The Main Problem at Holiday Inn - Assignment Example

Section 1 Some of the problems we encountered at the Holiday Inn in Edinburg where I worked include that of check-out problem on crowded morningsand weekends when too many customers are leaving at the same time, and the inability of finding enough number of customers to register for membership of the priority club to meet the monthly requirement of 250 members. 1.2 These problems occur every day, every weekend and every month: hence, their frequency could be described as regular. 1.3 These problems could be categorised as being caused by people, who are quite mindful of financial capacity and be cautious in spending their money anyhow. However, these problems are also caused by organisational unpreparedness on the part of the Holiday Inn management—there should have been a system to deal with rush hours when many customers want to check out. 1.4 Obviously, these problems stem from the lapses in the management style of the Holiday Inn; things could have been better if strategic planning has been implemented in the areas of handling customer’s relationship and so on. 1.5 Definitely, it matters a lot if the management problems are handled properly and in a timely manner. Failure to do this would keep the Holiday Inn in a tight corner and the customers would feel dissatisfied with the services rendered at the Inn. 1.6 A couple of the desired outcomes are that: (i) the customers could be attended to quickly and they would feel happy for the good services being rendered; (ii) the Holiday Inn would be able to achieve its objectives in the area of attracting the future and current customers and encouraging them to sign for Priority Club. Section 2 2.1 The current solution is just a temporary solution to address the problems of crowdedness at the check-out desk: if it could be difficult to handle the current number of customers at ordinary period, the situation is going to get worse during peak holiday periods. 2.2 Some of the important information that may help in solving these particular problems include (i) knowing the exact time of checking out; (ii) understanding the itinerary of the customers; (iii) having the knowledge about the behaviour of the customers when it comes to the issue of travelling. 2.3 For those travelling on a tour package, the travel agencies handling their itinerary should be contacted. In case of corporate travelers, their companies/tour planners should be consulted. 2.4 These criteria are necessary for all the parties involved in this arrangement to believe the solutions proposed: (a) The solutions do not increase the cost of lodging. (b) They are not time-consuming. ( c) The solutions do not pose any harm and will not create dissatisfaction on the parts of both the customers and the management of the Holiday Inn. Section 3 3.1 The following techniques could be used to generate solutions to all the problems hinted above, which seem to dent the reputation of Holiday Inn in Edinburg: (a) Brainstorming—this approach will definitely come first: managers, supervisors, team members, and Priority Club team members should put heads together and discuss the right modalities that would be used in solving the problems at the Holiday Inn. Since all the workers are responsible for the operations in the Inn, they are in the best positions to identify what solutions are needed in order to overcome the challenges facing the Holiday Inn. (b) Trial/Error—this technique would make it possible for some solutions to be tested while detecting how effective they are. Trial and error technique would help the Inn to know what procedures would be great in checking out customers during the peak periods as well as registering some of them for the Priority Club Membership. (c ) Personalised Solutions: The Inn should also try some new methods of identifying the needs of individual customers and satisfying such needs with personal consideration. What this means is that people are of different backgrounds and races, and they have different expectations when they go to an Inn. The Irish may want their tea darker than the Germans: this is what offering personalised solutions is all about. 3.2 It is possible for a solution to give rise to other problems: take for instance, during the trial and error exercise, if customers are not duly informed that the Holiday Inn was just testing some methods to understand how to better serve the customers, some of them who were first-time clients might wrongly harbour negative impressions about the services offered at the Inn. This may lead to the unfortunate situation that the Holiday Inn would begin to lose customers! Section 4 4.1 The following criteria must be measured to make sure the suggested solutions are working at the Inn: (a) Customers’ satisfaction: it is important to measure how satisfactory the services offered by the Inn are to the customers. This could be determined by giving the customers some questionnaires to fill in after enjoying the services offered by the Inn. (b) Quality of Service: If the quality of services at the Inn is improved based on the solutions, this means that the solutions are effective. For example, if fewer customers are found at the check-out counter during the rush hours, this shows that the solution to curb that problem is functioning. (c ) Cost effectiveness: if the Inn is able to save some money that was previously wasted on unnecessary services, this may demonstrate that the solution to make the day-to-day operations of the Inn efficient is working. (d) More customers: If more customers are using the Inn, this is another clear indication that the quality of services has improved and the solutions offered are functioning. 