THE IMPACT OF DIGITALIZATION IMPLEMENTATION ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: EVIDENCE FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

The impact of digitalisation implementation on customer satisfaction within the hospitality industry is essential for increasing customer satisfaction in developing countries, particularly South Africa. However, the impact of digital integration in the hospitality industry must be understood to enrich its application and significantly transform service delivery in the South African hospitality industry. This study assesses the impact of digitalisation implementation on customer satisfaction in the South African hospitality industry. Structured questionnaires were distributed through random sampling techniques to 300 participants involved in the hospitality industry within Gauteng province in South Africa to collect data on employee education and training factors in customer satisfaction in the South African hospitality industry, out of which 260 were retrieved. Data collected through the questionnaire were computed using a descriptive statistical approach. Using a statistical data equation, a valid mean item score was determined in the study. The study findings indicated the impact of digitalisation in transforming hospitality industry service delivery, such as enhancing privacy, security, reservation via website, contactless payment, determining complaints of guests, controlled room temperature, controlled lights, and digital check-in. These factors impacted customer satisfaction in the South African hospitality industry by integrating digitalisation to improve decision-making, service delivery, and marketing strategies. The study recommends that the hospitality industry, while embracing digitisation, emphasise the least-ranked factors: food and beverage automation, electronic room keys, automated packing solutions, and automatic answering machines, which are examples of technologies that can improve the efficiency of hospitality operations.