Hotel Security Preparedness and Vulnerability to Armed Robbery and Kidnapping in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study compared hotel safety preparedness against armed robbery and kidnapping in Cross River State. A mixed methods design was employed, involving surveys, interviews, and physical observation. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select participants. Calabar Municipality, Ikom, and Ogoja LGAs were chosen as administrative centres representing the Southern, Central, and Northern regions, respectively. In the second stage, hotels in these LGAs were stratified into three-star, two-star, and one-star categories. The study population comprised 359 registered hotels, from which 36 hotels (10%) that had operated for at least five years in their respective LGAs were sampled. Respondents were hotel workers with a minimum of two years' experience who participated in the study, resulting in 531 respondents across the regions. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test a hypothesis, to show the differences in safety preparedness across the hotel categories. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference at the p<.05 level (F=11.826, p=.042), with three-star hotels demonstrating higher levels of safety preparedness. This disparity suggests increased vulnerability in lower-ranked hotels. The study recommends that all hotel categories strengthen their security infrastructure and enhance collaboration with security agencies to improve safety within the hotel environment.