Hospitality Management: Arabian Desert Resort Essay

Case Study/Strategic Plan

Success in a hospitality service industry depends on the operations of its departments and its treatment of guests. Through planning, the hotel needs to select various achievable goals and the strategies for accomplishing the goals in order to identify potential opportunities and threats in a bid to facilitate productivity, decision-making, communication, motivation, and satisfaction of both guests and employees.

Organisation chart for the Arabian Desert Resort

Vision

The hotel wants to become the most reputable 5** resort in Dubai with highly skilled, innovative, and disciplined workforce providing excellent goods and services at reasonable prices to every customer all the time.

Mission

Its mission is to provide excellent services provided with quality experiences. It plans to distinguish the vital role of its employees in the realisation of its prestige. It will build a positive working environment that enhances its reliability, dedication, and hard work besides endeavouring to be outstanding by undertaking all its activities with sincerity and decent manner to guarantee a fair return on its investments.

SWOT Analysis

A hotel industry strives to produce quality goods and services in order to compete favourably with others. Therefore, SWOT analysis assesses the industry’s internal and external strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in an effort to create awareness that enables an industry to avoid threats.

Strategic Goals

The first goal is to encourage executive members and the other staff members to take responsibility in order to provide quality services to encourage high business beliefs, principles, and practices amongst various departmental members (Quinn 2012, p. 74).

This will help in finding a solution to issues and conflicts affecting the hotel to improve productivity for the common good of the employees and customers. The second goal is to protect the interest and needs of all the members in order to secure common advantage among members.

This goal will enable executive teamwork thus encouraging departments to work together for the good of the guests and of the resort. Training and developing the capacity of the employees is another goal. Training is achieved by undertaking human resource development programs, setting up institutions for training purposes, and disseminating information about valued educational program to members (Barsky, & Nash 2007, p. 223).

Job Descriptions for Each Department Manager and Key Line Staff

The general manager forms the link between the Resort hotel and the owner. The manager holds vital authorities over the operation of the hotel usually reporting directly to the Resort owner (Kattara, & Saad 2008, p. 315). The general manager is charged with the responsibility of employing and managing finance, hotel staff, and budgeting. As such, the manager builds and enforces the hotel’s mission, vision, objectives, and goals.

Since the hotel industry is just like an institution, “major issues involving the guests, employees, the facility, public relation with media, and local government” (BMTE N311 2012) as well as other emergencies are better handled by the general manager. Therefore, the general manger of the hotel does coordination, planning, and motivation (Walker 2004, p. 78).

The department of sales and marketing relates directly with customers. The manager initiates programs to enhance occupancy through accommodation, meeting, and leisure activities in order to maximise profit and revenues (Quinn 2012, p. 78). The manager is responsible for synchronising marketing and promotional activities geared towards meeting clients’ demands.

He or she is supposed to work closely with other staff to attract and retain prospective and potential customers (Barsky, & Nash 2007, p. 232). In addition, it is the role of the sales manager to improve the facilities, maintain awareness of factors, which affect the hotel, and to gain a deeper perceptive of the needs and feelings of the hotel’s clients.

The maintenance department is very important in a hotel industry if it has to provide effective services. The head of the department is “responsible for preventative and corrective maintenance of the entire hotel property, interior and exterior, and development and execution of the hotel’s work order system” (Cimacio et al 2009, p. 51).

In undertaking the maintenance role, the manager ensures that all operations of engineering equipment and procedures follow the hotel guidelines and government regulation.

The food and beverage manager is responsible for hospitality operations by maintaining foodstuffs, buying foods in demand, and training employees on the latest food service according to the industry standards (Walker 2004, p. 50). Since demand and tastes are dynamic, he or she informs the general manager on the cutting edge of food and beverage trends (Kattara, & Saad 2008, p. 320).

For effective implementation of the roles, the manager collaborates with human resource, executive chefs, and other departments to build and maintain good rapport with vendors besides managing large budgets to administer safe food storage and cost effective usage.

