Hospitality Management with Tourism - Essay Example

College: Hospitality Management with Tourism Introduction The United Kingdom’s hospitality industry is broad and covers awide array of outlets, which range from sole proprietorships to global corporations. The industry makes a significant contribution to the economy, through creation of job opportunities and acting as an auxiliary to other sectors like the tourism industry. The industry is a major source of employment and income in many parts of the country. The industry is highly dynamic, continuously changing and developing on the basis of varying client needs and preferences (Seba 56-60). The variation, in structure, services and products is usually influenced by other sectors, including tourism and technology, among others. Client preferences and status also play a crucial role in fostering diversity within the hospitality industry, since products and services cannot be standardized. This paper provides insight into the UK hospitality industry by comparing two hospitality outlets, that is, a hotel and a restaurant, on the basis of diverse operational factors. Aim To examine the diverse operation factors implicated in provision of food, beverage and accommodation in the UK hospitality industry. Background Development of the UK hospitality industry can primarily be attributed to the growth and advancement of other economic sectors. For instance, the growth of manufacturing industries meant that individuals needed to leave cities for holidays. Advancement of the transportation sector, through improvement of railways, roads and air travel also means that there are easier, cheaper and faster ways for people to move from one point to another nationally or internationally. Other than the diverse economic and transport industries, hospitality is also linked to travelling for leisure or tourism. This is because; with increased per capita income, individuals have more disposable money and free time to travel for leisure. This has led to a significant rise in demand for accommodation, as well as, eating and drinking facilities. Hotels and restaurants are two of the most common hospitality outlets in the UK. The hotel sector is actually considered to be the largest in the UK and it comprised of a broad range of establishments. Hotels are categorized on the basis of their luxury, with the highest being five-star establishments, followed by lower class hotels, lodges or motels and finally, guest houses or bed and breakfast (B&B) places. Most hotels do not only offer accommodation, but food and beverages as well. In contrast, restaurants specialize in provision of food and beverages to customers. Just like hotels, eating establishments or restaurants can also be classified into several categories, including takeaway joints, fast-food eateries, popular catering outlets like coffee shops, mainstream catering and fine dining restaurants (Seba 65-70). The hotel under scrutiny in this case is The Halcyon, located in London’s Holland Park Avenue. The five-star hotel is compared to the Berners Tavern, a fine dining restaurant also Located in London, along Berners Street. Berners Tavern Company Background Berners Tavern was launched on 12th September 2013. Just like other new restaurants the eatery has drawn a lot of attention, especially because it was founded by Jason Atherton, a prominent chef behind other renowned restaurants in London. Berners Tavern was named after a hotel that was originally built on its site in the year 1908. The restaurant is located in Soho, a city district of central London, which is currently famous for its nightclubs, restaurants and other entertainment establishments. This implies that the restaurant is strategically located since London residents, as well as, outsiders come to the place in search for fine dining, yet affordable eateries. Even though it has not been operational for a long period of time, Berners Tavern attracts a lot of clients and reservations are not easily secured. The restaurant is relatively big, capable of housing close to a hundred people at a time. Just like other fine dining restaurants, Berners Tavern focuses on providing high quality services, both in the front office and in the dining area. The eatery provides a wide array of British foods, desserts and wines. The restaurant also has a bar that offers other alcoholic drinks in addition to wines. Food Production and Food Service Systems The food production and food service systems in Berners Tavern are vary widely to cater for the equally diverse restaurant clientele. For instance, if clients have adequate time to spend, they can enjoy a meal cooked by the chef as they wait; a food production technique that incorporates fresh cooking. In terms of food service, clients are served based on the increasingly popular banquette style. This involves sitting in clustered groups on upholstered benches. This ensures that clients feel like a family as they enjoy their freshly cooked and served meals. The style also makes it possible for the customers to continue interacting comfortably as they eat, thus eliminating the discomfort of being far from each other. Berners Tavern serves contemporary British meals using locally available ingredients. For instance, special dishes offered by the restaurant include Alsace bacon, Orkney scallops and beef cooked on a grill. The restaurant also offers ordinary meals like seafood, platters and grills, fish and fries, as well as, a wide range of sandwiches. The ingredients are pre-ordered and stored in cold storage at the restaurant back room, making it possible to prepare fresh meals after customers place their orders. The broad and assorted menu allows customers to have a wide range of choice; not only depending on their taste, but also on the time they