4.2 There is no doubt that some resolutions made would affect the working styles of some people at the Holiday Inn. Since new methods are employed; old workers, particularly, would have to adjust to the new ways of working. Some workers may decide to leave the Holiday Inn because the new techniques of operations are not okay for them. Section 5 1.0 The Main Problem at Holiday Inn The main problem at Holiday Inn is overcrowding at the check-out counter during early mornings and the rush hours. Why does this problem occur? Too many customers leaving the Inn at the same time. The proportion of customers checking out outweighing the number of check-out personnel. Much time is needed to check the customers’ identity and matching that up with their bill settlement. Handling customers’ baggage and luggage and arranging for out-of-the-Inn services, like taxis services, restaurants, banking etc. Listening to many complaints at the same time and trying to offer appropriate solutions that would satisfy the customers. This could be hectic during the rush hours (Yu, 1999). Doing everything possible to satisfy the Members of Loyalty Club Programme. Offering extra pieces of advice to some customers who are leaving the Inn so as to encourage them to come back. Some of the extra services include advising about the right time for future room reservation and so on (Yu, 1999). 2.0 Designing the Appropriate Solution for Check-out Congestion The following steps are carefully taken in finding the permanent solution to the problem of over-crowdedness at the checking out counter during the rush hours or weekends: Managers, supervisors and receptionists brainstorm about the possible approaches to solving this problem. Periodic meetings are arranged to come forward with plausible solutions. Each department in the Inn is asked to present the appropriate solution. Deliberation on the solutions put forward. Choosing the best-supported solution. Setting up working committee to design the solution 3.0 Designing the Solution The desired solution to this problem is express check-out system: 3.1 Expectations of this system include: * Checking customers out speedily. * Answering their questions and addressing their concerns as quickly as possible. * Personalizing the checking out procedures based on each customer’s itinerary and schedule. 3.2 Designing processes: * Customers are asked to give more information about the itinerary before and after staying at the Inn—this will help the receptionists to know the possible time of checking out. Questionnaires are given to the customers to know their best time of checking out—this is to avoid the overcrowded situations. Customers’ travel behavior is also investigated to understand how often they will be using the Inn and when they need to check out. The Loyalty Club Programme members are asked to choose their priority time of checking out. 4. The Application of the Solution The express checking out procedure is applied in the following instances: Customers that prefer to leave the Inn early in the morning are booked for check-out ahead of those that could leave later (Brymer, 2003) Separate boxes of checking out are designed to attend to each category of customers. Members of Loyalty Club Programme receive the fastest checking out service. Customers with family members are informed to process their bills a day before checking out to avoid having many people at the check-out counter. Customers with no complaints are allowed to leave earlier than the ones with some problems to be solved (Brymer, 2003). First come First Served policy is used in case some customers that are billed for morning checkout could not make it or have overslept. 5.0 Consequences and Improvements Some of the consequences of this solution are: Faster checking out process Customers are satisfied Holiday Staff feel happy as the crowd soon disappeared from the checking out counters Quicker bill processing and computation The management is satisfied with the performance Retention of customers However, this solution still needs some improvements in the areas of: Handling children that come with their parents—kids cannot follow their parents’ schedule as some of them may still be sleepy while the family is expected to check out (Kusluvan, 2003). Handling the seniors—old people sometimes forget the time they have been booked for checking out. Time management is essential and should be improved. More training should be organized for Holiday Inn staff in this regards (Kusluvan, 2003). References Brymer, R.A. (2003). Hospitality & tourism. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Kusluvan, S. (2003). Managing employee attitudes and behaviors in the tourism and hospitality industry. New York: Nova Publishers. Yu, L.(1999). International hospitality business: management and operations. New York: Routledge. Section 6 The four other learning incidents during the course of this module and training are as follows: 1. I learned about how to maximise enrolment for priority club members and pre-booked full-English breakfast by ensuring monthly target are met within the company (Holiday Inn). And I also ensured that customers/guests get benefits of being a priority club member, such as complimentary newspaper, ten percent off on drinks in the bar, late check-out depending on availability etc and for customers who would pre-book their breakfast to receive it at 10.50 pounds instead of 13.95 pounds.  