Housekeeping managers monitor guests’ criticisms, inventory of all housekeeping supplies, appliances, and furniture. He or she takes corrective actions when and where necessary in order to bring the general appearance of rooms up to the hotel’s standard. Rooms are very important ‘products’ given to the customers (Cimacio et al 2009, p. 50).

Therefore, the manager inspects all hotel rooms daily to ensure that they are clean. He or she assists in training, development, and managing timetables, payrolls, and work load for housekeeping staff for maximum efficiency (Testa & Sipe 2012, p. 650). Consequently, the manager receives and confirms deliveries in addition to constantly seeking to initiate housekeeping policies and procedures to improve the hotel operations.

Front office manager institutes, monitors costs, expense control systems, and procedures to make them fall within the budget. The manager also interprets monetary outcomes regarding revenues, expenses, and payroll besides overseeing sales, maintaining, and verifying balanced guests accounts (Quinn 2012, p. 76). Since communication is a vital element for the hotel operation, the front office manager also handles telephone calls.

He or she “offers services such as faxes, mails, messages, and currency exchange” (Barsky, & Nash 2007, p. 234). Therefore, all managers do either informal or formal planning in a bid to determine where the hotel is and where it is heading by establishing goals for enhancing productivity and satisfying guests and employees.

Problems and Symptoms Facing ‘The Arabian Desert Resort’

The Arabian Desert Resort’s reputation and revenues have deteriorated having been a premier hotel for some time. The hotel’s poor performance in terms of services and low revenue are attributed to improper management, stiff competition from newer desert resorts, poor planning and communication, and dissatisfaction of both workers and customers that have left executive managers with little to do.

“Fear was that very shortly the resort may loose another star… but for the last few years, the numbers have been bad and getting worse, and he (manager) did not seem to know what to do about it’’(BMTE N311 2012). In addition, the hotel’s owner has no experience and expertise about a hotel business hence cannot identify the real problems. Instead, he hangs on the symptoms (Testa & Sipe 2012, p. 652).

In addition, “few minor blemishes-walls that need painting, leaky showerheads, thin carpets…entire resort, even the relatively new suites and meeting spaces, had an air of neglect and general shabbiness” (BMTE N311, 2012). Even though the symptoms are the foundations to challenge, it is evident from the above words that the hotel is old and needed renovation and proper maintenance.

Solutions to the Problems and Symptoms

Having been caught in a seemingly unstoppable decline, the owner has to take an action. The owner has to hire an experienced and committed general manager who initiates the hotel’s renovation besides motivating the executive staff by reassuring his department heads about the owner’s expectation of the resort’s long-term health. He has “to put a lot of money into place and make it a five-star ++ property again, but first he wants to see that he can increase the rates and occupancy and show a profit on the bottom line’’ (BMTE N311 2012).

There should be good strategic planning and management. Since the resort is treading on a risky trend, planning can extremely assist in reducing such risks by compelling the departmental managers to focus and anticipate changes so they can plan methods to react to those impending changes (Quinn 2012, p. 77).

It is evident that the resort lacked planning, which helps to facilitate the functions of management in decision-making, communication, motivation, control, and sense of direction to the management (Cimacio et al 2009, p. 49). Strategic planning creates both short and long-term plans that push the resort towards its goals in the success of its mission and vision (Walker 2004, p. 46).

Housekeeping Strategy / Action Plan

The hotel needs to standardise procedures and policies to achieve staff productivity and guest satisfaction by introducing quality standards and inspections such as benchmarking world standards, inspecting, and knowing about the condition of the hotel property from personal experience (Kattara, & Saad 2008, p. 313). It needs to learn, embrace, and insist on proper safety and security of chemicals and equipment for cleaning the rooms.

However, there “should be proper training given and follow-up checklists provided for linen rooms, housekeeping cards, using equipment, and laundry” (BMTE N311 2012).

Otherwise, the department can become a liability to the hotel. Communication is a vital element in involving staff, making them enthusiastic, and cooperative towards establishing a positive attitude and readiness to improve and implement new standards, policies, and procedures.

