Hospitality Industry in Britain - Case Study Example

Report on the hospitality industry in Britain 0 Introduction Hospitality is the warm receiving of guests who are known to you or total strangers and anticipating their needs. It is the cordial act of generous disposition towards guests (Dodgushn et al, 2012). 2.0 How the hospitality industry contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the UK The hospitality and tourism industry in Britain consists of a number of businesses including food and beverage, accommodation and other services such as tour and travel. Investors are keen to venture into this industry as it promises great returns on their investments. This sector contributes around 3.6% to the GDP in the UK. As such the government has continued to provide funding to a number of bodies related to hospitality and tourism with an aim of promoting local and international tourism and attracting foreign investment (Reid et al, 2010). According to the British Hospitality Association, (BHA) the hotel and tourism sector comprises of an approximate of 127,000 businesses and employment for about 1.6 million people. This is anticipated to rise in the future as more investors come into the industry. Approximately, the industry contributes about 19% of the total national income. This kind of labour is either directly or indirectly related to hospitality and tourism (Reid et al, 2010). 3. 0The difference between the product and services offered in a 4* hotel and in Bed and Breakfast. There are distinguishing differences between a 4* hotel and a Bed and Breakfast. Different travellers settle on where to stay based on specific needs. Bed and Breakfasts are usually run by a family providing a friendly and caring environment. It is appropriate for people who want to have the home away from home experience. A 4* hotel is mostly a member of a conglomerate which is larger and consists of other hotels. The inns are privately owned mostly private homes that have been renovated for commercial use. The Bed and Breakfast food is provided by the owners and usually gourmet which is informal and quality food. The food could be eggs, meat or what is available in the house. A four star hotel offers a continental breakfast which is a variety of fruits, cereal, yogurt, and batter for those who wish to make waffles. The food is prepared by professional chefs. A four star hotel is offers a more complex style of living with uniform rooms and decor whereas Bed and Breakfasts are more like homes rented out to guests with an open kitchen and variations in rooms. A four star hotel has a large staff employed to perform several duties such as cleaning, checking in guests and other services while a Bed and Breakfast is equipped with lesser staff who treat guests as members of the house. The hotel will charge for amenities such as the mini bar and television. These services are free of charge in a bed and Breakfast. The price range in a Bed and Breakfast will fluctuate depending on the season while the hotels offer a discount for their services especially to frequent guests. 4.0Describe a Flat organisational structure and a Tall organisational structure The main distinguishing factor between a tall and flat organisational structure is the levels of management. In a flat organisational structure, there is usually just one level of authority. This could be the CEO whom everybody reports to. In a tall organisational structure, there are several levels of authority between the CEO to the lowest ranking employee. There are supervisors and managers whom the employee reports to and in turn they report to the head of the organisation (Nickson, 2007). 5.0 Organisational structure of a hotel The size of the hotel determines the nature and size of the organizational chart. There are usually five departments which play various roles. The rooms department plays the role of customer service including cleaning, bookings, reservations and customer care. Food and beverage section is responsible for the bar, kitchen and restaurant, the Human resource department offers recruitment, training and overall welfare of the employees. The Accounting department is responsible for the hotel ledger. Finally, the marketing department handles selling of ad space and running of promotions. Each department has a head and low level employees who are in charge of performing those departmental duties. The overall manager is the general manager (Nickson, 2007). Identify the operational and functional areas. A hotel contains both revenue generating departments such as the rooms division and food and beverage as well as those areas that do not directly accumulate revenue for the hotel. Such areas are the accounting, maintenance and engineering department. Skilled, Semi-skilled and Unskilled A jobs level of skills is determined by the time frame taken to gain the necessary characteristics to perform a specific duty (Barth et al 2006). Unskilled work calls for very little judgement to perform simple skills. In most case it requires strength and one does not attain skills while doing this type of work. Semi-skilled This requires a little amount of skills but no complex job requirements. It calls for attention to detail while at the same time avoiding risks. A person takes five to six months to gain