Dada Ebunoluwa O. & Adebayo Jamiu A.

The study assessed the effects of waste management practices on customer retention in selected hotels in Ilaro, Ogun State, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was given to eighty (80) skilled and unskilled workers of these hotels and the data gotten was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study identified the kitchen, restaurant, bar, rooms, swimming pools, garden and housekeeping department as sections that generates majority of the waste in the hotel. It also indicated heat and smoke extractors, sound proofed doors and windows, in-house compost management system, use of solar energy to power appliances, strategic placement of bins reuse and recycling of papers and polythene materials and good drainage system as a good start to controlling waste in the hotel industry. The study showed operational cost and management policies as the major challenges often encountered when implementing these systems. Finally, recommendations were made for first contact employees, hotel industry regulating bodies and the environmental regulating organizations in the areas where the hotels are located to take environmental campaign and concerns seriously, and customer contact employees should make it a point of duty to familiarize the guests with the available waste management system in the hotel and emphasize how important compliance is. Keyword: Customer retention, waste management, product reuse and recycling 0150