Evaluating The Influence of Circulation Efficiency and Functional Zoning on Guest Satisfaction in Four-Star Hotels

Circulation efficiency and functional zoning determine guest room access time, staff-guest path overlap, and orientation within four-star hotels, yet Nigeria's hospitality sector has no published study measuring these factors against guest satisfaction. This study examined how circulation efficiency and functional zoning influence guest satisfaction in four-star hotels, to produce measurable design strategies for hospitality developments in Nigeria. A qualitative comparative case study design analysed three four-star hotels of differing spatial typologies using secondary data: architectural floor plans, project documentation, and Space Syntax Theory. Each hotel's floor plans were digitized into justified graphs of convex spaces; Mean Depth, Integration, and Choice were computed for every space, alongside average path length, diameter, and articulation-point counts, to quantify circulation efficiency and locate single points of failure in each layout. Results showed the linear single-corridor typology recorded the highest mean integration value (1.971) but placed 21.1% of its spaces as articulation points around one corridor; the vertically stratified tower typology separated public, guest, and service functions onto distinct floors but recorded articulation-point proportions up to 50.0% on its least integrated floor; and the garden-courtyard typology recorded intermediate integration values, with its ground floor alone reaching 37.5% articulation points at the lobby and fountain courtyard. Across all three hotels, the entrance/lobby sequence recorded the highest Integration and Choice values while also functioning as each building's single largest circulation risk point. The study concludes that circulation routes and functional zones must be planned in the same design stage, not sequentially, and recommends centralized reception placement, physical separation of guest and service corridors, and the use of integration and articulation-point values as design-stage evaluation metrics for four-star hotels in Nigeria.