Constant time management and successful research will help to obtain the new standards, policies, and procedures. The exceptional housekeeping managers are those who are able to control inventory, understand budgets, costs, and results that are vital for lowering turnover by managing the total budgets and exceeding customers’ expectations (Cimacio et al 2009, p. 46).

During recruitment, the housekeeping manager should collaborate with the human resource to select staff wisely especially those who hold the attitude that hotel guest is their guest. However, frequent training for the housekeeping staff on work ethics and etiquette and how to handle guests are inevitable for motivation (Madeleine, & Svetlana 2009, p. 187).

The hotel needs to promoting trust among the room keepers and departmental heads by sharing the professional expectations given by the ownership, holding regular personal sessions with all departments and working with the front office executive to benefit from forecasts of long-term efficiencies.

Most importantly, the hotel has to produce a quality product and service with the aim of total guest satisfaction and building customer loyalty.

Front Office Strategy/ Action Plan

Front office is a department in the hotel that is in direct contact with the guests as well as marketing, sales, and other service departments. It welcomes guests to the accommodation section by meeting them, organising reservations and porter service, arranging security, and assigning check in and out of the room. The front office manager should know each occupant of a room.

From the case study, “…she seems angry about something all the time, but she never says much’’ (BMTE N311 2012). As the centre nerve of all hotels, the front office is essential in keeping up with all the happenings of the entire hotel.

Professional interactions and regular checks, training, and mentorship are equally important as effective communication between the front office and other departments such as sales department (Barsky, & Nash 2007, p. 229).

An effective front office manager understands that the front office is the communication and financial centre of every hotel. Therefore, he or she should initiate an appropriate two-way communication cycle by monitoring interaction between guests and staff in ensuring that proper guests’ service and protocols are observed (Walker 2004, p. 23).

Executive managers and departmental managers should study market trends to come up with appropriate and reasonable room rates and discounts offered to various groups depending on urgency and demand (Testa & Sipe 2012, p. 656).

However, in the view of circumstances that may negatively influence the hotel’s operation and revenue such as competitions and market research, they should evaluate and review room rates (Quinn 2012, p. 72).

In addition, monthly review of market analysis is not only necessary in understanding guests’ needs and preferences in order to embrace different brands but also in identifying the best technology and property management systems. In the case study, there is a general complaint from both workers and guests.

In fact, “those guests end up inconvenienced and unhappy….guest dissatisfaction ripples down through the entire resort” (Madeleine, & Svetlana 2009, p. 186). Therefore, the front office manager should learn to practice and improve listening skills to coach others. He or she should embrace technology in handling employees and customers’ feedback-complaints or complements in a bid to take a corrective decision.

Sales and Marketing Strategy /Action Plan

The hotel’s sales and marketing strategy offers training services for managing revenue flows, sales processes, and e-commerce in order to increase revenue and profitability.

The individualised training programs and sales strategies given to dedicated and passionate sales and marketing workforce enable them to know what brands customers need to create a long relationship with them thus meeting the hotel mission (Testa & Sipe 2012, p. 657).

To maximise revenue and profitability, the “sales teams target group, corporate, leisure, government, SMERF, and extended stay business to ensure balanced business mix” (Cimacio et al 2009, p. 42).

Besides, modern social marketing strategies, which are done via social media sites such as tweeters, Facebook, and YouTube among others, attract appropriately large market segments while the all-inclusive approach to e-commerce schemes helps to maximise profits, control sales reservation, “optimise brand loyalty programs, and channel strategy analysis’’(BMTE N311 2012).

Consequently, only those advertisements geared towards increasing sales and are consistent with the mission and vision statements are important.

From the case study, the property initially sold itself. The hotel never had a problem filling the place. However, due to poor sales and marketing strategy, it suddenly fell out of favour (Kattara, & Saad 2008, p. 319). However, initiatives such as constantly lowering room rates to entice dissatisfied guests back to the resort are inevitable.

