Operations Management in Hotels - Coursework Example

Operations Management University Student Id Course The process map of service delivery in hotels Introduction The essay explores the operations in a hotel where the different operations are discussed. The management of operations in hotels is mainly geared towards improving the efficiency of the organization. In the hotel industry, the ability to ensure successful management of operations is crucial in delivering services that are of high quality. Considering the importance of quality in service delivery, operations management is very important in making an organization competitive in the industry. Operations management is entirely concerned with the conversion of factors of production into products and services with the aim off making profits (Slack, 2015). Organizations are making use of operations management with the aim of making sure that they offer services that can compete well in the market. Operations managers in most of the organizations are the incorporation of technology in operations (Altay and Green, 2006). Technology in operations managing is critical in achieving efficiency in organizations where the reducing costs of production have been the major aim in the hotel industry. The various operations involved in the process of serving guests from the moment they enter the hotel to the moment they check out from the hotel are explored. Operations management in hotels The hospitality industry considers operations management as crucial in achieving competitive advantages. The success of an organization in the management of operations determines the efficiency in utilization of the resources that determines the operations costs (Will, Bertrand, and Fransoo, 2002). Considering the need for adopting competitive pricing strategy the low costs in operations is crucial where an organization can be in a position to offer low prices and still make profits. Considering the consumer behavior theory, the demand for products is usually high the moment the prices are low (Sousa and Voss, 2008). Besides, it is through operations management that quality in service delivery can be achieved. For instance, the services and products can be tailored I a way that can help in meeting the needs of the customers in a better way. As a result, operations management in the hospitality industry is becoming important in making an organization achieve its objectives, as it is the quality of the products that the company can become competitive. The operations manager has the responsibility of aligning the activities of the organization with the set objectives. The hospitality industry has been changing constantly hence making it necessary for an organization to make sure that the operations constantly (Stuart, et al. 2002). The preferences of the customers in the industry keep changing making it necessary to keep pace with the changes. The operations manager is expected to liaise with the other managers in the organization to come up with the best strategy for adopting change. Managing change has become an important part of the operations management where organizations are making sure that the operations remain relevant in the market. The relevance of the operations of an organization is crucial in determining the ability to meet the market demands. The operations manager in the hospitality industry can make sure that the hotel services are relevant by researching in the trend taking place in the market. Keeping pace with the industry trend is what determines the relevance of the company operations (Jacobs and Bendoly, 2003). As a result, the need for constantly changing the operations of an organization is crucial in making an organization remain competitive in the industry. The operations managers are expected to come up with the necessary strategies that can assist in utilizing the company resources in a way that can guarantee efficiency. Automating the operations of an organization has become a common aspect in the managing of operations with the aim of achieving efficiency. Many organizations are now adopting capital intensive mechanism with the aim of improving the service delivery and lower costs of production. The demand for human labor is reduced through the automation of the company operations where the costs associated with labor are reduced. Besides, the level of customer satisfaction has been said to increase the adoption of technology in operations (Aksin, Armony, and Mehrotra, 2007). The increase in the level of satisfaction can be attributed to the resulting quality that can be realized through automating the operations. The mistakes that are associated with human labor are likely to be eliminated through the adoption of technology hence improving the quality of the offered services and products. Besides, control has been possible through the adoption of technology as control systems are adopted. For instance, in the hotel industry technology has been used in controlling the sales volume where they are captured in the system. The use of the systems in the managing of operations of organizations have proved important in enhancing transparency as the possible losses due to manual collection of sales is eliminated. The employees are made more accountable as the system makes sure that no errors and all the sales are captured. It is clear that the adoption of technology in an organization can then be important in improving the profitability of an organization (Forza, 2002). The company cannot lose its sales through dishonest employees hence the use of technology in managing the operations can be important to the success of the organization. The guest cycle The operations in hotels can be divided into four categories that can include pre-arrival, arrival, occupancy, and departure. The four categories of the operations are interdependent in the process of making sure that the guests are satisfied. They depend on each other where the failure of one stage of service delivery affects the entire process. For instance, the moment the client is not satisfied at the time of checking-in, is likely to be dissatisfied with the services offered during the stay in the hotel. It is the role of the operations manager to make sure that the services offered to the customers can meet the needs of the customers (Bendoly, Donohue, and Schultz, 2006). For instance, the front office employees need to have the necessary skills and expertise that can make sure that the guests are satisfied. The guest cycle is