THE IMAGE OF HOTEL SUPERVISORS -DEMANDS & UNIQUE CHALLENGES- PART I cont.

Hospitality Under Pressure

This article continues with our objective to establish a common understanding of our work environment, hotels in Ghana. It's been slow, but this is intentional for readers to catch up. 

In Part 1, we identified some of the physical demands made on us and their toll on our health. 

There was then a ‘wake-up call', MEMO: GANA HOTELS, followed by ‘REFLECTIONS..' which interrupted the series. They sought to position us in the broader context, the hotel industry in GANA; a country conceived on this platform for purposes of learning and which seeks to reflect the industry in the real country we live in.  

Are we together? Do read previous articles if any of the references is new to you.
 

In the hotel industry the expected outcome of all our efforts is a satisfied guest/customer. 

I have often wondered if in our country, the guest/customer has lost the status of 'KING'. 

On this platform, in the country GANA, the status of GUEST/CUSTOMER IS KING, is maintained. This is because we understand that:

• Without guests/customers, our hotels would probably not exist.
• Without guests/customers our jobs would probably not exist.
• Without guests/customers our lives would probably be different; it might not be very good at all.

Every guest/customer wants something slightly different; and although we are needed to provide those wants, we cannot share the 'KING' status with them. Two kings cannot reign at once!

As an industry, we have chosen not only to uphold the guest/customer as 'KING' but we are also guided by a well known slogan, 'the customer is always right'. Among ourselves we, Supervisors, know too well that the customer is not always right. We also know, however, that we are in business for them, and we want our guests/customers to return, feel welcomed and to feel appreciated. In offering our services therefore, our guests/customers must EXPERIENCE THE FEELING OF BEING SERVED rather than the feeling of 'begging for services' they are going to be paying for, or in some cases have paid for.

A People Driven Industry

Working TO SERVE PEOPLE comes with its challenges irrespective of whether one is a supervisor or an operational personnel and so does working WITH PEOPLE.


In this industry it’s important to remember we are not likely to please everyone every time. I must confess I cringe when I hear my colleagues in particular refer to a guest/customer as 'difficult'.

Guests/customers may have heightened expectations for one reason or other, or they may just be  having a rough day, just like we all do sometimes. Inevitably, they may seem hard to satisfy. 

 The challenge is our ability to accurately 'read' our guests/customers to determine what they really want.

Let's meet some of them.

1. Very Important Patrick(VIP): Patrick is like all of us, he does not want to wait. He wants prompt response and quick service. Information provided to him must be specific,straight to the point, and relevant. 
2. Silent Sophia: She has a clear understanding of what she wants but she does not realize she is not being specific enough when requesting for a service.
3. Complaining Ckwesi:Once he encounters a problem, he observes many more mistakes (however small), by the service provider and a chain of complaints follow.
4. Aggressive Ama: Ama has a heightened expectation and is not interested in even a manager's explanation.
5.  Know-it-all-Nancy:She insists on particular ways of doing things as though she was professionally trained, when it is evident this is not the case.

There is also the additional school of thought about people in general; that every individual has three faces.

The bottom line is people are complicated, and much of what makes us who we are is hidden beneath the surface. As we interact with different people, we reveal different layers of ourselves at different times and in different situations.This applies to all of us (the guest/customer, top management, middle management, government agencies, suppliers, labor union, colleagues, our subordinates as well as we ourselves).

To complicate the above complexities is the component of communication, referred to as the 'silver lining of guest relations'. It may be verbal and non-verbal communication. Most of us are not good communicators.

In Part 1, we established that hotels in general are physically and psychologically demanding workplaces. In continuing the discussion we have focused on the GUEST & PEOPLE factors.  The industry has long established the guest/customer as 'KING' and as 'always right'. As a people we are complex. Communication plays a critical role in guest relations.


If we are to enhance our image as Supervisors, we must embrace the above facts. We betray ourselves take them for granted. Make time to think through the discussions so far. Identify your unique situations in the hotels you are working in (no two hotels are the same). Relate the factors discussed to your individual work environment as well as to the work dynamics you operate in. Use the information to change  various aspects of your attitude as a Supervisor.

YOU WILL START GROWING.

REFLECTIONS ON GANA HOTELS' MEMO

I received a signal to slow down, to allow as many of  my readers to 'get on board’. In other words, give adequate time to readers to reflect on 'Memo:GANA Hotels' (refer Feb. 8th), to form their own explicit opinions.

By the way, as learning partners, I thought we should remind ourselves to assemble our learning tools; a file with sheets of paper or a note pad which would be dedicated to ‘GH Hospitality/GANA Hotels’, and have a pen/pencil handy as well. It is likely when we start delving into enhancing our image as supervisors, we will be recalling earlier articles written on the various departments (ref. 2017 articles) for purposes of applying ourselves to different situations.