2. I fully understood how to help visually impaired, wheelchair-using, disabled guest up to their room and helping them to know how to operate everything in their room; television, bathroom etc  3. I learned how to communicate well with other departments such as (housekeeping, food and beverage/room service etc), and ensure that they have got the message right so there would be no communication problems/errors.  4. I learned how to improve my customer service by offering complimentary room upgrade if available to priority club members and non-members; offering drinks, coffee, tea if their bedrooms were not available on time according to the check-in time on the website, which states 2pm. I also learned how to resolve customers billing problems, such as adjusting room charge if they were either over-charged/undercharged according to their confirmation booking rate ,deposits already taken by travel agents which should be taken off from the final bill etc . Section 7 Task 1: Talking about me Mark or grade = 5 (1) I was fortunate to have had an opportunity of a firsthand job experience at Holiday Inn in Edinburg, where I was a receptionist. My duties at the Inn include but not limited to carrying out receptionist assignments: answering calls; counting safe and making sure that everything is correct; checking in and checking out customers; balancing credit card machine; printing reports for house-keeping, credit reports etc; dealing with customers’ enquires and complaints; and working in collaboration with some great minds. (2) I can describe myself as someone who has a mild temperament; an easygoing person who often likes to listen to people’s complaints and try to find solutions to them. I think my temperament helped in a number of ways during my practical job training. (3) I think I see the Johari Window Model quite fascinating. The theory this model proves is truly applicable to everyone in all circumstances. However, from my experience at Holiday Inn, I strongly believe it is helpful to prod customers to reveal their private self to any organization that may have requested for it on a very serious note. Receiving personal feedbacks from customers helped the managers at the Holiday Inn to come out with the best solution for solving the problem of crowdedness at the check-out counter, which was implementing personalised check-out service! Task 2: My Job and my responsibilities Mark/Grade = 5 (1) I worked for Holiday Inn located in Edinburg. My job title was Receptionist. (2) My duties at the Inn include but not limited to carrying out receptionist assignments: answering calls; counting safe and making sure that everything is correct; checking in and checking out customers; balancing credit card machine; printing reports for house-keeping, credit reports etc; dealing with customers’ enquires and complaints; (3) The line management structure of my unit is as follows: Manager—Head Receptionist—Supervisors—Receptionists (4) The team I worked in was made up of old, experienced receptionists as well as new ones. We worked together every time to attend to all the needs of our customers. The team has a system of regular shift: I could work in the morning or afternoon or evening. (5) I was able to fit into the team structure owing to my temperament and the willingness to learn new things at the Holiday Inn. Task 3: Identifying my skills Grade/Mark = 5 (1) The skills needed in my place of work are: Listening carefully, taking in what other people say (2) Getting on with other people (3) Being accurate and conscientious (4) Explaining things clearly (5) Prioritising tasks (6) Dealing with stress (7) Juggling different tasks at the same time (8) Being creative /having new ideas (9) Writing clearly (10) Manual dexterity /being good with your friends (11) Mental arithmetic (12) Being flexible, willing to try new things (13) Working well in a team (14) Working well on your own (15) Knowledge of a particular subject area (16) Using computers/IT (17) Handling difficult people (18) Motivating people (19) Taking responsibility (20) Solving problem (21) Delegating tasks (22) Taking decision (23) Persuading/influencing (24) Commercial awareness (25) Others/............ (2) Using computers/IT—I always compute customers’ reservations and personal information Listening to customers—It was my duty to listen to their complaints and suggestions Solving problems—I tried to solve some of the problems encountered by our customers during checking in and out. (3 ) Goal Setting: I want to be better at: (i) Persuading/Influencing (ii) Motivating people (4) (i) I can learn more about how to persuade or influence people/customers by watching how my superiors do it. I can also take in-house training to better this skill. (ii ) I need to actually improve on my communication skill in order to have enough power to motivate people/customers. Task 4: Communication in the workplace (1) The scenario involving explaining to the customer the new system of checking out of the Inn. (2) Yes, I did communicate well to the customer. (3) She seems to have fully understood my explanation by smiling briefly and asking no questions. I can say that I have been trained to do so—this was my regular duty and I have kind of developed confidence in doing that. (4) I would like to improve upon my communication with my superiors at work. They seem to have no