Critical Evaluation of Service Quality Practices at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore Essay

Introduction

The Four Seasons Hotels are well-known, famous hotel firms hosting high-class and luxury lovers from across the globe. Now, it manages more than 100 hotels and resorts around the globe. Its establishment can be associated with a Canadian business person, Isadore Sharp, which took place in 1960. During his early years as an architect working alongside his father, Sharp crafted the design for a motel at the behest of a family acquaintance. The favorable outcome of this project inspired him to embark on creating his hotel.

This article will focus on the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, whose mission is to construct buildings with long-lasting value via the use of exquisite design and finishings and to support them through a deeply ingrained commitment to individualized service. By doing this, Four Seasons can continue being the world’s leading provider of premium hospitality while also meeting the demands and preferences of our discriminating clientele. With constant innovation and the finest levels of service, the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore is committed to making travel the best experience possible. For individuals who understand and value the best, the hotel epitomizes a true home away from home with its exquisite surroundings and genuine, highly personalized 24-hour service. It also aims to innovate new ways to improve the guest experience by committing to responsible and sustainable business activities and creating collaboration with workers.

I undertook a one-year internship at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore from August 2022 to July 2023. I worked in departments like Guest Services, Housekeeping, and Sales and Marketing during that period. While in these departments, I worked towards achieving the firm’s goal of maintaining its reputation for high service quality and different roles. The primary objective was to ensure guests get the highest customer service according to the hotel’s brand as a guest service team member. I used to interact with guests to address their needs, provide them with any information they might require, and assist them in case of any request to ensure they get a luxury stay in the hotel.

Moreover, I have served a different role of housekeeping supervisor, whereby I overlooked 60 rooms and suites to ensure they were ready for new guests, remained clean, and met high hotel standards. As a room attendant, I was responsible for my team’s well-being and productivity, ensuring that the hotel’s cleanliness met the brand’s expectations. I worked as an associate in the sales and marketing department, supporting different sales managers in developing proposals and email correspondence. I also assisted the Head of Content Creation with video and photo shoots for promotional materials.

This report will critically evaluate a specific organizational practice I encountered during my Four Seasons Hotel Singapore internship. It will employ a critical incident method to analyze the chosen practice. It will draw on relevant academic literature and industry best practices to provide recommendations to the organization’s senior management. In the following sections, I will delve into the literature to gain insights into the specific practice I observed, analyze this practice critically, and offer recommendations for enhancement.

Organizational Practice: The Critical Incident

During my internship at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, I encountered a critical incident that affected the hotel’s reputation. It happened within my course of operations, and it gave the guest a negative experience, which he shared on social media, drawing the attention of the hotel’s cooperation. It highlighted the importance of excellence in operations within the hospitality industry with its impacts on brand reputation.

The Critical Incident

A negative guest review rose on TripAdvisor and Instagram, drawing the attention of the hotel’s management and the Four Seasons corporate office. It happened when the guest expressed dissatisfaction with their experience, primarily focusing on the level of service I offered them during their stay. He posted on his Instagram that the moment I passed his son a toy, along with other reviews about the door handle that was broken and a fake nail that had been left under the bed pissed him off. It had happened accidentally, and after realizing that it could look like discrimination, I went back and apologized to him. Whereby he agreed to forgive me, though he went ahead and posted it.

The complainant asked that our hotel be treated as a normal, non-branded hotel. This was like diminishing the hotel’s reputation by saying that it should not be treated as a luxurious Hotel on social media (Sayfuddin and Chen, 2021). He went ahead and said that only a person who could call the hotel elegant was a person who did not know the real meaning of true luxury. On social media, such comments could be used to kill the hotel’s brand. The claims also had the ability to discourage more guests from visiting the hotel as it can be used to give negative reviews (Chang, Ku, and Chen, 2019). This statement was enough to destroy our hotel’s reputation, and it drew the attention of the hotel’s cooperate, and I was summoned as a result.

The guest finalized by generalizing his review on all Four-Season hotels and concluded that all other hotels treated guests as he had been treated. He went and recommended people to visit local hotels down the streets that had lower prices, something that touched the cooperation. They decided to respond to his comment before he had destroyed the hotel’s reputation. In situations of service failure, there is a common belief that employees should offer an immediate apology to customers without waiting to hear their complaints (Min et al., 2020). I did meet the guest because I had overlooked a few things and apologized to him, even though he later reported it. Seeing the post and the impact that incident caused the hotels, I felt so embarrassed, knowing it was my entire fault.

