitors arrive and how hotels provide services and how they handle employee schedules. The study found that hotels use flexible pricing strategies yet their business sustainability suffers because they depend too much on emergency cost reduction methods. The study suggests that hotels should develop year-round demand creation strategies which should include revenue streams that extend beyond room rentals and they need to implement systems that allow them to adjust their staff and inventory operations while increasing their mitigation strategies through partnerships and digital marketing and customer loyalty programs. The research recommends that policymakers should support hotels in Kabarnet through active management programs which help hotels build resilience and maintain their competitive edge during seasonal business fluctuations.