patience for endless complaints from junior staff, and I have got to catch up with them. (5) I could develop good communication with the customers and my superiors. What I need to do is to keep talking to all the parties concerned. Task 5: How people work in teams (i) I have observed people at the Inn collaborating on implementing a great customer service, which involves making customers feel relaxed during their stay at the Inn. Therefore, the staff is made to act quite nicely to all customers, and they are forbidden to show anger in case they are abused by aggressive customers. This makes it difficult for the workers to show their real emotion, and most of them often felt exhausted at the end of the day’s work. (ii) Team Roles My primary strength is My secondary strength is Who is like this at work? Who is not Like this at work? Innovator Produces ideas, imaginative, unorthodox, radical, clever, uninhibited, Can be over sensitive , prickly. May need careful handling. Imaginative ability Sensitiveness Sarah.Williamson Investigator Finds things out , always knows someone who..., brings information back to the team, enthusiastic , gregarious. Can be lazy and complacent. Personal Enthusiasm Inquisitiveness Ashley.Craig Chair person Self confident, commands respects, good speaker, thinks positively, good at guiding the team. Can be domineering, bossy. Self-confidence Command of respect Susan.Jack Sharper Energetic, drives everyone along, needs to succeed, makes things happen. Can be disruptive and argumentative, impatient and problem if things don’t go their own way Natural Energy Goal-oriented Nicola .Hutchison Evaluator Careful, makes intelligent judgements, tests out ideas, evaluates proposals, helps the team avoid mistakes. Can become isolated and aloof, pessimistic. Prudence Meticulous character Sarah Williamson Team worker Sympathetic, understanding, sensitive, shows a strong concern for social interaction, leads from behind. Places the team, above personal concerns. May be indecisive. Sensitiveness Good social interaction Kunal Malusare {Me} Pamir Someshwar Organiser Methodical, hardworking, reliable, orthodox, turns ideas into plans which are feasible and gets down to tasks which need doing. Can be flexible and uninspiring. Methodical approach Hardworking nature Dawn Ferguson Finisher Painstaking, conscientious, fellows through works hard finish things properly .Meets deadlines and pays attention to detail. Can be overanxious and perfectionist. Conscientiousness Perfectionist attitude Ashley Craig Section 6: What makes a good manager? (1) These ten qualities are what make a good manager: (i) Listening ability (ii) Good communication skill (iii) Accessible (iv) Considerate character (v) Commanding respect (vi) Humility (vii) Problem-solving ability (viii) Quick thinker (ix) Good rapport with subordinates (x) Selfless personality (2) The top failings of most managers at Holiday Inn were doggedness and inattentiveness to others’ ideas. (3) It is natural that a good team needs an effective leader to function well. What the leader does is to coordinate the activities of the team in order to produce satisfying results. In other words, no leader, no greater outcomes from any great team. (4) If I am interviewing a new manager for the Inn, I would be looking at: (a) The communicative ability (b) Previous experiences (c) Good temperament (d) Selflessness (e) Humility. (5) The simple appraisal form would look like this: Previous experiences Experienced Less Experienced No Experience Communicative Ability Good poor bad Nice Temperament Easygoing bad-tempered I don’t know Humility Not humble at all fairly humble Quite humble Selflessness selfish not so selfish selfless The above qualities are essential for any manager to possess in order to be able to control the activities of all the other workers in any organization. The most interesting aspect of this is that if any of the qualities described above is lacking, there is every possibility that the managers may not be able to successfully coordinate his/her subordinates. This would only lead to more organizational problems instead of totally solving them. Task 7: Giving and receiving feedbacks 1. The following statements demonstrate my experience at receiving or giving feedbacks: The key points are that were made in the feedbacks are: (i) calm; (ii) teachable; (iii) have listening ears; (iv) Hardworking. These refer to my actions during work. Some of the comments were unexpected, because my co-workers were quite strict on the job. I was motivated. I hardly receive negative feedbacks from my superiors. I think I agree with the comments because I tried to my best on the job. I hope to work harder so as to keep receiving positive feedbacks about my job. I just need to watch my superiors’ approach to the job and learn from them, while working on my communication skill. 2. About giving feedbacks to the others; I rarely give feedbacks to my superiors, since I was not in the position to do so. However, I do commend some of them on their: (i) braveness; (ii) problem-solving ability; (iii) and hardworking nature. The feelings I had had then was one of admiration for their hardworking character. I wish I could be asked to give my feedbacks in writing. I will prefer to send the feedbacks to the concerned official, even though they are not requested for. Task 8: Reviewing my skills 1. My Personal Attributes—a great deal (5) I think I demonstrate a good attribute of a hardworking receptionist during my practical experience by learning the rules at the Inn and working according to the expectations of my superiors. 