the systematic approach that entails the operations at the front office in a hotel. The front office employees need first to be aware of the need and expectations of the guests to deliver the necessary services and products that can meet the expectations of the clients. The understanding of the flow of business in the hotel is important in making sure that the clients are satisfied. The employees working at the front office have the responsibility of making sure that they communicate to the guests the expected services and products (Slack and Lewis, 2005). The communication of the services and products of the hotel can be crucial in making sure that over expectations that are common among guests is eliminated. It is over expectations that make most of the guests feel unsatisfied as they expect what cannot be delivered hence making them aware of the services to expect can eliminate over expectations. Pre-arrival The operations starts the moment the guest makes a reservation where the services provided by the hotel staff can make the client determine the quality of the services offered. It is, therefore, important to make sure that the perception of the guests during the time of making a reservation can be positive. The first impression of the guest is crucial in determining their expectations concerning the quality of the services of the hotel. The operations manager has to make sure that the employees have the necessary skills that can guarantee quality (Barratt, Choi, and Li, 2011). Some decision of the guest to make the reservation can be affected by the process of involved where a tedious process can discourage. The operations manager need to make sure that making a reservation is easy for the clients to attract them. Besides, the operations manager can make sure that technology in adding some features that can attract more guests to the hotel. Operations management plays a crucial role in marketing an organization where the effectiveness and efficiency of the organizational operations determine the quality of services (Voss, Tsikriktsis, and Frohlich, 2002). The quality of the products and services in the hospitality industry is very important where marketing activities emphasize on assuring customers that their needs can be met by the organization. The management of operations in organizations is crucial in coming up with the best organizational strategies for achieving the set objectives. Operations management is important in making decisions that can help in ensuring customer satisfaction. For instance, improving the communication between the employees and the guest can be important in ensuring satisfaction where the guest can be in a position to make the necessary inquiries. It is through the improvement of the communication between the guest and the staff that the needs of the guests can be realized. The knowledge concerning the needs of the customers can be important in making sure that the services are tailored to meet their needs (Coughlan and Coghlan, 2002). Besides, the guest can be made aware of the level of quality and nature of the services to expect hence avoiding over expectations. Arrival stage The operations that take place the moment the guest arrives at the hotel include registration and allocating a room. The service delivery at this stage is determined by the way the operations are managed where effectiveness is considered important in making sure that quality is assured. It is crucial to establish a good relationship with the customers with the aim of developing an environment that can assist in improving the service experience. The skills of the employees in the front office are critical in determining the quality of the services offered and ability to assess the expectations of the guests (Shah and Goldstein, 2006). During the arrival stage, the guests need to be provided with the necessary information that can enhance their service experience. Occupancy stage Keeping the guests informed concerning the services and products that are available is important in improving the service experience. The way the requests from the guests are handled in the hotel determines the level of satisfaction. The guests expect the service providers to provide the necessary information that can make their stay in the hotel excellent. The operations manager needs to ensure the guests are provided with the necessary information and that their requests are responded within the appropriate time (Roth and Menor, 2003). Besides, the way the complaints from the guests are handled substantially determines the level of satisfaction where the operations need to be managed in a way that can guarantee a proper response to any complaints. Departure The guest cycle is completed at this stage where the guests can make their final recommendation concerning their service experience. The operations of an organization can be improved by making sure that the guests are encouraged to give their views concerning their experience. The operations manager utilizes the opinions of the guests provided to make the necessary improvements (Melnyk, Stewart, and Swink, 2004). Operations management is a continuous process where changes are constantly made to enhance the service delivery. Besides, the clients can be encouraged to provide suggestions on the various ways that can be used to improve service delivery. The operations manager can then make use suggestions to make the necessary changes in the operations of the organization. The operational problems The primary operational problem facing operations in hotels can include high costs of production and market changes. Managing these challenges is crucial in determining the ability of an organization operating in the hospitality industry to achieve the set objectives. Costs of production The increased costs of production have proved to be a major challenge in the hotel operations. The competitiveness of an organization is primarily determined by the ability to control the costs of production. The organizations that have achieved cost advantages in the market have managed to become competitive. The operations adopted in an organization need to consider the cost implications as costs affect the profitability of an organization (Krajewski, Ritzman, and Malhotra, 2013). For instance, the organizations that can manage their costs are likely to offer competitive prices that make the sales volume increase. Therefore, the increase in the costs of production has been challenging organizations to offer services