have for eating and their financial capability. These are crucial aspects in the hospitality industry, since incorporating such considerations ensures that the restaurant appeals to the widest target market possible. In addition to the main dining area, the restaurant has a private dining place available for reservation. The private room, located right above the Berners Tavern, forms an intimate place where about fourteen people can meet for business or leisure. This exclusive dining room is furnished with modern rose coloured chairs, and a dark walnut dining table. The private space also has a skylight, which allows daylight in and promotes the room’s ambience. The space can also be customized at the request of the person(s) holding an occasion. Such privacy and exclusivity makes the restaurant popular among clients that like holding VIP functions, such as birthday or office parties. This clearly shows that the restaurant is committed to serving all types of clients, irrespective of their financial status, but mostly those who fall in the middle to high income classes. Front Office Services Berners Tavern is designed by renowned hotelier, Ian Shrager. The restaurant offers exclusive insight into Shrager’s exquisite taste. The first thing that one notices on entering the restaurant is the lobby, charcaterised by high walls with gold-framed photographs, stucco goddesses among other artistic elements. Other than the aesthetics and feeling of awe and comfort offered by the lobby, there are front desk personnel who warmly welcome clients into the dining area; leading them to their seating places. This welcoming attitude is one of the primary hallmarks of fine dining. It is an element vital to the continuity of this type of hospitality outlet. Other than guiding clients to the dining area, personnel at the lobby also help prospective clients in making reservations and confirming them as they come to dine and wine. This not only guarantees convenience, but also ensures smooth running of operations and positive customer relations that entice clients to come back to the restaurant another time. The ambience of the Berners Tavern lobby extends to the dining area, which has suspended artistic chandeliers that foster a customer’s feeling of dining in a prestigious place. Impact of Technology One of the most notable things when one gets into the Berners Tavern restaurant is the sound of music. Although this may not be perceived as a highly technologically advanced venture, it is a clear sign that the restaurant recognizes the need to keep clients entertained. In line with the increasingly popular internet surfing, the restaurant ensures that its clients have full web connectivity, by providing free Wi-Fi. The restaurant also offers its clients a web service that makes it possible to make reservations over the internet. This online booking service has made sure that prospective customers do not have to follow the tedious and inconvenient method of calling to make reservations. Such services clearly show that restaurants in the UK hospitality industry are making an effort, to depart from traditional operational methods and embrace newer more convenient modes of operation that suit modern customers’ needs. Halcyon hotel Back Ground of the Company Halcyon hotel in London is one of the most high-status outlets in the world. This outlet has impacted the hospitality industry in the UK in huge way especially in enhancing tourism in the country. The hotel was opened in 1850 and recently it has been renovated and restored to accommodate the modern customers. This hotel is located region of an enviable area of Holland Park Avenue and it is near Heathrow international airport. This makes it extremely easy access by the tourist and other people that are interested in their services. The Halcyon is a hotel that many people like to visit because of its outstanding services. The hotel’s room services are standard with air conditioning, data port, telephone, a minibar and the environment is also safe. This means that when somebody has visited the hotel, he gets to enjoy the best amenities. Additionally, the room service is 24 hours and because of the business oriented visits, the offer secretarial services which make customers loyal to them because they offer outstanding services. The locality is also very appealing because of interesting places nearby. There is the Notting Hill High Gate, the Olympia exhibition center and the Portbello Market. These are place that make the area more interesting because one can be able to walk there and get to enjoy themselves outside the hotel. The hotel offers a feeling home away from home. There is a beautiful park near the hotel and the most important thing is that there s a taxi lane outside the hotel making it easy to get around the city with a lot of ease. The hotel’s capacity is fourteen bedrooms and twelve them are en suite a central heating area and an extremely huge lounge with a television. Food production and Food Services System The hotel values its customers very much. This is why they are focused towards making their services more customer friendly especially for parents with small children. Their staff is well trained and focused towards in making the life of the customers easy. Additionally, the hotel has favorable prices which are fair to all its customers from the VIPs to low income earners. Sous vide cook chill is the style used by the hotel for their food production. This means that the food is uniformly heated in sous vide cookers. Therefore customers are able to get the kind of food they like when it is hot. The hotel adopted this style because it has enhanced customer service which is one of the most important factors that has made the customers attracted to the place. This is because this method