Operational Management in Hospitality and Tourism Industry - Assignment Example

? Sydney Harbour Marriott Introduction The Australian Marriott Sydney Harbour is a subsidiary of the Marriott International Inc. Company of U.S.A that ventures in luxurious hotel businesses. In Sydney, the hotel’s location is at the North of the Circular Quay and at the West of the Bradfield highway, adapting to the best location as a tourist hotel because of its proximity to the ocean in the immediate harbor. Since Australia is mainly a tourist and business destination, the five stars hotel management targets the two groups through its various service provisions (Patiar, 2008). A close check to the Marriott facility ascertains that the accommodation is exquisite with inclinations to technology gadgets, for example, broadband connectivity and satellite cables among other equipment that enhance comfort and satisfaction (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). The payment rates to the rooms are depended to the views as the deluxe city view rooms cost AUS$650, Bridge view rooms at AUS$750, and in accordance to technology, the E-Bundle package costs $750. The hotel further provides business clientele with Retail Therapy-city view at a cost of $810 as it comprises of a two-car parking lot and proximity to enjoyable shopping excursions in the city. The hotel’s management adapts to criterion review process and establishes that all the programs are up to the desired performances (Bushel, 2001). However, the management fails to express precise charges on its services thus; they fail to achieve trust from the clients as well, for example, charging $45 for car parks instead of the delineated $35 (Marriott, 2013). Executive summary In relevance to the issue of tourism and service delivery, hotels have continuously diversified investments by inclusion of extra services rather than diversification of investments. Since the services offered vary accordingly from provision of meals to accommodation, and other forms of hospitality, the management may consequently fail to acknowledge the importance of some of the services while trying to acknowledge those of others (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). The study established Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel as a five star with the most appropriate location and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. A review conducted upon the critical areas of interests and that would affect its credibility and value to the tourism approaches upon their comparison to the competitors (Bergin-Seers & Jago, 2007). Eventually, the study shall implicate on the challenges facing the hotel’s management as a result of failure in delivering of the desired services (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). Specifically, the tourists and other business clients boarding the hotel decry on the poor program presentation. In addition, they disguise parking prices as unethical and contrary to the desired value (Bushel, 2001). An evaluation to the values derived by visitors to the hotel record the lowest margin, which is an indication to the financial disguise of the available services and the exact charges realized after visiting the hotel (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). Description of the Sydney Marriott Harbour This five star hotel is a subsidiary of the Marriott International Inc. of the U.S.A. The Sydney Marriott Harbour conforms to the other Marriott hotels as it competitively boasts over its five star facilities, which enable it cope with the prevailing competition in the Australian hotelier industry with a major target to the tourist clientele group (Wilson, Harris, and Jennie, 2008). Despite the expressed competencies, the hotel ranks fourth in provision of quality services to the clientele community. The present competitors who mainly pose a threat to the hotel are the Hilton Sydney Hotel, Sir Stamford at Circular Quay, Quay West Suites Sydney, and the Intercontinental Sydney Hotel among others (Patiar, 2008). The hotels assume the most appropriate location as Marriott Hotel, but differ in the provision of charges. The hotel relies on the local tourists who are the main clients, while the competitors focus on the international clients. The financial value and credibility as a managerial challenge According to Andreas (2004), a visit to the Marriott hotel in Sydney implies perceptions to the clients as often to acquaint them with the best services possible. An interview with the manager revealed on the various approaches that the hotel executed to the clientele community in order to assess and establish exact fields that needed reviews and implementation of alternative measures. According to the manager, the clients applauded much of the services rendered by the organization with a five point score (Bushel, 2001). A review conducted upon the critical areas of interests and that would affect its credibility and value to the tourism approaches upon their comparison to the competitors. The manager further revealed that the visiting clients were comfortable with the use of the available rooms as they possessed intrinsic values that served to enhance the individual lives and accommodative stay in the hotel (Patiar, 2008). However, the score dwindled accordingly in the phase of cleanliness, an aspect that the management would easily correct. According to the manager, the main aspect that implicated drawbacks to service delivery and performance reflected on the financial services. The management held a report that denoted on clientele claims concerning financial services and credibility as charged upon acquisition of the outlined services (Ahmad, Solnet, & Scott, 2010). Most of the grievances reflected to the accommodation fee with the clients arguing out that the hotel overcharged them despite being ranked in the fourth position, yet the leading hotels were relevantly cheap. The hotel management observed that more grievances on the financial services delivery emanated from the disguised charges of AUS$45 instead known and acknowledged $35 for using the car parks. The challenges posed threats to the clients as they expressed dissatisfaction and with the comparisons held, it could be established that at such a point, they would often shift their locations to other five star hotels. The manager further expressed his concerns following the claims presented by some of the clients concerning the use of credit cards and the underlying fines (Knox & Walsh, 2005). He expressed that a review on the use