While you are forming your opinions on GANA Hotels, permit me to throw in this remark:

The conceptual information presented on GANA, our miniature country, is NOT a fairy tale. It was derived by carrying out an analysis on 2016  hotel statistics in our country (GHANA) and using a reasonable ratio to reproduce a miniature image; thereby giving us a near real-life and workable hotel environment for this platform. 

Just as after our self appraisal, we addressed issues arising from the exercise, in the same spirit, it would be fair to express our opinions on what we can make out of  the cross section of hotels in GANA; considering that we have been branded as a middle income country. 

Note: Being true to ourselves is critical towards making any meaningful progress. The image below is my attempt to place GANA hotels on a hospital bed(this platform) for a quick diagnosis by us.

(FUN BUT AN APPROACH TO LEARNING!)                                                                    

OPINIONS

I find it pathetic that our country has a whopping number (74%) of our hotels having a ‘Budget’ status (an emotional statement, I know; betrays my passion for the industry). 

Depending on how you view the statistics, you may not make much of the above sentiment since this category of hotels are generally in the hands of Ghanaian entrepreneurs. Indeed all the hotels captured as 2-star to ‘Budget’ including the guest houses are Ghanaian owned and operated. I guess that should be taken into consideration? What do you think?

The ‘budget’ mentality is worrisome for an industry such as ours within a country which is said to have a ‘middle income’ status. What do you think?

Perhaps when you find out what the minimum requirements are expected to be for budget hotels; then you would be as outraged as I am.  

For the purposes of our discussion I present assumptions of the basic symptoms of hotels with ‘budget’ mentality, or better stated, ‘low-budget/poverty mentality’: The environment blames the economy and then the blame game begins... blaming of the government, blaming of the stock market, blaming of employers and blaming of employees....

As Supervisors, should we fall into this ‘low-budget/poverty’ mindset, we could find ourselves playing the role of helpless victims.  It could tempt us to sit back as spectators to our own destiny.Watch out! (a caution for us)

A ‘LOW-BUDGET INFESTED’ HOTEL ENVIRONMENT is depicted in many different forms.

Take a quick assessment at your attitude, the attitudes of those around you, as well as that of the hotel you are operating from. Do you observe any of the following?

• Demonstration of the “I can’t’ attitude
• Buying cheap/poor quality items for operations
• Not seeing opportunities
• Problems being ignored and remaining uncorrected
• Operational initiatives not in sync with the defined key outcomes of the organization
• Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results
• Not giving much thought data on operations
• Playing the blame game/giving excuses/being defensive
• Making Ad hoc decisions
• Cultural (owner behavioral interference) e.g. owner taking directly from revenues without documentation, relatives ‘borrowing ’items from the hotel e.t.c.

WAY FORWARD

As Supervisors we don’t have to see ourselves as victims to the environment described above. 

Indeed, I see too many opportunities slipping us by because we have not quite asserted ourselves. 

Your application of learning experiences to your unique work environment and your continuous loyalty on this platform, as we develop the series on ‘the image of hotel supervisor’, should see some transformations taking place in you. For some, it will be slow paced, almost unnoticeable;  for others, you will cause heads to turn!(sharing your experiences is one way to learn, so I trust you will share as we move along)

Now, you are getting to know and/or paying attention to your work environment in the light of the industry. 

“‘Knowledge is power’ is a popular proverb. It means that knowledge is more powerful than physical strength and no great work can be done without knowledge.

Knowledge is a powerful factor that empowers people achieve great results. The more knowledge a person gains, the more powerful s/he becomes.

This proverb means that ‘true power comes from knowledge’. .. In sum, the proverb means that knowing things gives us power. There is no end to knowledge. There is no limit to what a person can learn. Even big problems can be solved if we have the knowledge of solving it.”

Culled from: https://www.importantindia.com/20596/meaning-of-knowledge-is-power-proverb/

The above quotation affirms our need to be determined to equip ourselves with relevant information so we can press on and become relevant on our jobs.

A hotel operation is a big investment, and I ‘stand up’ for those who have put up suitable edifices to carry out the hotel business. When the business is carried out right, EVERYONE; the owner-investor, the gurus steering the affairs of the business, the employees and obviously the guests and even the government benefits!

You are reminded to checkout the facts on the respective hotels you are working in.
(I know certain hotel edifices march 3-star status yet ‘they’ prefer to be placed on ‘budget’ status. Do you know why?)

As Supervisors there are many things we may not be able to change particularly when it’s in relation to the ‘hardware’ but we can influence change and we can also directly change the performance of operations in our respective hotels.

NOTE: Don't ignore opportunities provided for you to respond: "What do you think?" 
Write down your thoughts in your note pad.

MEMO: GANA HOTELS

Observing the growing interest on this platform, it has become necessary to push the pause button to the series on 'The Image of Hotel Supervisors..' to quickly put out this briefing.

As known in the hotel industry, although briefings are traditionally given at the beginning of shifts, nothing stops supervisors from quickly calling on their teams during the course of work for a quick 'briefing'.

This briefing is therefore not to check your preparedness(that was done with the presentation of the agenda at the beginning of the year. Ref. Jan 9, Welcome Brief). It is to share some critical information, motivate us and together, enhance our learning process and experience.

