The Students’ Decision on Selecting the Accommodations in Surat Thani Province

Abstract

The purposes of this study were 1) to study the decision of the university students on selecting accommodations in Surat Thani province, and 2) to analyze the relationship between marketing mix factors (4Ps) and students’ decision on the selection for accommodations. The samples of the study were 391 undergraduate students selected by stratified random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire. The statistics used for data analysis were the percentage, frequency, mean and standard deviation, and Pearson’s product moment correlation was used for this study. The study indicated that the main purpose of the most students was for traveling and relaxing with their family. They mostly stayed for 2 nights. They booked and preferred mostly a hotel room in advance by phone, and they searched the information about the accommodations from the internet. The research findings revealed that the location and promotion regarding the marketing mix factors were related significantly to the students’ decision on selecting the accommodations at the .01 level. Additionally, the factors for the decision making on the accommodation of the students were price, service, promotion, and location or distribution channels respectively. The study recommended that the hotel staff should be trained to improve language skills. The accommodations must be clean and fully equipped. Moreover, special offers and promotions should be provided clearly on the website and online booking.