of credit cards was negatively perceived by the clients because of the taxes born therein. For example, a client revealed dissatisfaction upon late reporting to the hotel and became vulnerable to 1.15% tax of the late reporting. The client observed the approach as ill in that he had already paid for accommodation and they would have honored him by avoiding any unrecognized charges. Solutions to the financial services challenge With a closer survey, the management could establish of the rate at which clients reflected dissatisfaction on various financial services. With the availability of strong competitors, for example the Hard Rock, Hilton, Sir Stamford Circular Quay, and the Quay West Suites among others, and the fact that the hotel lags behind most of the competitors in performance and profitability, the management finds the situation inescapable. In order to ensure competence, precise strategies should be expressed to uphold the desired values to the clientele groups, which is the integral unit in yielding profits for the organization (Patiar, 2008). With the issue of cleanliness falling under critics, the management would be ill-approaching the desired changes by executing expensive charges on accommodation. The drawback and hindrance associated to the unethical charges is the perforation of clients to other competent hotels situated in Sydney with the understanding that the city boasts with over twenty of the world’s five star hotel brands (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). Therefore, the management should reduce the accommodation charges or rather focus on improvement of cleanliness to curb the prevailing challenge entirely. The third challenge incapacitating service delivery on the financial perturbs the taxes imposed for the delayed reporting. Arguably, the extra charges are exercised despite the fact that the clients remitted the excise charges on accommodation rates at an earlier time. Further, the organization fails to establish that differences may occur in the daily routines of the clients thus; delays may possibly occur thereof (Ross, 2011). At such a point and understanding, the management should focus on resolving the penalty and taxes on credit cards by avoidance. Recommendations to eradication of the challenges Sydney Marriott Harbour boasts of the most appropriate location in the Australian hotelier industry. The management should not hold such a value for lightly, but should rather incorporate other factors into the situation and to expressly yield desirable competence upon the clientele community (Marriott, 2013). The managers should assess and conduct survey on the reviews as to whether based on truth or bias. Such an approach concerns the rate at which the hotel shall be gaining and losing clients, and the difference shall indicate on the extent at which the challenge shall be affecting the performance (Cheng & Brown, 1998). Such an approach, the management should resolve the short-term failures associated to the financial services (Ross, 2011). For example, it would be an appropriate measure for the management to exercise the $35 car park charges outlined in the brochure instead of the internal and unknown $45 charge on the car, and exclusion of the credit card taxes. The reason is that the brochure, which is inclusive of the prices, is a psychological approach to prepare the clients of the costs that they shall eventually incur thus; serving as an outline to the budget. Conclusions The research study on hotelier practices and service delivery implements unexpected findings that a five star hotel may at a certain point fall a victim of poor service delivery. The clients decry of nature at which costs escalate without notification, and that they learn of the situations after the charges are complete (Ahmad, Solnet, & Scott, 2010). The manager further expressed his concerns following the claims presented by some of the clients concerning the use of credit cards and the underlying fines (Knox & Walsh, 2005). A survey reveals the various financial service problems facing the Sydney Marriott Harbour, a world class hotel yet a victim of poor financial services delivery. Therefore, the management should restore credibility to the Marriott brand clients by restricting costs to nurturing clientele relations. References Ahmad, R., Solnet, D., & Scott, N. (2010). Human Resource Practices System Differentiation: A Hotel Industry Study. Journal Of Hospitality & Tourism Management, 17(1), 72-82. Andreas, P., (2004). Evaluating training programs: an exploratory study of transfer of learning onto the job at Hotel A and Hotel B, Sydney, Australia: Retrieved on April 17, 2013, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-119440700.html Bergin-Seers, S., & Jago, L. (2007). Performance measurement in small motels in australia. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(2), 144-155. Bushel, R. (2001). Tourism Research in Australia. Journal of Travel Research, 39(3) 323-326. Chalkiti, K. (2012). Knowledge sharing in dynamic labour environments: Insights from australia. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 24(4), 522-541. Cheng, A., & Brown, A. (1998). HRM strategies and labour turnover in the hotel industry: A comparative study of Australia and Singapore. International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 9(1), 136-154. Ingram, P. & Roberts, P. W. (2000). Friendships among Competitors in the Sydney Hotel Industry. American Journals of Sociology, 106(2) Knox, A., & Walsh, J. (2005). Organisational flexibility and HRM in the hotel industry: evidence from Australia. Human Resource Management Journal, 15(1), 57-75. Marriott. (2013). Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay. Retrieved on April 11, 2013, from http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sydmc-sydney-harbour-marriott-hotel-at-circular-quay/ Patiar, A. K. (2008). The effect of subordinates' gender on the difference between self-ratings, and superiors' ratings, of subordinates' performance in hotels. International journal of hospitality management, Ross, D., (2011). Research note: the growth of cruising in Australia.(Report): High beam research. Retrieved on April 17, 2013, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-296255044.html Wilson, E., Harris, C., and Jennie S. (2008). Furthering critical approaches in tourism and hospitality studies: perspectives from Australia and New Zealand.(Report): High beam research. Retrieved on April 17, 2013, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-196382602.html Read More