Cautioning ourselves not to have a 'business as usual' attitude as implied in earlier articles at the beginning of the year, a new approach to draw us/learners into near real-life environment, is described; the benefits are first listed followed by a background information.

Benefits 
The new approach will:

• Keep us together. 
• Enable us maintain focus.
• Provide us a common understanding of our total learning environment.
• Add value to our learning experience.
•  Enhance our powers of observation, analysis, integration, understanding and decision making.
• Build our confidence towards making the required adjustments for a renewed and enhanced supervisory image.

 Background
(We need to have knowledge of the hotel 'environment' in Ghana)

Facts: Hotels in Ghana
(As at 31st December 2016(the latest information in hand)

•  Total number of licensed hotels 2,969
• Only approximately 23% are Star-rated
• About 71% are Budget hotels
• Approximately 6% are Guesthouses

Star-rated Hotels 
(Of the  681 star -rated hotels)

• 1-Star hotels approx. 59%
• 2-Star hotels approx. 33%
• 3-Star hotels approx. 6%
• 4-Star hotels approx. 2% 
• 5-Star hotels approx. non existing(0.44%)

A quick analysis of the above data shows that the majority (2,119) of our hotels  are Budget rated, followed by 403 (no.)1-Star hotels and 223 (no.) 2-Star  hotels.

Ghana has 39 (no), 3-star rated hotels, 12 (no.), 4-star rated hotels and 3(no.), 5-star rated hotels.

The above data throws a lot of light on the likely contributory factors to the challenges we have been observing in our industry.

Nevertheless, the data also serves as useful information for us on this platform to work within the realities the industry is facing. We will therefore find ourselves addressing issues rampant in budget rated hotels as well as 1- and 2-star rated hotels more often than the 3 to 5 star rated hotels. (this does not imply we will ignore them)

Information provided below will be serving as reference to 'the current series' when the pause button is released.  Additional information will be introduced as and when necessary.

NOTE: FOR SIMULATION PURPOSES ONLY

For the purposes of this PLATFORM ONLY please take note of the hotel industry statistics in GANA (not a spelling mistake). It is our conception information required to continue our learning series.

Country:GANA

Name:(reference of all licensed commercial lodging facilities) GANA Hotels
 

REGIONS	3/4/5 -STAR	2-STAR	1-STAR	GUEST- HOUSE	BUDGET	TOTAL
ASHANTEY		2	3		16	21
BRONGUE					7	7
CENTRALE			1		9	10
EASDERN		1	2	1	10	14
G/AKRA	1	3	6	3	22	35
NORDERN					3	3
TAMAR			1	1	7	9
U-EST					3	3
U-WES					1	1
VULTA			1	1	5	7
WESDERN		1	3		6	10
TOTAL	1	7	17	6	89	120

Overview of the Hotel Industry in Gana

Gana has a total of 120 licensed accommodation facilities as at 31st December 2016. The table above categorizes them into star -rated, guest houses and budget hotels.
(At appropriate times in our discussions, we, as individuals, should be able to demonstrate our ability to determine what these categories imply so that we can make meaningful recommendations at our respective work places when the need arises). 

Reading the 'Total'  column(last box on the left), you will observe that G/Akra has the largest number of hotels, 35; this is followed by Ashantey with 21 hotels. These two regions also reflect the highest number of star-rated hotels except Ashantey which does not have hotels within 3-star to 5-star ratings.The least number of hotels (1), is found in U-Wes.
The black patches imply there are no hotels of the specified rating in the regions against the patches.

3/4/5-Star Hotels
Gana has only one hotel within this category and the hotel is located in G/Akra.

2-Star Hotels
Gana has seven of such hotels. They are dotted in Ashantey, Easdern, G/Akra and Wesdern, with G/Akra topping the list with three hotels in the region. This is followed closely by Ashantey, two and  Easdern and Wesdern having one each.

1-Star Hotels
1-star rated hotels in Gana is the second largest category of hotels after budget hotels. Again the majority can be found in G/Akra with six, followed by Ashantey and Wesdern regions each carrying three.

Budget Hotels
Budget hotels make up the most of the hotels in Gana. This category comprises 74% of hotels in Gana. Further, it is interesting to note that budget hotels can be found in every region. The most, twenty-two, are in G/Akra region followed by sixteen in Ashantey. 

You may carry out further analysis using the above table. (this exercise alone can be a learning experience)

As indicated above this is just the conception stage of GANA hotels on this platform. The above information immediately places us in a 'neutral gear' and has enabled me to know how to 'steer our ship'.

You are invited to have fun on this learning platform by providing me names of  our 'make believe hotels'! Just make sure you indicate the region and the star-rating or if its a guest house. Providing the number of rooms won't be bad. I will register you as the 'Owner'/Supervisor !

😊😊😊.

WHO SAYS LEARNING CANNOT BE FUN?

LET'S FUN-LEARN  TOGETHER!!!