2. Looking Back on Skill—a great deal (5). (a) I was able to utilize and develop my communication skill, problem-solving capability, good temperament, and my personal confidence. The evidence that support this assertion can be seen in the positive feedbacks I have often received from my superiors at work. (b) Feeling more confident about using the skills –a great deal (5) I can say that I am more confident in using all my skills as the Inn is always full of customers who I interact with while answering their questions and solving their problems. 3. My Employability Skills Analysis—the following skills make me employable in the job market: Good temperament Good communication and listening skills Problem-solving ability Team player Confident and hardworking. Below is my Employability Skills Analysis Matrix Employability Skills Analysis Matrix Skill (where identified in this module) Situation When/how you used this skill Objective i.e. what outcome were you trying to achieve? Actions i.e. What actions did you take or do ? Results i.e. what was the outcome of utilising this skills in this situation Aftermath i.e. How did you feel about the outcome? Example:- Don’t use this. Customer Service/Care (learning log No .5) Dealt with a customer who felt they had poor service. Find out exactly what complaint was about and to resolve situation to satisfaction of customer & hotel. Took to a quiet area of hotel ,listened carefully, clarified important issues, informed customer what action i was going to take it to resolve problem/ Issue was resolved to satisfaction of both parties . Customer had perception that hotel has excellent customer care practice. Positive feedback from line manager. Felt that effective communication was accomplished, & more confident in difficult situation, At the time felt uncomfortable. Learnt from this experience-will with similar issues in future. 1. Confidence Handled some very stubborn customers To tell them to follow the Inn’s policies I appealed to them to respect the Inn’s policies Some of them showed understanding in my explanations They keep patronising our Inn 2. Team-playing Worked with some terrible colleagues To carry out the Inn’s requirements I acted responsibly while working with these colleagues We all became better workers We became good friends and partners 3. Listening skill Handled some Priority Club Members request for special treatment I made them understand that the Inn highly regarded them and was ready to give them the best services I listened to them silently and went extra miles to satisfy them They felt more satisfied They continued to use our Inn 4. Problem-solving ability A couple were checking out and having not enough money to pay for their bills I told them to understand that the Inn wasn’t free I discussed their problem with a senior colleague, and they were told to deposit their passports They came back later to pay the bills and picked up their passports The Inn was happy about my approach to this issue 5. Calmness Handled an alcoholic that often fought with all staff I silently made him know that his action is not right I took him to a silent room and explained to him how the staff felt about him He was sober and apologised and promised to be a good customer We became good friends after that 6. Good temperament Endured harsh behaviour from colleagues To appear good-mannered I silently endured their unfriendly attitudes We got to understand one another quite well We worked cooperatively together 7. Good communication Explained some Inn’s policies to an angry customer To win his trust and make him a perpetual customer I humbly explained the Inn’s policies to him He was obviously satisfied He kept on coming to our Inn 4. Entry for My Curriculum Vitae (CV): Below are some of the skills and abilities I demonstrated during my working at Holiday Inn: I worked cooperatively with my colleagues. I used my good communication skills to explain the Inn’s policies to customers. I solved many problems with my problem-solving ability. I participated in all meetings and trainings to learn more about the job. I was confident and hardworking during my working at the Inn I handled some quite difficult customers I worked successfully with some bad colleagues. I used my good temperament to solve many problems at the Inn. I participated in the Express checking out procedures I carried out accounting/computation of the Inn’s billing processes. Conclusion My practical experience at the Holiday Inn was full of interesting circumstances. These include but not limited to: Meeting new and exciting people Attending to people’s needs without getting tired. Working with highly experienced colleagues and management Having the opportunity to demonstrate my ability to handle operational activities. Learning new skills and ideas. But there are other things that nearly made my experience unsatisfactory. These bad situations include but not limited to: Handling difficult customers. Putting up with bad-mannered colleagues Working several nights in a week And listening to the same customer repeating same problems all over again. In spite of the above-mentioned uninteresting situations, I could happily say that my experience at Holiday Inn was worthwhile and eye-opening—I learnt many new things that I have not been able to imagine in the classroom. I look forward using my experience in my future working place. Read More