saves a lot of time and customers do not have to wait for their food for a long time. The food service style is family, silver and buffet. The family service style is one of the most sorted for style. This is because many tourists visiting this region usually come with their family for their vacation. Therefore, the family does not have t go to a restaurant to get their meal. This is extremely effective because the hotel is able to cater for their customer’s need in a better way without having them spend more in travelling to other restaurants for their food. The method is also advantageous to the hotel because they are able to make more money selling to a group. Silver is another method that is used by the hotel. This is whereby people reserve in order to get their services from silver platters which are brought to them. The plates are not laid down on the table and the customers are serves from the right in a clock wise mode. This is usually laid out for VIPs and other people who want to be treated as celebrities. The style is usually associated with high profile people and it generates a lot of money. The method is also efficient because the waiter is stationed with the customers till they are satisfied. The menus are designed for all kinds of customers. This is because there is a variety of prepared or fresh food that uses locally attained products. In many cases these foods are bought from the market while some of it is purchased from local suppliers. This way the customers are able to eat fresh food that has not been refrigerated or treated. Nevertheless, there are numerous factors that affect the menu. For instance, some of the customers are vegetarians and that means that they need fresh vegetables that have been supplied by the locals. This will ensure that people do not get food poisoning. The reason why the menu is made from foods that have been gotten from a centralized area is that the hotel will be able to track any complaints of a particular food to their suppliers. Additionally, some people are looking to eat local foods. That means that the best option id to buy food from the local supplier who are able to know the most exotic foods. Consumers are some of the key people that have affected the way the hotel is run. For instance, they also affect the kind foods and beverages that are served in the hotel. Some of the clients are high profile people who like to spend a lot of money on wines and other drinks. Therefore, the customers have influenced the hotel to buy more exquisite and expensive wine that will meet their demand. However, there some customers that do not drink alcohol and they would like to have non-alcoholic beverages. Therefore, there are non alcoholic drinks beverages available for them. Further, the food is also affected by the customer’s demand. The menu is therefore changed regularly to fit the customer’s needs. Front Office Services The front office of the hotel is well trained in intercommunication skills. Unfortunately there is no not 24 hour reception operation. The receptionists are very polite and helpful according to the customers’ specifications. Since the reception does not operate 24 hours, customers are advised to estimate their arrival time and check on time. Checking in is done up to 11 pm of every night unless there has been prior arrangements with the hotel management. Special requests on diets and room service are also done before the customers come to the hotel. The house keeping is efficient in cleaning up the rooms and changing the linens every morning,. They are very respectful and always address their customers with the respect they deserve including the children. Children who are 2yrs and below are hosted in the hotel without any charges. However, if the childe requires a cot there are extra charges that are charged to the customer. Therefore, the customers are satisfied with their services and hat is why they keep on coming back. Such services foster good business and also enhance consumer loyalty. Development in Technology After the hotel was renovated, there were several technological developments that were incorporated. For instance, the hotel has WIFI which has additional major effects on the customers. Many people today are technologically oriented. This means that they are able to use the internet for social media purpose and also for business. For instance a customer who is on a business trip is able to communicate with his/her colleagues. Additionally, the hotel has been able to attract the young people who are extremely valuable to the business world. This is because they are able to communicate more and they usually need internet connection. The hotel also has a website where one can make reservations online. This means that somebody will not need to be there in person to book their rooms or give any other specifications. Therefore, the outlet has not only developed in terms of technology, but there is an increase in the number customers that visit the place every year. Conclusion It is evident that the tourism industry has concerted its efforts in building up programs that will enhance development in hospitality. Nevertheless, the tourism industry cannot be able to achieve these aspects without the assistance of hospitality facilities like hotels and restaurants. This is because they will need accommodation in places that are suitable and well developed. Therefore, there is need for the outlets to have suitable policies that are imperative in ensuring that everybody receives the best services. Additionally, the government should ensure that all hotels and restaurants operate under much scrutiny to maintain utmost standards. Work Cited Seba, Jaime. Tourism and Hospitality: Issues and Developments. Waretown, NJ: Apple Academic Press. 2011. Print. Read More