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The purpose of this study is to examine if employees of small hotels in Kingston, Jamaica, are satisfied with the realization of their motivational preferences. This study also focuses on the relationship between dependant motivational preferences, such as Pay and Appreciation, and independent variables, such as Gender and Age. Research was conducted through quantitative and qualitative elements. The quantitative instrument was a structured questionnaire. An unstructured interview with hotel managers in Kingston was the qualitative portion of the study. The study generated a response rate of over 80 percent from six different small hotels in Kingston. The survey was statistically analyzed using SPSS. Results of the study revealed that employees are dissatisfied with three of the five most important motivational preferences, such as Pay and Appreciation. Further, the study found that the independent variables Age, Gender, Education and Tenure influence the satisfaction with the dependant variables. This study will help to indicate areas that need attention from a managerial standpoint and it will contribute to job satisfaction research in general.

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Cindy Hertel was born in 1985 in Saxony, Germany. She completed her Bachelor of Art studies in International Tourism Management at the University of Applied Sciences, Heide, in 2008. During her Bachelor studies she spent several semesters abroad, studying and working in Scotland and Turks and Caicos (Caribbean). Fascinated by the Caribbean culture, she decided to enroll at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, where she completed her Master of Science degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management in 2010. In the same year she received a Distinction award as well as the award for best performance of the academic year 2009/10. After working for an international hotel chain in Jamaica she returned to Germany in 2011 to pursue a career in the Human Resources field.

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