Resorts: Management and Operation - Research Paper Example

ID Number: Resort Management Introduction a. The Paradise Resort would be located inthe Crest Canyon area of Virginia, the United States. The resort would offer 4 suites and 12 two bedroom accommodations along with other facilities like restaurant, underground valet parking, stone fireplaces and laundry facilities. b. The name of the resort is Paradise Resort. The resort would be opened up in the Crest lake Village which is located in Crest Canyon, Virginia. This area is very near to the Richmond International Airport of Virginia. The number of visitors is high in this area which makes it a feasible place for opening up a resort. c. The resort would include 4 main luxury suites and 12 executive double rooms with additional facilities like local sightseeing services, shuttle systems, laundry facilities, restaurants, buffet breakfast options, free internet connection and room services like spa therapy. The service provided by the resort would include both the primary services and a number of augmented services. d. The main departments relevant to the resort would include a tourism management department, operations management department, human resources department and accounting and finance departments (Abrams and Abrams 56). 2. Profile of market segment a. The medium to high profile customers who would be interested to enjoy the skiing areas of Virginia is likely to visit this resort. b. This area is most commonly visited by the tourists for adventure sports and for enjoying the beautiful landscape and scenic beauty of the area. c. The customers would belong to different ethnic origins and would include the medium to high income groups. d. The demographics would include a small population which would constitute the specific segment of tourists and visitors in this area. e. The target market trends include increasing interest towards visiting these kinds of places for adventure sports and preference to spend more money for getting high quality service and experience. The visiting trends of the tourist are similar in both winter and summer seasons which mean that the resort is likely to generate good business all round the year (Predeaux 102). 3. Economic Impact a. The resort is expected to add value to the host community. The establishment of the new business would create employment opportunities for the local people and thus create economic opportunities in the area. Also, the local suppliers of products and services required for the hospitality industry would benefit from the scopes of providing their products to the new resort. The investments in the resort would also improve the economic scenario of the area and contribute to the revenue generation of the area. b. However, the equipments and installations required for the skiing and other sporting activities provided by the resort like the gondola services and rope tows may disrupt the local habitats of the area. The deforestation of some areas for establishing the skiing facilities and the accommodation spaces may lead to harmful impacts on the environment. The original ecosystem may be damaged by the establishment of the resort and its ancillary services. Also, the excessive use of water and other natural resources available in the area may cause depleting effects on the environment of the selected location. 4. Site Feasibility a. The hospitality industry in the Crest Canyon area is growing at an accelerated rate. The tourist influx in this location is also impressive which means that more opportunities are likely to emerge for hotels and resorts in the location. Also, since the area is very near to the Richmond International Airport, therefore, this acts as a positive factor of enhancing the attractiveness of the Crest Canyon area. b. The proximity and access to markets is very good for the Paradise resort. The area is well known for tourism and as such, all the necessary facilities for tourism are present in the region. Conveyance services like shuttles, hired bikes and cars are common modes of transportation that can be used in the place. c. There are quite a few limitations associated with setting up a ski resort. The first environmental limitation that may be faced by the entrepreneurs while setting up the Paradise resort is that the setting up of the resort and the skiing activity sites would call for significant amounts of deforestation and use of resources that may be difficult to access. d. The skiing activities would require high initial capital expenditures for setting up the sites and tracks for skiing activities. Other sporting activities would require specific machineries, equipment and installation services which may lead to high site specific expense for the resort. 5. Activities a. The main activities in the Paradise resort would include lodging, summer and winter activities, different kinds of snow sports like skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing etc, i. Transportation if off site: The transportation for the visitors would be provided by the Paradise resort. The resort would provide free pick up and drop services for the visitors from the airports to the hotels. ii. Cost: there would be main initial and working capital expenditures associated with the establishment and subsequent operations of the resort. The main cost would be incurred in setting up the resort, installing the sporting activity sites and in ensuring the continuity of operations in a smooth manner. iii. Equipment needed: The main equipments needed for the resort would include the basic capital equipment like the lodging equipment, laundry and kitchen equipments, sporting equipments, shuttle cars and equipments for setting up the spas. iv. Age group: The appropriate age group of the customers of this resort would be 25-50. The resort facilities would be suitable for tourist, adventurers as well as families. 6. Marketing a. Brochure for Paradise resort b. Advertisement piece of Paradise Resort for a magazine c. The advertisement for the resort would be put up in business magazines and travel magazines because these are the common types of print media that would reach the target segment of customers as selected for the Paradise Resort. d. The cost of advertising in these magazines would be quiet high. The advertisements would initially be given on the prime reading pages of the magazines on the weekends i.e. on Saturdays and Sundays every week for three months. This would ensure higher visibility of the advertisement and ensure that the advertisements of the resort reach the maximum number of target audiences. The cost incurred for advertising would be around USD 400 for one month. 7. Amenity package for the resort a. The Paradise resort would offer high scale services for the customers. Apart from the basic accommodation facilities provide to the guests, the management of the resort would also provide the guests with additional facilities like 24*7 front desk service and room service, food and c0nevmeince store, laundry facilities, free shuttle services , pick up and drop facilities to and from airports and ski clothing rental shops. Welcome kits would be provided to every customer which would help the customers to easily access the hotel services and find out the nearest visiting locations and tourist spots. The welcome kit would also include guiding manuals to the customers for using the various free and chargeable services provided in the Paradise resort during their stay (Rogoff 66). The welcome kit would be designed by third party designers who are locking after the creative promotional contents of the resort. The welcome kit would be designed in a professional manner so as to act as a value adding element for the customers during their stay in this resort. b. The costs for the services would be allocated as per the sale and importance of the same for the customers of the resort. Some of the basic services would come as a package in the lodging expense. The additional services like laundry, spa, medical services etc. would come at nominal process. However, discounts would be given to customers in the off season times so as to increase the number of accommodation bookings. 8. Human Resources for the resort a. Organization Chart of Paradise resort b. The recruitment strategies employed by the human resource management team of the Paradise resort would be simple and transparent. The resort would give employment advertisements in the local newspapers and would hire the required personnel like chefs, room service personnel, bell boys, receptionists, managers, lodge staffs, sport managers, maintenance staffs, ski rental store staffs, operations managers and staffs etc. (Mill 45). The pay packages would be designed to suit the requirements of the people holding these positions. The selection would be done on the basis of merit and skills. Both the local and foreign origin people would be given equal opportunities for working in this resort. c. An important department head position for Paradise resort would be the position of the resort manager. The job responsibilities of the resort manager would be monitor and oversee the whole operations and performances of all units of the resort. The resort manager would be the concerned person to whom all the other managers would report. The manager would have to work in close collaboration with all the managers and staffs of the other units of the resort so as to ensure streamlined and effective operations and management of the resort. Works Cited Abrams, Rhonda. & Rhonda M. Abrams. The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies. New Jersey: The Planning Shop. 2003. Print. Mill, Robert. Resorts: Management and Operation. New Jersey: Wiley. 2001. Print. Predeaux, Bruce. Resort Destinations. London: Routledge.2005. Print. Rogoff, Edward. Bankable Business Plan. London: Row house Publishing. 2007. Print. Read More