skills for such a job. Skilled This requires high level of specific skills, decision making skills and the ability to perform a mechanical or manual service to create a product or offer a service. Skilled work may require a person to work closely with others or with figures and use of critical thinking. It takes more than six months to learn the job and at times many years of training. Job description, skills and qualifications of a chef, housekeeper and a concierge The head chef is in charge of training and managing the kitchen personnel, developing menus and recipes, estimating costs and forecasting supply needs. A chef ensures proper sanitation in the kitchen and proper functioning of kitchen equipment. The chef should have the ability to manage in an environment that is diverse focusing on client needs as it is essential for the success of the organisation. A chef should hold a degree in culinary arts, or its equivalent with years of experience in the hotel industry. A housekeepers duty are to sanitize and clean rooms and other parts of the restaurant, maintain the supply carts with adequate essentials, and also respond to the needs of the guests appropriately with courtesy. A house keeper requires a basic high school diploma with the ability to push carts and lift other equipments. Physical fitness including ability to walk is necessary. They should also have the ability to maintain confidentiality, have excellent organizational skills and the tolerance for odours and noisy environments (Hayes et al, 2009). A concierge makes guests feel welcome in a hotel, helps with their baggage, direct them to their rooms, handle their queries, make travel arrangements for guests and receive and deliver messages to the guests. A concierge should be honest and discreet, have knowledge of several languages, be able to multi-task and solve problems quickly and efficiently. A concierge requires a high school diploma but a degree in hotel management is an added advantage since it will lead to promotions. Two roles of BHA according to the case study The British Hospitality Association champions the interests of the players in the hotel industry. The association is the voice of the hotel industry with years of experience to aid the growth of the hospitality and tourism industry. The BHA encourages national tourism as well as presenting the needs of the industry to the government ministers, the city and the media. According to the case study, the association does so by combining a powerful voice with a clear agenda with tangible benefits. BHA also lobbies on behalf of the hotel and tourism industry representing them in the media, engagements with the government and the larger society in an effort to raise awareness keeping the hospitality and tourism sector in every citizen’s mind. The associations aim is to shape the future of the hospitality and tourism industry as a driving force for international competitiveness and economic growth ensuring British hotel industry is the best in the world. The association does so by engaging with the media, the government and the public in raising awareness and in so doing, everybody is enlightened about the hotel and tourism industry in Britain. This leads to networking as people pass information using different mediums. The media also aids a great deal in raising such awareness not only in Britain but the entire world (Nickson, 2007). How the UK Visa change will affect the operational and managerial aspects of hospitality organisations In light of this move, there will be a progressive rise of tourists visiting the UK than in the past years. Therefore, several aspects of operations and management will require changing. The hospitality organisations such as the hotels, bed and breakfast will require to be upgraded and expanded to meet the need in the tourism market and to remain competitive. This is necessary as the hotel industry in France and Germany will serve as a great competition, as such, to remain relevant the hotel infrastructure will need an upgrade. The number of rooms and facilities will require expanding to accommodate as many tourists as possible. The new legislative targets the Chinese, therefore, the hotel management may require to hire new staff members who are well versed in the Chinese language and culture. Alternatively, the hotel management may opt to train several of the work force who will specifically attend to the needs of the new entry visitors and especially those who may not understand the English language. The hotel Menus may also require an additional of the Chinese delicacies in an effort to satisfy the guests who might want to enjoy home away from home and especially those who do not wish to try other foods apart form their own. The hotels decor’ may also change for some rooms to attract the number of Chinese tourists who feel that their culture is valued and appreciated. The hotel management need to ensure that there is enough skilled manpower to handle the needs of the guests of the hotel. The pricing rates of the hotel are also likely to match those of France and Germany; therefore, there may be a slight increase or decrease in the hotel charges to match those rates. There is also going to be change in the transport sector. Intergenerational travel means tourism organisations will need