An Investigation into the Provision of Accommodation, Food and Beverage - Case Study Example

An Investigation into the Provision of Accommodation, Food and Beverage An Investigation intothe Provision of Accommodation, Food and Beverage Purpose To introduce the operational factors involved in the provision off food and beverage and accommodation. Objectives Compare and contrast different methods of food and beverage accommodation services. Scenario Make a visit to two hospitality outlets and submit a report based on observations and any further independent research. Outlets: Portsmouth Marriott Hotel and Portsmouth Guildhall.  Introduction The number of people eating outside their home is increasing, creating a growing diversity in the type and nature of food and beverages offered expansion of the food production industry and creating higher demand for advanced professionalism in the food and beverage service staff. Food and beverage service are the significant connection between customers and the menu, beverages, including other services offered in an establishment. The server is the central point of contact between the establishment and customers and plays a critical role in the profession. Success in the food and beverage service calls for well-developed interpersonal skills, sound product knowledge, ability to work in a team and a range of technical skills. Food production and service system Food production varies in terms of the methods of preparation, cooking and serving food to customers. The main factors considered in food production include the quality of raw materials, food hygiene, minimal food wastage, proper storage, appropriate preparation for all food items, cooking to proper temperatures, and the employees’ compliance with handling regulations. The method used for food production vary in terms of the size of staff required, total amount of time from preparation to service, level of control and hygiene, and the exact location where food production takes place. The main food production methods are cook-freeze, conventional method, cook-chill and centralized distribution. The system, structure and organization of service personnel differ in every organization. The factors that affect the organizational structure include the size of operation, labor budget, availability of skilled labor, type of customers, quality of operation, service methods used, kind of cuisine offered, menu type and the technology available. Customer satisfaction during service can be achieved by consistently meeting the customers’ particular wants, needs and expectations. In order to achieve good service, the required factors are good supervision, training, meeting customers’ wants and needs, good employees, conducting regular audits and setting standards and working towards achieving them. Employees play a critical role in the service experience because the level of service received by the customer ultimately depends on the server’s personality, technical skills, experience and the team in which they work. A good food and beverage server possesses the following qualities: excellent presentation, punctuality, and good product knowledge, ability to work within a team, honesty, good memory, positive attitude towards customers and a friendly and outgoing personality. The server should be sales-oriented, customer-oriented, well organized and have professional conduct. The needs and expectations of customers vary, and the service provider must try to meet them. Offering quality service generates many benefits for the individual staff members, customer and the whole organization. Some of the advantages that the customer enjoys including: satisfaction, a good experience, positive talk and customer loyalty. The organization benefits from s positive image, good reputation, brand growth, awards and an opportunity to develop market share. The organization is able to achieve financial targets, reduce costs, establish unique selling points, and achieve an overall growth. The employees benefit from employee retention, opportunities to develop, good work atmosphere and environment, recognition and positive moral. Examine the operational factors involved in the provision of food and beverage and front of house operations The service of food and beverages may be undertaken various means based on the time available for the meals, type of establishment, type of menu presented, type of customer to be served, Site of the establishments, cost of the meal served and turnover of custom expected and cost of the meal served. Food and beverage have a variety of offerings; these include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They serve food on self-serve trays or deliver the food in paper bags to the drivers’ side window of the customer’s car, and they are open seven days a week. An efficient food and beverage department may have several additional restaurant operations, banquet operations, twenty-four-hour room service, and a range of other food and beverage alternatives like a coffee break, snack bars, and meal services being part of their meeting operations. Other operations include take-out and off-site catering, alcoholic beverages in lounges, vending, lobby areas and show bars. The person responsible for operation of food and beverage department is the food and beverage director who reports directly to the general manager. Experienced general managers understand that food and beverage operations generate less revenue, fewer profits and more complaints compared to other departments. The food and beverage department generate twenty to thirty five percent of the total income. It is crucial for general managers to remember that food and beverage department is the main customer attraction and food and beverage products are equally significant regardless of their contribution to profitability. This is because some customers select a hotel based on the value and quality of their food and beverage services. Secondly, other travelers and the ones within the community always choose to spend optional dining dollars in hotels having a reputation for offering quality dining services at fair prices. 1. Description of outlets 1.1 Portsmouth Marriott Hotel: The Marriott hotel is a four-star hotel located in Portsmouth, UK. Built on 785 square metres of land, the hotel offers an ideal location for business, leisure and social events. It is situated in a convenient location near sights like Gunwharf Quays Outlet shopping; Port Solent Marina, Spinnaker Tower and the historic Naval Dockyard. The hotel facilities include the Sealevel Restaurant, Starbucks coffee shop, swimming pool, spa, fitness and recreation, meeting and guest rooms and high-speed wireless internet. The hotel function space is complemented by ample parking, audiovisual services, expert catering and welcoming staff. It sounds lovely to spend a relaxing weekend at Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, and if we can trust on some of their guests` comment it is a tremendously satisfying experience (www.marriott.co.uk). 