Intercontinental Hotel Management
Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts
The Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts (IHR) value customer service more than anything, as such the hotels and resorts management within this industry ensures that housekeeping, hotel maintenance, and parking services offer the best reward for customer’s money. In the competitive hospitality industry, the management of the Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts is increasingly becoming more aware of the benefits of making customer satisfaction a priority.
Concerns that have always characterized the hospitality industry such as issues to do with smelly rooms, parking problems, and poor customer reception are all factors that continue to challenge the hospitality industry in general (Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts 2014). As such, the management of the intercontinental Hotels and Resorts is aware of the magnitude of these concerns into their business. Even though the IHR experienced these problems, a lot is underway to ensure that such cases do not impede the operations within this industry.
Concerns That Challenged the Intercontinental Hotels and Resort Management
Concerns such as unmaintained smelly rooms and parking problems are commonplace challenges for the hospitality industry in general. The Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts particularly found it hard maintaining an odor-free environment because not much attention was given to sanitation and perhaps the detergent used to clean the rooms was not effective enough to produce the desired effect (Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts: Annual Report and Form 20-F 2013, p. 18).
Moreover, loud noise within the vicinity of the hotels and resorts was particularly due to some parts of the hotel premises under construction. Notably, when the maintenance practices were underway, guests really had a difficult time enjoying their stay at the hotels. Other concerns were due to the adjacent noises given that different premises surrounding the hotels deal in other less tranquil chores that may interfere with the hospitality operations.
Apart from that, the parking situation had been a farce in the past, and many guests reported different claims ranging from the condition of the parking lawn to vandalism by the car park predators. Many guests reported serious cases of missing car parts because there was no operational car park camera surveillance. As such, many park predators easily found their way to commit these acts without the fear of being noticed, thereby making several customers to own up.
Finally, the front desk inefficiency became a big problem to contend with, thus slowing down the operations of customer service (Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts: Annual Report and Form 20-F 2013, p. 46). This phenomenon particularly reflected awkwardly on the hotel management as rooms virtually became unworthy of long stay. Most guests opted to check in for only a few hours, thus minimizing the capacity of customers’ inputs.
Management Examples
Solving Packing Problems
Profit maximization and customer satisfaction are the main targets of any professional in business. The hotel industry is not left not behind in this initiative. Issues of proper housekeeping, efficient parking, and proper maintenance of the establishments are ways of enhancing customer satisfaction. These initiatives bring competitive advantage in the firms. For instance, Hotels Im Park in Dworek, Poland had experienced challenges in offering quality parking. The management reckoned that it has been a major test to maximize on revenue from parking during the challenging times.
To increase the efficiency in service delivery, the company automated the whole system (Maximizing parking revenues in challenging times n.d.). In addition, Hotels Im Park introduced a vending machine and enhanced the security at the parking lots. Customers felt satisfied with the new adjustments, not only in saving time but also in assuring them of total security of their vehicles.
Solving Noise Problems
The problem of noise from nearby construction sites or factories affects all commercial offices (Pizam 2014, p. 150). For hotels, however, the noise is disastrous as it affects customers even at night. The Hilton Hotels and Resorts, which had been experiencing a similar problem, opted to use sound masking gadgets. This system uses speakers that introduce calm sound into the rooms. Guests can vary the noise level by adjusting the masking volume to their desired points. After the installation of the sound masking system, guests who were at the premises recommended the company for the great move. Notably, the feedbacks were overwhelmingly positive.
Solution to Front Office Inefficiency
The challenge of inefficiency at the front office was a major problem at the Liberty Hotels in Boston. Many visitors were overwhelming the few staff at the front desk. At the time, there were no multitasking aspects and use of technology in payment services. This department is crucial in the hospitality industry, as it is the first in a line of customer support. In solving this challenge, the Liberty Hotels responded by training the front office employees on different tasks. As a result, they could attend to different needs of customers simultaneously.
Apart from prioritization of service requests, the hotel introduced automated machines at the cashing points. In this manner, visitors could use their MasterCards or Visas to obtain quick services, instead of lining up to pay cash. At the same time, Liberty Hotels developed an e-portal to help in performing check-in duties (Maximizing parking revenues in challenging times n.d.). Currently, the front office staff can easily check on room availability and reservations as well as store clients’ data for easy retrieval in future.
References
Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts: Annual Report and Form 20-F. 2013. Web.
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. 2014. Web.
Maximizing parking revenues in challenging times n.d. Web.
Pizam, A. 2014, “Guest engagement or service efficiency”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 150-151.