Assessment of the Availability and Utilization of Recreational Facilities in Selected Hotels at Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Аннотация

The provision of recreational facilities and the level of satisfaction derived by visitors are veritable tools in exploring the economic and social impacts of the hotels in which these are available. Private and public sector operators of hotels and policy makers in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry require this information in the quest to meeting the social and health needs of visitors. This study was carried out to assess the recreational facilities available in eight randomly-selected hotels within Akure Metropolis through site observation, personal interviews and questionnaire. The respondents were 10 randomly selected visitors in each hotel. The responses were analyzed through descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages and presented in graphs, bar and pie charts and tables. The recreational facilities in the hotels varied and include swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis court and games room with bar. The swimming pool and gymnasium were the most utilized facilities by 46.0 and 21.3% of respondents respectively. The facilities were used for relaxation (36.2%), exercise (18.8%) and fun (16%). Many of the respondents (42%) would be willing to re-visit and 28.6% expressed the desire to inform friends about the available recreational facilities. Thus, satisfaction and the purposes of using the recreational facilities were met. The quality of services provided for recreation was high (48.8% of interviewees) but site observation revealed the need for proper maintenance of the most enjoyed recreational facilities and acquiring additional ones to boost patronage and enhance general positive attitude towards recreation.