Quality services in a hotel industry are an important in determining the success of a company. The usage of quality management by the management of Hotel Escargo will give it a competitive advantage over its competitors. It will also ensure satisfaction of the client’s needs. Service quality is a way that manages business actions in order to ascertain that customers are contented (Gitlow, 2005). It is an approach that ensures effectiveness, competitiveness and flexibility of the company.
Hotel Escargo’s system is inefficient, and it needs improvements in order to achieve customer satisfaction. The systems affected are the check-in and check-out systems implemented by the Rooms Division. Moreover, there is a need for a new process to ensure that customers obtain efficient and convenient services. The new system should also ensure that the hotel’s resources are utilized well.
The current results being attained in terms of check-in and check-out time surpass the set industry time. Additionally, the management needs to cobble together ways for simplifying the check-in and check-out process. This would result to an increase in customer satisfaction and ensure that the hotel’s service match that of the market. The procedures must be reduced in order to ensure that the employees are not over-worked. The employees must be motivated in order to make sure that high standard services are availed to the guests.
Similarly, the hotel managers must work towards improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. In most cases, managers are the ones that enthuse and build up a staff that is in direct contact with the consumers (Gitlow, 2005) In addition, they develop and maintain a customer-friendly system. In the Hotel Escargo, management has delegated the check-in and check-out system to the room division. This has resulted to the inefficient system and under-utilization of resources. In addition, effective management and commitment is essential to identify inefficiencies and develop ways of eliminating them on a regular basis.
The customer service employees should ensure that a guest is served within the industry’s required time. Appraisal should be carried out on the customer service employees’ in order to ensure that they are meeting the required time. Moreover, the performing employees should be recognized and awarded for their good and timely services. This will ensure quality services in the customer care services due to motivation. Those employees that persistently perform poorly should be laid off.
The number of bell persons should be increased in order to ensure timely services to the guests. Currently there is one bell person who may not be able to serve timely as required. A situation where a guest may be waiting while the bell person is attending to another guest may arise. The management should hire another bell person to assist the current one in order to avoid the situation above.
Quality training is an important aspect that should not be ignored by the hotel management. Training equips the employees with the necessary skills that they are required to have to offer quality services. For instance, the customer care should be trained on how to welcome the guests who come into the hotel. Training will increase the confidence of the employees and ensure that customers are satisfied.
The number of front office employees is not enough. This is depicted by the fluctuating recorded check-in time which may be due to the different wait time of the guests. In order to reduce the overall check-in wait time, the number of front office employees should be increased. The preparation of the room is an area that needs improvement. The room should be always ready before a guest comes into the hotel. Waiting time will be greatly reduced due to early preparation of the rooms. The changes in the check-in process would result to modifications in the flow chart as shown in the figure.
The management should ensure that the rooms are in good condition in order to reduce the change requests. This will subsequently reduce the time taken to allocate a room for the guests.
The bell persons should prepare the rooms before the guests are allocated rooms. This will help eliminate the re-allocation issues. Moreover, they should always help the guests to their assigned rooms. In addition, the hotel clerks should be welcoming to the guests and ensure that they keep up with the industry standards check-in time.
The management should inspect periodically the rooms to ensure they are in good conditions. This will reduce the number of guests making change request. Moreover, they should also do employee appraisal and award the performing employees. In addition, they should be actively involved in the check-in and check-out system.
Continuous improvement is necessary for any company to achieve a total quality management. The hotel management should ensure that there is constant improvement in its services. This ensures that the company is competitive in the industry by matching the industry standards. In addition, it also enables customers to satisfy the rapidly changing customer needs.
References
Feigenbaum, A. V. (1991). Total quality control. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gitlow, H. S., &Gitlow, H. S. (2005). Quality management. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Kapoor, T., & Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (U.S.), Council on
Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education Conference (1993). Total quality management and employee empowerment: The Ritz-Carlton's success story. Washington, D.C: CHRIE.
Sashkin, M., & Kiser, K. J. (1991). Total quality management. Seabrook, Md: Ducochon Press.
