Abstract
After the analysis of the current property and all of its operational aspects the diagnosis is to refurbish The Stonington Beach Hotel to reflect a green and more luxurious environment. To do away with misconceptions about the Bermuda triangle and the declining traveling rates due to political reasons public relation-ing events like a hospitality management competition to take place. The hotel should also invest in cutting edge software to help manage the property as a whole and achieve better results and cater to customers efficiently. After implanting all the necessary changes the Stonington Beach Hotel should be able to successfully redeem lost tourists and knock out all competitors in the long term.
Introduction
The Stonington Beach Hotel started its first development phase in 1975 and finished the entire process by the early nineties. The hotel has a college campus for education in hospitality management. Bermuda’s two man industries are tourism and working in hotels so the integration of these two buildings is a logical decision. The industry standard for major refurbishments is long over due and to diagnose the current problems in the property a current analysis is necessary. A prognosis can only be given after properly analyzing all the buildings on the property, its counterparts, all employees, students, current marketing, environmental and political situations.
Body
Electricity is a big issue in the Hotel’s management decisions. “Electrical power is generated by a private utility company located on the north side of the capital city of Hamilton. It is distributed by overhead transmission lines. The company’s generators have proven to be sufficient to meet all of the island’s demands. Disruption in supply seldom occurs and is only really effected during hurricanes or serious storms.” (Conlin, 2004) Supplying energy through generators is an expensive task although it is more reliable than government sources since it prevents frequent power outages. Air conditioning uses a lot of electricity and adds a lot of expenses.
This is apparent in the Stonington Campus because to cut costs “in the construction of all the buildings, only parts of some buildings were air-conditioned.” (Conlin, 2004) To cut costs and be more energy efficient the hotel and campus should rely on natural light resources. In the refurbishment plan the windows should be placed in an efficient manner to consume the most natural light. The lobbies of the hotels should have glass roods installed to allow natural light to pour into the hotel.
“Being located by the Gulf Stream, Bermuda is blessed with very temperate weather. It never gets snow and seldom sees temperatures lower than F50º or higher than F90º.” (Conlin, 2004) Henceforth, the sun causing too much heat through the glass should not be a problem and the areas in the campus that are not air conditioned should be used a resource to indulge in a natural environment.
The hotel and campus both have kitchens catering to both students and customers. Kitchen facilities as a norm are usually boxed in cement with rarely any windows. The refurbishment plan should include adding windows to the all the kitchens so there is more sunlight and the surroundings feel more natural. Since the hotel is surrounded by palm trees the hotel should use them more efficiently for aesthetic purposes. Windows should be carefully placed where there is some greenery.
Adding windows and glass roofs in strategic places would be a great tactical measure which would offer great strategic benefits such as saving electricity in the future. Also the hotel should talk to the government about a daylight savings program if it isn’t already implemented. A daylight savings program would not only elongate the day but help conserve more electricity. Also people all over Bermuda would benefit from this and it would help boost the overall economy.
“The grounds around the Hotel were landscaped in the traditional Bermuda style with grass and planted palm trees.” (Conlin, 2004) Green is new pink, black, white and yellow. People are becoming more familiar with environmental issues and have started to prioritize on the “green” aspects of life. Being eco- friendly is a new trend these days and the Stonington hotel should capitalize on it. Hotel guests should be allowed to plant trees in designated spots of the hotel.
To implement the green philosophy each room should have postcard like flyer which gives them the option to plant a tree personally or have someone plant a tree on their behalf or a small fee that would go into preserving the green environment. People could also be given an option to name a tree, purchase or adopt a tree or a patch of greenery that they would promise to upkeep in maintenance and preservation. Due to the window plan the plants around the property will need upkeep and will require more attention by the staff and the monetary department. These donations by the guests of the hotel will help with the expansion of the greenery.
In the refurbishment process a door plan should be implanted with the window plan. The rooms on the ground floor that can be directly connected to the beach or an outdoor area should have an extra door built in. To capitalize in the green aspect on a maximum scale for environmental and aesthetic purposes each room/suite that is already surrounded by enough greenery should have windows placed in the bathroom. This should only be done in a few rooms where there would be no extra costs of strategically enhancing the green view. These rooms should have a door in the bathroom that would lead straight to the beach or in the secluded area plush with green.
Adding doors and windows in a few selected rooms would stop the revenue collections from those rooms for a little while but these costs will be recovered through premium pricing. When the installations are complete these rooms will turn into green suites and provide the value added benefits of premium pricing. Since the island has loyal visitors who can afford luxury people the demographics of the people renting these rooms is high.
