SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR HOTELS: PROSPECTS ANO CHALLENGES, A STUDY OF IRIZA HOTELS AND RESORT, ABA)

ABSTRACT The main objective of this study was to examine social media marketing for hotels: prospects and challenges. The specific objectives were; to examine the prospects of social media marketing in Ibiza Hotels and Resort, Aba, and to ascertain the challenges associated with social media marketing in Ibiza Hotels and Resort, Aba. The research design that was adopted in this research study was the descriptive design. The target population for this study comprises of 130 customers (86) and staff (44) of Ibiza Hotels and Resort, Aba. The researcher adopted the purposive sampling method in selecting respondents from the target population. To arrive at the sample size, the researcher used the Krejcie and Morgan table (1970). The table gave a sample size of 97. The study used primary data that were collected through self-administered questionnaire containing closed ended questions. To investigate the relationship between the dependent and independent variables, the Pearson product moment correlation (correlation coefficient) was used. Social media marketing was found as a significant prospect for Ibiza Hotels and Resort in Aba, Nigeria. The study also uncovered several challenges associated with social media marketing in the context of Ibiza Hotels and Resort. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the firm should allocate resources to hire or train a team of social media marketing specialists within the hotel