1.2 Portsmouth Guildhall: Portsmouth Guildhall is a conference hall located in the city Centre and is the home of Portsmouth City Council. It houses a large auditorium that is used for numerous conferences and shows. The town hall opened in1890, and renamed The Guildhall in 1926 after Portsmouth became a city. It was destructed by bombs during the Second World War and later reopened in 1959 by the Queen of England. The Guildhall made up of a small conference hall, lower banqueting hall, and main concert hall, foyer, and first floor reception areas, crystal constellations, the Star Chamber, mayor parlors and the council chambers. The main concert hall is 29m by 25.3m and can hold 2228 people. The lower banqueting has a capacity of 150 people for banquets and 200 for meetings. The theme in the Star Chamber is “Heaven’s Light Our Guide”, with a huge mural made of glass and mirrors covering the north wall that depicts numerous historical scenes of the history of Portsmouth City. The twelve signs of the Zodiac are visible in the Crystal Constellations. The Council Chambers has a Mayoral Record Panel showing the mayors dating back to almost 800years and is used to hold council meetings. Currently, the establishment offers a venue for weddings, dances, exhibitions; comedy shows concerts, cinema, catering services, and house technical equipment. The establishment is managed by Portsmouth Cultural Trust (www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk). 2. Food production and food service system. 2.1: Portsmouth Marriott Hotel: As a four star hotel Portsmouth Marriott Hotel sticks to high quality service on each guest cycle resulting in high prices. The function rooms cater for Christmas parties and other functions. The reception is polite and welcoming which makes the guests feel welcomed while the guest rooms are spotlessly clean and of a high standard. The breakfast is offered in a buffet with a great variety supervised by attentive staff. A typical buffet breakfast will cost 14.95 GBP same as a full American breakfast. The Sealevel seafood restaurant has a fresh seafood-led menu that includes smoked pancetta, sea salt fries, mushy peas and other seafood. The gym, restaurants, and saunas are clean and well-maintained. Fitness training is offered at the Portsmouth Leisure club and guests can swim at the 6.4 km Eastney Beach, Whirlpool or indoor pool (www.marriott.co.uk). The secret to cooking four star dishes includes both the highly qualified chefs and conducive work environment. The kitchen is an organized system where each person knows their duty and any problem are reported to the manager. The Christmas Party Nights& New Year’s Eve promotion and other attractive offers and packages are open to guests at the restaurants and local attractions. 2.2 Portsmouth Guildhall: Portsmouth Guildhall offers accommodation, venue and rooms for hire, office space for rent and Christmas parties. The establishment is managed as an independent body by a board of ten trustees. The staff handles operations, marketing, technical and finance departments each headed by a manager. The guildhall is currently famous as the city’s main entertainment venue and also serves as a historic building in the whole city. 4.Describe the activities undertaken by front of house and housekeeping at each stage of the guest cycle at the hotel and explain how they contribute to the overall guest experience. 4.1Portsmouth Marriott Hotel: A description of the guest cycle at the hotel will to focus only on Portsmouth Marriott Hotel. The initial stage of the guest cycle is the booking stage. The hotel has a variety of options available for making a reservation. Guests can make reservations through phone, websites, by a booking agent or in person. All the information about the guest is put together and ready to be used at this stage. The next stage is the arrival. The hotel has both day porters and night porters. They introduce the hotel, direct the guests to the rooms, introduce them to the exact room, and explain to the guests how to get in touch with the rest of the staff when necessary. The third stage is housekeeping. The job of the housekeeper is to nourish and enhance hotel environment. This includes cleaning the room, making the bed and refurbishing and maintaining the equipment. The final stage is the departure stage. All guests are offered the opportunity to express their valuable feedback by filling in a Guest Comment Card. The entire staff of the hotel including chefs, waiters, and managers takes care of the guests through every stage as it is their duty to make sure the clients are satisfactorily taken care of. Any hotel aiming to keep a particular clientele must ensure the managers find an attractive way to do it. This can be done by giving the guests a VIP treatment in terms of luxuries that leave them satisfied including a value for their money. 5. Explain and comment on the processes in place within Marriott Hotel and Portsmouth Guildhall to ensure effective communication take place between departments. 5.1 Portsmouth Marriott Hotel The communication between departments at Portsmouth Marriott Hotel is taken particularly seriously. This means that at any time, every member of the staff is aware of any changes made in the daily routine. The staff holds daily meetings to discuss any changes on the menu. There are also weekly meetings as well held to consider the market performance and revenue. A meeting is held every month to discuss decisions regarding changes within staff and advertisements through magazines, websites or social networking sites. 5.2 Portsmouth Guildhall: Portsmouth Guildhall has a strong connection between each department. There are meetings on a weekly basis where any issues among the departments are discussed and a monthly meeting as well. During such meetings, the members are able to address issues they feel are critical to the operation of the Guildhall, discuss future activities of the company and analyze finances (www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk). 6. Review the staff implications within each operational area to include consideration of full time, shift patterns, the skill of the staff, current employment issues 6.1 Portsmouth Marriott Hotel: Most of the staff members at Portsmouth Marriott hotel are flexible and multi skilled, able to stand in for someone where necessity arises. The staffing strategy was developed due to the recession. The hotel has a hotel manager, a manager for every restaurant, chefs, waiters and other staff. The hotel has fitness instructors and therapists for the spa and fitness and recreation sections. The hotel commonly employs students from different countries within UK as part-time workers. All the employees work for one shift except the receptionists who work for three shifts. 6.2 Portsmouth Guildhall: The most significant employee here is the general manager. He oversees all activities to ensure that all clients, the company and customer are satisfied. The assistant manager and supervisors directly report to the general manager. All the employees that work for Portsmouth Guildhall should be immensely motivated, possess excellent communication and time management skills; they should all be flexible multi-skilled team workers. Bibliography Hotels Portsmouth, hotels in Portsmouth, Portsmouth hotels. (n.d.). Hotel Booking and Reservations | Find Rooms in the UK | Marriott Hotels . Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/pmeha-portsmouth-marriott-hotel Portsmouth Guildhall. (n.d.). Portsmouth Guildhall. Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/ Read More