“There was also a paved pathway from the central building leading to the four accommodation wings and down to Stonington Beach. The Beach was approximately 30 feet below the Hotel and its surrounding grounds and was often washed away during the winter season. In the spring, land crabs infested the coastal areas of the island, phenomena unique to Bermuda, but one which resulted in the Hotel grounds being riddled with holes dug by the crabs.” (Conlin, 2004) This could be an excellent opportunity for two reasons.
The washed away beach can act a sailing and fishing heaven and the crabs can be showcased as the natural environment of the hotel. To prevent holes dug by crabs the outside areas of the hotel grounds that become infested with crabs should be made out of cement. Cement is a cost effective tactical and strategic way of tackling this problem. Since the hotel is a luxury hotel cement floors might not always be appealing in each area of the hotel. Henceforth, small boundary walls should be constructed around the hotels which prevent the crabs coming in.
This would create a boundary that the crabs will be unable to cross and the tourists will be able to watch the crabs from a safe distance. Another good use of the crabs would be the live cooking of these crabs. Tourists should be given the option of picking their own crab and watch it being cooked live. To add to the activities of the hotel, the tourists could also help cook the crab in a designated open kitchen area.
“The Administration Building, the College Library and the Faculty Office Building incorporate elevators. All the other buildings on the Stonington Campus were single or two story structures and did not have elevators.” (Conlin, 2004) As long as the hotel has appropriate elevator systems each building should be okay with the use of stairs since it most structures are only two story’s tall. The main area concerning refurbishment should be updating the first impression people get as soon as they enter the surrounding area of the hotel.
“The main road into the Stonington Campus served both the academic buildings and the Hotel. As a result, the landscaping for the entire campus was a primary consideration. Hotel guests got their first impression of the resort from the academic buildings as they drove down toward the beach.” (Conlin, 2004) The appearance of the college should be updated along with the refurbishment as it is the first thing tourists see.
Currently the hotel has (Conlin, 2004):
- a 100 seat fine dining room
- a fully equipped commercial kitchen – supplies to dining room and serves as a training facility for senior culinary students
- a small guest Library with a wood burning fireplace
- a 20 seat Boardroom – used by staff and rented to public
- a freshwater pool and a patio
The Hotel Technology building has (Conlin, 2004):
- two training kitchens
- a student cafeteria
- fine dining restaurant open to the public
- six classrooms
- locker rooms with showers for males and females
- library
- departmental offices
- administration building
- The student centre which has a cafeteria and space for public meetings. This building is attached to the Hotel Technology building and the department’s training kitchens serve the college cafeteria.
- The Arts and Sciences Building which housed classrooms, a 120 seat auditorium, foreign language labs, and study halls used primarily by students enrolled in Arts and Sciences programs
- The Bermuda College Library
- The Faculty Office Building which provided office space for the College’s Deans and teaching faculty.
The Trades Building has (Conlin, 2004):
- Classrooms
- Garages
- Workshops
- other facilities relevant to teaching and training in the trades
All three buildings and their counterparts pose a huge management challenge. Keeping track of all operations in the hotel and the campus buildings is a huge task to handle. Since the facilities have not been updated since their first launch an investment should be made into property management software. The company should invest in the “PAR Springer-Miller Systems’ SMS|Host Hospitality Management System.” According to the product website the benefits include (Host Hospitality Mgmt):
- Reservations
- Group Reservations
- Group Billing/Charge Routing
- Availability
- Forecasting
- Guest Accounting
- City Ledger
- Night Audit
- Suite Handling
- Travel Agency Accounting
- Housekeeping
- Hotel Operator
- Mailing List
- Correspondence
- Complete Reporting
- Guest History
The software allows the staff to sell services to the customers from anywhere in the hotel, ex: over the phone, at the front desk or by the pool side. The accounting aspect of the software helps produce accurate statements and automates the accounting process making it more efficient. Baggage handling is made easier with the system through its automated tracking system. Each time a member of the staff handles a baggage it is recorded in the software. When the customers asks for it to be moved or placed in a particular place the management will already have a record of its current location and will not have to bother the guests. (Host Hospitality Mgmt)
Most property management systems offer the ability to develop frequent stay guest programs. Many properties offer these programs in conjunction with frequent mile programs. Returning customers are able to use their frequent guest number when a new reservation or check an existing reservation. Once the guest has met a predefined number of stays, most systems enable ‘regular guest’ indicators to be displayed on check-in and arrival reports. Modern property management systems allow properties and chains to keep accurate and tidy quest histories in order to enhance their marketing functions. (Pizam, 2005, p. 295)
The Springer Miller property management software has this function and it can be used to boost the tourists coming into the hotel. When a SWOT type analysis is conducted it is easy to see that the weakness is the lowering rate of tourists coming in because people have now become more activity oriented instead of just being focused on complete luxury. The threat here is that the competing hotels can follow suit by mimicking activities hosted by the hotels and the customers wouldn’t only be drawn to the Stonington Beach Hotel.