In the review, the guest felt that my behavior could have been more professional and suggested that it did not meet the standards expected from a luxury brand like Four Seasons. The guest concluded that the hotel could have offered the quality of service they had come to get in the Four Seasons brand. The negative review further warned potential future guests to avoid the hotel and opt for other nearby options offering similar services at a lower price, damaging the hotel’s reputation (Ahmad and Sun, 2018). The management responded, saying that they had taken note of that and were working to improve it. A lot of things had happened that made the guest feel mistreated, like delaying coffee and the failure of management to refurbish the room were minor issues that could have been dealt with but led to the bad review. It was so embarrassing to find that the entire organization was getting a negative review out of our simple mistakes. For instance, when the guest was served with a broken cup, that was something that had been avoided.

Evaluation of Organizational Practice

The theoretical focus behind the critical evaluation of the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore organization practice will be service quality. An important issue within the hospitality sector is that service quality significantly affects the firm’s reputation and the happiness of its customers. Most of the multimillion-dollar hospitality industry encompasses the hotel business as it involves a variety of operations (Lai et al., 2018). The expansion of this sector is motivated by quality service and customer happiness. Property can thrive well in the hospitality industry with a robust customer-centric approach. It is good to meet the customers’ needs, expectations, and requirements to enhance the company’s reputation.

The hospitality industry is faced with more challenges when compared to other organizations that manufacture tangible products because of the common differences between goods and services. Services have a higher vulnerability to failures when compared to product sales. The quality of service now is an essential component of pushing for sustainable competitive advantage. The ability to satisfy and retain customers is widely acknowledged as a critical factor in the success of the hospitality industry (Nobar and Rostamzadeh, 2018). Nowadays, the environment makes it difficult for enterprises to meet clients’ needs. Customers with any given hotel sector usually expect higher standards concerning service quality, amenities, and general treatment during their stay (Kim and So, 2023). This increased rate of life and greater exposure to diverse services has led to customers expecting more from the hospitality sector, necessitating prompt and excellent service delivery.

Service quality is essential in the hospitality industry, especially for luxury brands like Four Seasons Hotel Singapore. The critical incident can be evaluated in the context of service quality theories as it involved a negative quest review, which impacted the hotel’s reputation. The evaluation can be done through the Gap Model, which offers a framework for understanding service quality by identifying the gaps between customer expectations and perceptions and the management’s understanding of these expectations.

Through the Gap model, there was a knowledge gap between the guest’s expectations and the hotel’s know-how on what a luxury service meant. The difference between the guest’s genuine expectations and the assumptions made by the management is a critical concern (Lee, 2022). Hotel management must clearly understand what guests expect to meet their high-quality standards. Understanding that a hotelier’s perception of their establishment may significantly differ from the guests’ expectations is essential. Such differences can have negative implications when the hotelier’s understanding of the guest’s needs differs from what he requires.

The incident may have also resulted from the delivery gap whereby the staff needed to effectively translate the hotel’s policies into actions that could meet the guests’ expectations. A difference may exist between the defined service quality criteria and the service as it is offered (Nunkoo et al., 2020). The hotel management can establish strict guidelines for executing some benefits, but the staff can encounter difficulties when delivering such services. This critical incident contains some implications for the hotel as social media exposure significantly impacts its reputation and may discourage potential guests. Gaps in service quality can destroy guest loyalty and trust in the brand; hence, a breakdown in service quality may lead to financial losses if it decreases bookings and revenue.

Impacts of the Organizational Practice

Negative Impacts

The most immediate impact of the critical incident was the significant damage to the hotel’s reputation. The negative guest reviews on social media platforms and TripAdvisor had the potential to discourage prospective guests and damage the hotel’s brand image. Critical feedback can destroy the hotel’s reputation and prevent potential guests from booking (Chang, Ku, and Chen, 2019). In this new era of online review platforms, negative reviews reach many people, impacting the hotel’s reputation and standing in the market. The incident caused guest dissatisfaction, showing a gap in service quality. It must have impacted internal operations and increased pressure on the hotel’s staff to meet the service quality standards.

Positive Impacts (Opportunities for Improvement)

Apart from negatively impacting the hotel’s image, the incident also served as a learning experience for the staff, highlighting areas where service quality needed to be enhanced. The negative reviews also provided a valuable understanding of areas that required improvement, which could help the hotel refine its service standards (Tsai et al., 2020). Customer feedback can assist the staff in choosing the vital sections within the firm that require enhancement. The review also offers precise knowledge of possible shortcomings that can enable one to implement necessary enhancements to improve the customer experience. Staff should immediately correct any issue that has received multiple negative reviews.

