Summary Ex Rooms Division Management – 4 stp – 18 jan 2021
Grading system: 20% theory – 40% calculations – 40% insight questions
Chapters: 1) The Rooms Department
2) Front Office: hospitality experience
3) Overview of the Front Office Department
4) Housekeeping Department
5) Revenue Management
6) Night audit & Report management (SELF-STUDY)
Ch 1. THE ROOMS DEPARTMENT
All hotels, no matter the size, products and services, location or target groups, all have one factor in
common: they have hotel rooms, which need to be cleaned and sold.
How to fill up these rooms?
- visibility: build a brand, make sure people know about you and where they can find you
- distribution channels: offer your products on different platforms for higher accessibility
- revenue management: use tactics to increase your sales and maximize your profit
Ch. 2 FRONT OFFICE AND GUESTS: HOSPITALITY EXPERIENCE
The concept of hospitality
Nowadays, people expect more than just a product or service. The WAY a product is sold or a service
is delivered is WAY more valuable. Hospitality is a main factor in the decision making process of a
potential customer.
Customers attach VALUE to the way the product comes to us (example w the coffee served w/wo the
smile.)
Experiences are a key concept in our society and economy!
You can make all the difference by providing the best service: a badly prepared meal can be
compensated by extremely friendly staff that go the extra mile to apologize, but a perfectly prepared
meal will not be appreciated if the staff is very rude.
Hospitality is not just a word, it is an INTANGIBLE CONCEPT (facial expressions, friendliness,
behaviour,…);
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,Intangible features: the receptionist’s smile, the booking flexibility, the concierge’s service, the
barman’s stories,…
The fact that its intangible is the reason why hospitality is difficult to measure. Another reason is that
hospitality does not have just one definition. It can mean something different to each one of us.
Definition of hospitality experience in our book:
“A hospitality experience is a voluntary interaction between a host and a guest, in which the host
provides accommodation/food/drink to the guest and the context determines the applicable rules
and norms for the behavior of both parties.”
Adding value to the hospitality experience
Value = the economic sacrifice (money, time, effort) customers are willing to make in exchange for a
hospitality experience
An example:
Tomato purée bought in supermarket: you would not want to spend more than 50 cents on it.
Tomato purée incorporated into a fancy dish at an upscale restaurant: even though the purchase
price of the ingredient is still 50 cents, THE VALUE attached to it is now HIGHER because it’s PART OF
THE WHOLE DINING EXPERIENCE. This value is higher thanks to intangible product features: the
ambience of the restaurant, speed of service,…)
THE HOSPITALITY EXPERIENCE AS A PRODUCT !
4 PRODUCT LEVELS
1) CORE product: fullfils the customers primary need (thirst) and describes the product (cocktail)
2) FACILITATING product: enables customer to use the product: the bar, without it you can’t serve
the cocktail
3) SUPPORTING product: adds (intangible) value, but not necessary to be able to consume the core
product (= service): a skilled bartender showing off his skills while pouring the cocktail
4) AUGMENTED product: adds (tangible) value, also not necessary to be able to consume the core
product (= atmosphere/environment): cosy sofa’s, ambient lighting, music,…
Delivering hospitality
-> hospitality and behavior
As a manager, it is important to analyze the behavior of the employees: why does my employee
work? what is their motivation? how can I help them grow?
Theories of motivation: Expectancy Theory & Iceberg Model
Expectancy Theory = A theory of motivation stating that the level of effort individuals will exert in any
task can be computed from three variables:
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,- EXPECTANCY: the belief of if they work hard, their performance will improve
- INSTRUMENTALITY: the belief that success (=good performance) brings rewards
- VALENCE: the desirability or importance of the reward or outcome for the employee
As a manager, you should take these perceptions into account so that your employees deliver
hospitality.
The Iceberg Model
Behavior and satisfaction
Hospitable behavior? -> SOP’s:
- Provide accurate, reliable and fast service - be sensitive to cultural differences
- Show respect - be flexible
- Engage your guests with a smile - respond well to service failure
- Connect with your guests
BUT ! -> there is NO STANDARD RECIPE to satisfy customers because the expectation for service are
not always the same
For example: the service you get at a five star hotel compared to a three star hotel will not be the
same so you as a guest cannot expect the same level of service
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,HOW TO INFLUENCE THE BEHAVIOR OF YOUR STAFF AS A MANAGER?
Provide feedback
People behave subconsciously = often not aware of their behavior
Providing feedback is an important skill in management. Providing feedback in three steps:
- observation: what behavior do I see, hear?
- interpretation: reflection on the behavior, think about how the behavior makes you feel
- effect: express how the behavior let you feel and why
CAREFUL! Feedback is a two-way process: giving & receiving: people are vulnerable receiving
constructive criticism, so be prepared if they get defensive
Also be aware of cultural differences, what you find normal in your culture can be rude in someone
else’s or vice versa
KNOW HOW: to increase competences and achieve goals
&
SHOW HOW: to increase commitment to achieve goals
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, QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN HOSPITALITY
Reviews
> 90% of customers make use of reviews before booking a room !
The growing importance of online reviews in the decision making process of the customer causes
hospitality organizations to remain in touch with the needs and wants of their clientele.
Hospitality experience = mix of tangible (good bed, food) and intangible (friendly staff) components.
As a hotelier, TripAdvisor is your friend, not your enemy! It can help you monitor your hotel’s
performance and manage your processes to perform even better.
Guest satisfaction surveys
To provide an objective view of the quality of a hospitality experience -> guest feedback needed
Satisfied customers -> more likely to become loyal and spread positive word of mouth -> companies
track customer satisfaction with surveys
There are different types of surveys, with each advantages and disadvantages:
Short surveys: higher response rate, but provides little information
Long surveys: provides lots of information to the company, but has lower response rate
Paper-based surveys: more likely to be filled in by guests, but less trustable bc less favorable surveys
can be removed
Online surveys: less likely to be filled in by guests bc they tend to not respond to an e-mail received a
few days after their stay
A few problems regarding surveys:
BIAS ! Overly (dis)satisfied guests are more motivated to express their opinions, these can sometimes
be a bit extreme and therefore not 100% objective or trustable
LIMITATION ! Surveys are mostly provided in only 2-4 languages
Solutions?
Modern technology: customers can rate their experience DURING their stay thanks to touch screens
at points of contact (entrance of a restaurant, reception area, gym,…) and social media (polls, …)
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