To turn and opportunity to gain tourists into a strength a cutting edge software like the Springer Miller needs to be installed because it will help keep track of the customers wants and provide clear data in the tourism patterns. This tool can help with managing activities more efficiently and having the data collected about the customers serve as a tool for regaining and keeping old customers.
The retail point of sale aspect of the software allows the staff to store each item sold and each service rendered classified according to time, quantity and guest number. The software also enhances the options available to guests “throughout the restaurants and lounges” and “include[s] simple menu and item setup and configuration, unlimited menu items, unlimited checks, rooms, tables, automatic coursing of ordered items, time and attendance tracking, check splitting [and] online credit card authorizations.” (Touch Fine Dining) This would allow guests to have more options and minimize the use of staff that would usually have to conduct these operations manually.
During the refurbishment process the hotel should look into adding a Spa to the hotel. To compete with any large and luxurious hotel today a spa is vital to a hotel. Most people come to vacations to relax and get away from the daily life. A spa provides these people an environment of complete relaxations punctuated with the epitome of pampering. This is an expense that will have to be made in the hotel immediately. The construction should take place in low season for minimum disturbance to the hotel guests. Once the spa is completed the resort will have more appeal and marketing potential in gaining new customers.
The Springer Miller properties management software also comes with a Spa/Resort Scheduling aspect. It schedules appointments, makes reservations, and has the option of maintaining a guest profile along with other useful options. (Spa Management) The number one rule of providing service to guests is to satisfy all their needs, meet all their wants and enlighten them with services they didn’t even know existed. Basically, to be successful in a luxury business from the marketing aspect you must delight the customer. The Spa/Resort Scheduling allows the staff to make little notes on the system about customer preferences, likes and dislikes.
This can include a plethora of information from the kind of massages a customer enjoys, how long the customers want to be pampered at a time, what drink they want with their spa routine, and which consultants they prefer. All the little things add up to providing utter comfort and luxury for the customer and allow the staff to keep track of all their needs and wants and desires.
“Bermuda is also prone to being hit or skirted by many of the hurricanes occurring during the Atlantic Ocean’s storm season which runs from August through November. In the period 1980 through 1993, three hurricanes hit the island. While these storms did considerable property damage, there was no loss of life. They did disrupt the tourism sector for a period of time after each hit, most notably in the week following the storm.” (Conlin, 2004) special consideration should be taken into account while refurbishing the hotel by incorporating the damages the hurricanes can render. The tourists should know that they will be safe in the face of any natural calamities.
The Springer Miller system should be used to detect the forecast and sharing that information through the system networking. First aid kits should be available on each floor. The main aspect of hurricanes and tornadoes is the damage to property. In tactical measures the hotel should conduct all the recommended refurbishments and when the hotel is up to par with its regular tourism base and starts to excel the hotel should look into investing on the infrastructure of the hotel in the long run.
One huge fund raiser for the hotel can be hosting a competition at the hotel and campus. In the low seasons when the tourism is low the college should host a worldwide hospitality management competition. All over the United States there are competitions that start small and then the competing teams move up to the state and then national levels. The competition would include all the aspects of hospitality management. The categories will range from the culinary arts to the technical aspects.
In order to do this without employing more staff the senior students majoring in management of properties should be assigned a project in their second to last semester to organize a worldwide hospitality competition. The board of governors has members who have been affiliated with this trade for a long time and have many connections. The students should use their networking skills to contact other hospitality management schools and encourage them to hold competitions.
It might be hard to get a lot of countries to follow suit so as a first baby step the media should be made use of. All over the world there are many competitions that are aired on TV such as The Apprentice, Top Chef, and America’s Next Model. The goal of the students should be to first get big sponsorships that would be ready to fund the expenses incurred in running a competition like this.