The sales department strives to bring in business to meet targets and occupancy percentages in a bid to fill the place at any price without considering the effect on other departments, other staff, or the resort’s revenues (Madeleine, & Svetlana 2009, p. 183).

Even though such schemes such as giving discounts, incentives, and bonuses are necessary for improved sales, good coordination and control rates, communication and training are vital among and within the sales and marketing team to curb confusion, poor service, and dissatisfied guests (Quinn 2012, p. 70).

Food and Beverage Strategy / Action Plan

Strategies on trends, customer habits, and news on the food and beverage form the basis for a prestigious resort. Customers are looking for ‘”products and brands that are real, authentic, and honest because they know they can trust what is in them and where they come from” (Cimacio et al 2009, p. 40).

Food and beverage manager should embrace new research and advice the general manager about the customers’ needs to make arrangements of acquiring such preferences besides training and guiding departmental members on the possible menus (BMTE N311 2012).

The manager should follow the basic principles of food and beverages in planning the menu as it is not only the most essential tool in creating the power to bring clients into the resort but also to improve the image of the hotel depending on its content and the manner it is set.

The manager should set up an investigative and quality standard teams to handle customer feedbacks besides scrutinising food because food safety management is vital to the resort’s reputation and success. The team can also test the presence of poison in the food substances (Testa & Sipe 2012, p. 651).

However, if food production, presentation, or delivery does not meet the hotel’s set standards, departmental communication and training can solve the problem.

Working together with the director of sales and marketing, the food and beverage manager should give service guarantees by allowing “longer opening hours and maximising space for food and beverage operators to focus on in order to maximise profits’’ (Cimacio et al 2009, p. 38). In addition, developing service recovery plans and promotion campaign is of benefit to the advancement of the resort.

Maintenance Strategy / Action Plan

Effective maintenance strategy minimises the risk of environmental occurrences, poor publicity, and losses. Maintenance strategy bridges the gap between maintainers and engineers thus helping the resort to utilise its assets effectively, safely, and profitably. Maintainers and engineers can employ several maintenance strategies (Madeleine, & Svetlana 2009, p. 180).

They can do “breakdown, corrective, scheduled overhaul, on-condition, failure-finding, predictive, and preventive maintenance” (Barsky, & Nash 2007, p. 228). The choice of maintenance depends on the extent of damage, demand, and urgency. However, maintenance must go hand-in hand with proper renovation of the rooms, which are better done during low guests turn out to allow more time for everything to be put in place.

Engineers should renovate roofs, walls, and ceiling boards besides replacing window glasses in order to meet guests’ expectation as per the vision and mission of the resort (Quinn 2012, p. 69). The chief engineer should inspect the work done knowing that, if the repairs are not made properly, guests will complain.

References

Barsky, J, & Nash, L 2007, ‘Staff problems can ruin guest loyalty’, Hotel and motel Management, vol. 222 no. 1, pp. 222-236.

BMTE N311 2012, Management of Tourism and Hospitality Operations and Guidelines for Hotel case study strategic plan 2012, Harvard UP, Harvard.

Cimacio, B et al. 2009, ‘Front office of accredited hotels in Baguio city: profile, problems and Strategies for quality service’, University of the Cordilleras Research Journal, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 37-51.

Kattara, H, & Saad, W 2008, ‘The impact of employee behaviour on customers’ service quality perceptions and overall satisfaction’, Tourism & Hospitality Research, vol. 8 no. 4, pp. 309-323.

Madeleine, P, & Svetlana, R 2009, ‘Review: Capacity management for hospitality and tourism: A review of current approaches’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 29 no. 1, pp. 177-187.

Quinn, K 2012, ‘The Importance of Technology, Systems, and Information Skills in the Hospitality Industry’, Consortium Journal of Hospitality & Tourism, vol. 17 no. 1, pp. 66-82.

Testa, M & Sipe, L 2012, ‘Service Leadership Competencies for hospitality and tourism management’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 31 no. 3, pp. 648-658.

Walker, J 2004, Introduction to hospitality management, Pearson Education, Inc., New Jersey, NJ.