The Influence of Competitive Positioning on the Performance of Rated Hotels in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.

Rated hotels and in general hospitality industry has grown increasingly competitive, making it important for hotels to understand how strategic planning, information technology, and customer relationship management influence their performance. This study examined the influence of competitive positioning on the performance of rated hotels in Uasin Gishu County. The Guiding theory for the research is Porter’s Competitive Advantage theory. A mixed-method research design was applied, drawing data from a census of 144 employees working in various managerial positions within rated hotels in the county. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaires whereas piloting done in Trans Nzoia County to enhance the instrument’s reliability. Qualitative together with quantitative analytical techniques were applied. Descriptive statistics summarized the views of respondents, while there was utilization of Pearson’s correlation besides multiple regression. Findings showed that competitive positioning (Mean = 3.87, SD = 0.86) was moderately to widely applied across the sampled hotels. Regression results further demonstrated that competitive positioning (β = 0.266, p < 0.001) has positive influence. Competitive positioning accounted for 72.4% of the variation in performance (R² = 0.724). The study concludes that hotels that consistently apply competitive positioning strategies achieve better profitability, stronger customer satisfaction and more efficient operations.

Competitive Positioning; performance of hotels.

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