to cater for those travelling with the older generation and with children since the family units are evolving therefore changing the type and cost of ‘family’ holiday taken. How technology will affect the hotel industry in five years to come Technology is a driving force towards change presenting opportunities for larger efficiencies and diversity for better quality services. Good use of information technology leads to remarkable operational improvements. The hospitality industry has seen significant changes that impacting on the future of tourist demands (Ritchie et al, 2005). Social media- this includes internet based and mobile technologies that turn communication into dialogues that are interactive between individuals, organisations and the society. Research has shown that guests of a hotel are using the social media platforms for example twitter to get their problems solved rather calling the front desk. This trend is likely to continue in the future where some services of the hotel may be rendered obsolete, people will be using these social sites to make their reservations and all inquiries (Bidgoli, 2010). Mobile computing with the help of smart phones is a trend likely to have a major impact on the distribution channels especially how customers buy their travel goods and products. The time frame for making reservations is likely to shorten in the future. For instance, bigger organisations will stop global contracting and allow flexibility of booking to individuals so long as they take up a specific price range in terms of accommodation. This will impact on how information of products and prices are presented. Internet connectivity will be a must have and this may eliminate entertainment completely as people will be coming in with their own entertainment (Bidgoli, 2010). Advances in technology will have a significant efficiency on the quality of employees the industry hires. There is so much information that is available online for the consumption of the employees, internet will offer significant information that is necessary for employees to improve their skills. This will also allow clients to access proper information as well as undertaking their reservations in a matter of minutes. The internet has also affected and will continue to affect client’s behaviour. Those who search for destinations online are more likely to spend time at a destination than those who rely on information through other sources. Therefore, hotels are likely to improve their search engines to attract search clients. In recent years, children also play a part in deciding where to go for holiday, they look for fun, games and chat rooms on the internet, therefore, the hotel management is more likely to invest in those activities such as internet games to attract clients. The most significant factor in advanced technology is provision of premium customer service to the hotels guests (Vries, 2005). However, technology comes at a very high price and most of the small hotels and restaurants lack the capacity to invest in such technology. Therefore, they will lag behind to an extent of losing their client base. Technology advancement may also reduce the manpower required to work in a hotel or an organisation in the hospitality industry. This may lead to some people losing their jobs leading to lower standards of living. The rate of dependency on technology is a worrying factor. For instance, if a machine breaks down the work might stop until it is fixed unlike in the past where work could have continued normally without the use of that particular machine. Introduction of self service technologies where the clients carry out certain functions for themselves may reduce the levels of interpersonal communication. As such, the hotel management should be careful when substituting labour with self service technology (OH et al, 2008). This could lead to a reduction on the number of guests in the future. Reference List: BIDGOLI, H. (2010). The handbook of technology management. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons. VRIES, M. D. (2005). Teaching about technology an introduction to the philosophy of technology for non-philosophers. Dordrecht, Springer. DODGSHUN, G., PETERS, M., & ODEA, D. (2011). Cookery for the hospitality industry. Cambridge; Port Melbourne, Vic, Cambridge University Press. WALKER, J. R., & MILLER, J. E. (2010). Supervision in the hospitality industry: leading human resources. Hoboken, N.J., J. Wiley. BARTH, S. C., & HAYES, D. K. (2006). Hospitality law: managing legal issues in the hospitality industry. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons. HAYES, D. K., & NINEMEIER, J. D. (2009). Human resources management in the hospitality industry. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons. OH, H., & PIZAM, A. (2008). Handbook of hospitality marketing management. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann. REID, R. D., & BOJANIC, D. C. (2010). Hospitality marketing management. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons. NICKSON, D. (2007). Human resource management for the hospitality and tourism industries. Amersterdam, Butterworth-Heinemann. RITCHIE, B. W., BURNS, P., & PALMER, C. (2005). Tourism Research Methods Integrating Theory with Practice. Wallingford, CAB International. Read More