The Effect of Work Motivation on Employee Performance at ABC Hotel

Abstract

The hospitality industry is highly dependent on human resources because service quality is directly influenced by employee performance. In luxury hotels, employee performance becomes a critical factor in ensuring guest satisfaction, operational excellence, and brand reputation. This study aims to analyze the effect of work motivation on employee performance at ABC Hotel, a five-star hospitality property in Bali with 465 employees across various operational and administrative departments. The research was motivated by customer feedback data from 2023–2025, which indicated that the most frequent guest complaints were related to service speed and service quality, suggesting the importance of improving employee performance. This study employs a quantitative approach using a survey method. The population consists of all employees of ABC Hotel, while the sample of 82 respondents was determined using the Slovin formula with a 10% margin of error. Data were collected through questionnaires using a five-point Likert scale and supported by interviews with the Learning and Development Manager. The independent variable is work motivation, measured through five dimensions: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. The dependent variable is employee performance, measured through five dimensions: job, career, innovator, team, and organization. Data analysis includes instrument testing, descriptive statistics, and simple linear regression analysis. The study hypothesizes that work motivation has a positive and significant effect on employee performance. The findings are expected to contribute both theoretically to human resource management literature in hospitality and practically to management strategies for enhancing employee motivation and service quality in five-star hotel operations.