The contestants would be American and the host country would be the Stonington Beach Hotel in Bermuda. Having an entire TV show being hosted in Bermuda would provide many tough challenges so students should aim at getting a reality competition show to have a segment that is hosted in the Hotel. This would create the much needed publicity for the hotel and aide in designing a student based competition in the hotel.
To begin with districts, states, and nationals as a pathway to the Bermuda competition as an initial step will result in chaos and unmet expectations since no major hospitality management competitions are held in the world. The Stonington Beach Hotel should conduct and invitational competition by asking hospitality management schools worldwide to participate. The competition should be judged by experienced and renowned hospitality management experts who are already a part of the board of governors to add prestige and authenticity to the competition. Each college or individual who chooses to participate in the competition must pay a fee to attend the competition and their accommodations for the 4 day span of the competition.
For people who would like to come to the competition and cannot afford to should seek scholarships within their institutions. The students should contact people in the hospitality management business that like to sponsor and fund students to come to a competition like this. The principles of marketing say that you must not only provide a service but also provide means to access the service. The sponsorships will help people who are interested in the coming to the competition and increase the number of participants.
Both ways the money raised will go to the hotel to host the competition and raise future funds for expanding the competition. This will put The Stonington Beach Hotel in the eyes of the public and create publicity. This competition will be held off season so the normal tourist routine does not get interrupted and will allow the hotel to earn revenue in low season by accommodating competition participants. The competition should be managed and run by the senior students who organize it by hosting the competition and taking care of their needs as the customers of the hotel. This would enhance the learning of the students at the Stonington College Campus and give them a rewarded experience.
The competitions will make use of all the facilities on campus such as the kitchens, classrooms and the auditoriums. During the competition the students will film the entire competition in a documentary style video which will be sent back with the competitors to their respective colleges to pique interest among their fellow students. The competition will create publicity, public awareness, provide students all over the world to a competition that caters to their field of study and keep revenues stable during low season.
The Bermuda Triangle has a history of being a man abductor. The goal of the hotel should be to remove this from a consumers mind when they decide on a tourist spot. A competition that is well publicized will add trust and remove misconceptions from the mind of future tourists. Also the documentaries sent out by the competition should tackle the issues of traveling after the Iraq war. Eventually when the competition grows in popularity and prestige it will become a huge asset for the hotel and college and knock out competitors.
The college students are Stonington Beach campus should be given first priority to be being hired at the Stonington Beach Hotel. This would create a loyal student base and guarantee that each investment made into the college now will pay back by improving hotel management tomorrow. Also the employees should be given discounts to stay at the hotels. Since hotels loose money if their rooms go empty employees should be given low rates so that they can rent out rooms for their vacations on a low cost.
From the human resource management perspective this creates a win-win situation because both the employees and the hotel benefit. The hotel does not loose revenue over empty hotel rooms and employees have an outlet to work out work related stress. The spa’s can cater to the employees at a low cost and relieve employee tension helping them be more efficient at the job. Employees should also be rewarded with free stays at the hotel and be allowed the use of all the facilities for free. Twelve times a year an employee of the month should be rewarded with a weekend getaway for him and his family. This would create an incentive to work efficiently and manage hotel property in better ways. All work and no play has never been a good philosophy.
The hotel and beach should also be safeguarded against diseases. “When Stuart Gaskill first took over the management of his cottage colony about 10 years earlier, he battled an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that almost killed several of his guests and took over six months to eradicate.” (Conlin, 2004) Before the induction of any new employee or student each candidate must go throw a procedural blood test or supply files with recent vaccinations and tests to show that they are free of any contagious viruses. Also a proper protocol should be used when cooking seafood to eradicate any possible diseases. The cooking hygiene and safety methods should be overlooked by a trained official or a government regulator to ensure that everything is in check.
Conclusion
After the analysis of the current property and all of its operational aspects the diagnosis is to refurbish The Stonington Beach Hotel to reflect a green and more luxurious environment. To do away with misconceptions about the Bermuda triangle and the declining traveling rates due to political reasons public relation-ing events like a hospitality management competition to take place. The hotel should also invest in cutting edge software to help manage the property as a whole and achieve better results and cater to customers efficiently. After implanting all the necessary changes the Stonington Beach Hotel should be able to successfully redeem lost tourists and knock out all competitors in the long term.
References
Host hospitality mgmt. Web.
Pizam, A. (2005). International encyclopedia of hospitality management. Boston, Mass: Elsevier.
Spa management. Web.
Touch fine dining. Web.