Motivations Behind the Organization’s Actions

Four Seasons is famous for its commitment to providing a luxurious and exceptional guest experience. Possible motivations behind the organization’s actions include maintaining brand image, customer satisfaction, and loyalty and reinforcing the internal branding efforts to align with the firm’s core principles. The organization’s activities will likely be based on maintaining and upholding the brand’s reputation of excellence. Most luxury hotels like Four Seasons prioritize guest satisfaction and loyalty. In order to guarantee that customers receive the best possible service in keeping with the brand’s principles, the issue is being addressed through internal branding (Khairy et al., 2023). An adverse incident like the one in a discussion can impact the firm financially. The motivation gained from this incident is to protect the economic sustainability of the hotel by addressing issues that could lead to a decrease in bookings and revenue.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Organizational Practice

Strengths

Four Seasons Hotel Singapore’s way of addressing the incident shows its commitment to protecting the brand’s reputation and attaining the service quality standard set by the firm. The organization’s motivation to tackle the incident shows the management’s commitment to preserving the hotel’s image. Once customers are well served, they remain loyal, and they can easily engage in re-bookings, offering a positive review (Gil-Soto et al., 2019). Also, the hotel is always committed to working towards the customer’s satisfaction. The incident also enabled the management to maintain their service and improve. It presents a valuable learning opportunity for the hotel staff, allowing them to identify areas they need to improve and enhance service quality.

Weaknesses

The critical incident in the hotel was a weakness in terms of service quality as the staff failed to meet the guest’s expectations. The first service gap proved a potential weakness in staff training and service delivery (Fu, Pang, and Gursoy, 2022). Even though the hotel’s management took action to address the commendable incident, the negative impact on reputation had already occurred. It might take time to rectify it fully. Another area for improvement is that the hotel’s response to the incident seemed reactive rather than proactive.

There was a need for a well-defined crisis management protocol that could have mitigated the damage more effectively. There is another weakness of poor time management, for instance, in the case whereby the customer’s coffee was delivered late. Time management in service delivery is important, and it can lead to a negative rating in the hotel industry if not met (Choi and Mattila, 2008). Also, there is a weakness of lack of privacy within the hotel management. This can be seen in the incident where a staff could enter the guest’s room without knocking.

Implications for Diversity, Cross-Cultural, and Ethical Dimensions

Diversity

The organization should ensure its service quality values remain sensitive to the guests’ various expectations and backgrounds. When possible, observers read grievances and the service recovery replies provided by the companies (Huang and Ha, 2020). Firms that integrate diversity and inclusion into their corporate culture enjoy a competitive edge over those that do not. Organizations in the top 25% for gender diversity exceed their rivals in profitability by 21% and are 27% more likely to excel in generating added value (Martinez-Jimenez et al., 2020). The most ethnically diverse companies are also 35% more likely to outperform those with less ethnic diversity (Nai et al., 2018). Four Seasons Hotel Singapore should employ diverse employees so that they can cater to its international business.

The incident implies staff training to become culturally competent and serve guests from various backgrounds. The hotels must foster diversity and inclusion within their employees and the customer base. It can meet its ethical duty by ensuring its employees are well-trained in cross-cultural interactions. Therefore, the benefits of emphasizing diversity within the company include increased service quality, competitive advantage, ethical responsibility, and the development of a workforce that is both inclusive and culturally competent.

Management Recommendations for Enhancing Organizational Practice

The first recommendation to enable the hotel’s staff to enhance and retain good organizational practice is to implement a continuing training and development program for all employees, focusing on service quality, diversity, and cross-cultural competency. This training is necessary because it allows one to ensure constant service quality and keep staff members informed about evolving consumer expectations. Positive organizational conduct among employees enhances both individual and team performance in addition to promoting organizational function (Pan et al., 2020). One can also make the team aware of any changes and updates. They should stay alert on any development as firms expand and transform.

Another recommendation is to implement a proactive guest feedback mechanism that encourages guests to share their experiences during their stay and address any issue they raise in real-time. One should respond with a lot of humility to all positive or negative feedback, and it should be done promptly (Chevalier, Dover, and Mayzlin, 2018). Showing that one values any criticism from the guest reassures the visitor that their concerns are valued and essential. One can encourage the guests to share their experiences on social media; if they fail to, he can ask them to permit him to share their comments.

It is also recommended to restate the importance of brand consistency and service excellence to all employees, insisting that each interaction contributes to the guest’s overall perception of the Four Seasons brand. Brand consistency enables the staff to achieve recognition, build trust, and convey their distinctive identities. Understanding the causes and effects of social media trust can help service providers create effective marketing campaigns (Sarkar, Chauhan, and Khare, 2020). Through it, one can improve customer trust and loyalty as it instills one’s organization with a different character that respects his customers and encourages them to engage in his business.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the critical evaluation of the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore’s organizational practice has shown the importance of quality service in the hospitality industry. The incident has shown the potential repercussions of service gaps on brand reputation and guest satisfaction. The article’s recommendations have emphasized the employer’s urge to conduct continued training for his staff and continually restate the organization’s vision on customer satisfaction. By working on the recommendations provided, the hotel can improve the service quality offered and address the diversity and cross-cultural considerations vital to any organization. It can enable the organization to uphold customers’ different ethical dimensions, thereby solidifying its commitment to being a responsible business entity and maintaining its reputation as a luxury hotel.

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