and products that are affordable. Market changes The changes that have been taking place in the hospitality industry have been challenging the operations in the industry. The changes include the dynamism of the taste of the customers where the organizations have been forced to alter their operations to keep pace with the market changes. The changes have been affecting the entire operations of an organization that can lead to an increase in costs of operating (Kleindorfer, Singhal, and Wassenhove, 2005). The changes require new resources that are necessary for making sure that the organization keeps pace with the changes. For instance, the organization might be forced to train its employees or hire new employees who have the necessary skills for adopting the changes in the organization. As a result, the market changes can alter the operations of the company leading to negative impacts on the performance of the organization. Recommendations for improvements Technology adoption: adopting the technological advancements can be important in managing the costs of production. Through the adoption of the technological changes the operations of the organizations can be made efficient hence lowering the costs in the organizational operations. The organizations operating in the hospitality industry need to automate the operations with the aim of lowering the costs of labor. The companies that can successfully manage to automate the operations are likely to achieve cost advantages necessary for adopting competitive pricing strategy (Grover and Malhotra, 2003). The low prices that are crucial for improving the sales volume can be possible through adopting technology that lowers the production costs. Conducting market research: research is important in the process of keeping pace with changes taking place. Organizations operating in the hospitality industry should ensure that they have the necessary knowledge concerning the market hence offering the relevant services and products. It is the duty of the operations manager to make sure that constant research is conducted to align the operations with the changes taking place in the market (Heizer, Render, and Weiss, 2004). The shifts in the taste of the customers can be realized through market research where the organizations can then change the operations to deliver products and services that can meet the needs of the consumers. Conclusion Operations management in the hospitality industry is essential in making sure that an organization achieves competitive advantages. It is through proper management of operations that efficiency in an organization can be achieved hence helping in managing the costs of operating. The management of operations entails training that is considered important in keeping pace with the trend in the industry. The employees need to be constantly trained on the best ways of delivering services and products to the customers. The training is critical as the preferences and taste of the consumers might change hence the need for new ways of operating. The operations manager has to put into consideration the operations of the rivals in the market to make sure that the company is competitive. It is through training that the employees can be equipped with the necessary skills that can guarantee customer satisfaction. References Altay, N. and Green, W.G., 2006. OR/MS research in disaster operations management. European journal of operational research, 175(1), pp.475-493. Aksin, Z., Armony, M. and Mehrotra, V., 2007. The modern call center: A multi‐disciplinary perspective on operations management research. Production and Operations Management, 16(6), pp.665-688. Barratt, M., Choi, T.Y. and Li, M., 2011. Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications. Journal of Operations Management, 29(4), pp.329-342. Bendoly, E., Donohue, K. and Schultz, K.L., 2006. Behavior in operations management: Assessing recent findings and revisiting old assumptions. Journal of operations management, 24(6), pp.737-752. Coughlan, P. and Coghlan, D., 2002. Action research for operations management. International journal of operations & production management, 22(2), pp.220-240. Forza, C., 2002. Survey research in operations management: a process-based perspective. International journal of operations & production management, 22(2), pp.152-194. Grover, V. and Malhotra, M.K., 2003. Transaction cost framework in operations and supply chain management research: theory and measurement. Journal of Operations management, 21(4), pp.457-473. Heizer, J.H., Render, B. and Weiss, H.J., 2004. Operations management (Vol. 8). Pearson Prentice Hall. Jacobs, F.R. and Bendoly, E., 2003. Enterprise resource planning: developments and directions for operations management research. European Journal of Operational Research, 146(2), pp.233-240. Kleindorfer, P.R., Singhal, K. and Wassenhove, L.N., 2005. Sustainable operations management. Production and operations management, 14(4), pp.482-492. Krajewski, L.J., Ritzman, L.P. and Malhotra, M.K., 2013. Operations management: processes and supply chains. New York: Pearson. Melnyk, S.A., Stewart, D.M. and Swink, M., 2004. Metrics and performance measurement in operations management: dealing with the metrics maze. Journal of operations management, 22(3), pp.209-218. Roth, A.V. and Menor, L.J., 2003. Insights into service operations management: a research agenda. Production and operations management, 12(2), pp.145-164. Shah, R. and Goldstein, S.M., 2006. Use of structural equation modeling in operations management research: Looking back and forward. Journal of Operations Management, 24(2), pp.148-169. Slack, N. and Lewis, M. eds., 2005. Operations management (Vol. 10). Psychology Press. Slack, N., 2015. Operations strategy. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Sousa, R. and Voss, C.A., 2008. Contingency research in operations management practices. Journal of Operations Management, 26(6), pp.697-713. Stuart, I., McCutcheon, D., Handfield, R., McLachlin, R. and Samson, D., 2002. Effective case research in operations management: a process perspective. Journal of Operations Management, 20(5), pp.419-433. Voss, C., Tsikriktsis, N. and Frohlich, M., 2002. Case research in operations management. International journal of operations & production management, 22(2), pp.195-219. Will M. Bertrand, J. and Fransoo, J.C., 2002. Operations management research methodologies using quantitative modeling. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22(2), pp.241-264. Read More