CUSTOMER’S PERCEPTION AND SATISFACTION TOWARDS FRONT OFFICE SERVICES OFFERED BY TWO STAR HOTELS IN AKSUM, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract In recent years, hotels are increasing and the customers also demand better services leading to strong competition in hotel industry. Hence, the hotel businesses that provide quality services to its demanding customers in a delightful manner are those businesses which are more likely to obtain a long term competitive advantage over their competitors. This paper attempted to study customer's perception on the front office services offered by two star hotels at Aksum, a historical and religious tourist destination. The study aimed to measure the customers' perceptions and satisfaction on the front office services provided by the hotels. The nature of the study is descriptive. The primary data was collected from both domestic and international tourists by random sampling method. Questionnaires were administered to the customers of the hotels and 425 questionnaires were accepted as valid and included in the evaluations. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the data collected. In this study descriptive statistics and ANOVA was conducted. The study revealed that the nationality of respondents and the level of satisfaction in front office was found to be significantly different among nationalities of the respondents. Key words: Customer satisfaction, Ethiopia, Front Office, Hotel, Perception