Planning and Design of Hospitality Facilities - Case Study Example

Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Planning and Design of Hospitality Facilities Background of City West This report will analyse and assessment the hospitality industry in the City West and analysis of the market opportunities that exist in the hospitality sector in this area. The report will provide the current statistics and the current gaps in the hospitality sector with an objective to offer a plan and design of the hospitality facilities. The current hospitality sector offers services to tourists, business people, and local residents and for the office workers. Thus the hospitality industry in City West has a mix of accommodation, cafes and restaurants, pubs, taverns and bars and hospitality clubs. The accommodation sector caters mainly for the 70% of tourists who visit Sydney and for the business people who visit from metropolitan Sydney city and will need accommodation. Accommodation services make 26% of all the hospitality income generated from 23% of the number of hospitality businesses. The cafes and restaurants contributed to 25% of all the income from the hospitality industry and their number was 55% of the number of businesses. The cafes and restaurants served the residents as well as those who went to the city for business and shopping. Pubs, Taverns and Bars contributed to 29% of the hospitality income. This is mainly from a combination of residents and visitors from the metropolitan Sydney who visit City West for business and need a recreation facility later in the day. The residents of Sydney young at an age group that recreates on weekends and especially since most of them do not have family commitments. The Hospitality clubs make 8% of the businesses and providing for an income of 20% of the hospitality income. This again was from the residents as well as the international visitors who come to Sidney. The total number of businesses in the hospitality industry is 25448 generating an income of $38, 451 million. Market Opportunities, Competition gaps The likely competition for any new development in this are would come from the already existing hospitality businesses in this area. They are already widely spread and cover almost all areas of the hospitality industry. There are already businesses that already exist in this area. These businesses have already established a customer base and this will be a challenge for the new business. However the existing hotels are offering similar services. Sydney is a city which means the settings for these hotels is a city setting. Though the buildings that host these businesses are exquisite and appealing to the eye, they all have the similarity in that they all have a city setting. The city of Sydney receives international visitors. The city also receives quite a number of visitors from Metropolitan Sydney for shopping purposes, for entertainment and recreation, for business transactions and for learning purposes. The city is home to many offices and most of these office workers reside within the city. This provides for the market for the existing hospitality businesses in the city. The expected growth in businesses will mean a potential increased marketability for the hospitality industry. Another reason that may contribute to a possible market is the diversity of residents in this city. Most of the residents earn a reasonable income which they can spend on recreation. A big number of the residents are not married and this can be interpreted to mean that they have no family commitments, meaning a high expendable income. The city has a mixture of cultures, from foreign destinations to the Aborigines. There are university and college students who reside within the city, as well as those who commute from the neighbouring metropolitan Sydney. This means that the students will need low cost recreation facilities. The low cost recreation facility will also cater for the residents who are earning less than $200 per week. The New Development Servicescape is the service environment in which the service takes place and is delivered (Zeithaml Et al. 2004). It is that place where the customer interacts with the firm. When well designed, it acts as a mood setter for the customer as well as the employee as it is responsible in creating their attitude, expectations, and presuppositions. The concept was introduced as a result of the realization that the service industry was different from the production industry in terms of the intangibility factor, the differences in services offered, production and consumption are offered simultaneously and the direct involvement between the customer and the firm. In the services sector, the production is happening in the customers presence, the customer is said to be in the factory. Production and consumption are inseparable. The physical appearance of ‘the factory’ is therefore very crucial as it communicates the correct image to the customer as well as to the employee. Servicescape provides the business mix through ‘packaging’ by creating a positive image, delivering service where the customers and employees are relaxed and comfortable and offering difference by offering different services from the competitor. The unique selling point for the new market should be ‘creating a village within a city’. This will mean a recreation center where the customers will have a feeling that they are out of the city. The external physical appearance of the hotel will therefore have to be very unique and designed in such a way that the city buildings will not be visible from within the hotel. This will mean that the hotel will be surrounded by tall leafy trees. The trees will also act as a way to create a cool environment that will be attractive to the customers, and especially the city residents who maybe looking for a place from where they can relax. The kind of the recreation centre should be mixed in such a way that it caters for the shoppers from the metropolitan part of Sydney, as well as cater for these young residents of Sydney. The new hotel should also mix most if not all the services of the hospitality industry. This means it will be a one stop recreation centre both for the residents, the international tourists, and for the shoppers from the neighbouring towns and cities who go to City West for business purposes. The hotel should have accommodation facilities, a pur a restaurant and a gambling casino and also a beauty spar. A tourist visiting the part of the city will not need to get out of the hotel to achieve full satisfaction. This mixing will be the first unique point which will make this hotel distinct from the competing hotels. 50 percent of the Aborigines live in this part of the city. This can be taken as an advantage by mixing Aborigine traditions and their cultures within a modern setting. This will be another unique and distinct factor when compared with other hotels that are in existence. The culture combination can be used in two ways. First, the hotel can invite the Aborigines to the hotel on a given specific time. They will interact with the visitors and teach them some of their cultures, as well as entertain them with their traditional songs. Secondly, the Aborigines staple food will be accommodated in the hotels menu. This can be done on specific days where the caterer will create a theme for through the menu offered. Apart from the Aborigines traditional meals, the theme can accommodate other cultures, such that each day has a different theme portrayed in the menu. This will create comfort for the different customers both residents and visitors. In the service industry, the concept of inseparability applies. This is where production and consumption happen simultaneously. The customer can be said to be in the factory. It is therefore important to create an attractive environment to ensure that the physical appearance communicate the correct image. This can be done by the use of the senses to create an attractive environment. The visual sense can be used to create a strong visual effective through relaxing and soothing color but not overpowering. The furnishings should be suitable. The physical building should be suitable to provide one, the spatial layout and functionality and secondly, creating a theme and providing elements that are visually attractive and pleasant to the eye. The visual effect can be enhanced by the presence of the signs, symbols and artifacts, signage and the style of décor. The choice of architecture, lighting, and the surrounding environment are important. The artwork, the greenery and the artifacts should be used to create the uniqueness and be distinct from the competitors. The greenery factor will be the strong point as far as the visual outlook is concerned for this new hotel. The location of the hotel is advisable that it should be visible and accessible by the target market. In Sydney a high percentage of the city residents do not drive. It is therefore important to put this into consideration and make sure that the chosen location can be accessed through the available public transport. The sound effect should be used by selecting the correct mood in the sounds created. In a greenery environment, the sound of water flowing, or birds chirping will create the uniqueness to this particular target market. Any distracting noise should be avoided. The music should be suitable depending on the targeted market, and the time of the day. The sense of smell should be used to create a fresh and natural smell. Natural scents are attractive to almost everyone. The smell of fresh baking and fresh coffee are attractive as they create hunger. Any offending smells should be avoided. This means the kitchen and the sewer system should be a distance from the main hotel environment so as to avoid the smell of smoke. The feeling of touch can be used in the furnishings such as use of velvet at the welcoming desk. The sense of taste will be used by providing a welcoming drink to the visitors at the welcoming desk. Conclusion First impressions should be the selling point for a hotel. The environment and surroundings may be similar to the competition, but the staff members should create a unique relaxing atmosphere. A combination of this and other discussed factors should create the unique relaxing place that Sydney City West needs and has been lacking. References Cityofsydney. (2009). The City Of Sydney: Organization. Retrieved on August 19 2010 from http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/documents/CorporatePlan/2006-09/Pages12-17Organisation.pdf Zeithaml , A., Bitner, J. & Gremler, D. (2004). Services Marketing. New York: McGraw Hill Read More