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

 

The quality of interactions between guests and hotel personnel are influenced by the skills, attitudes and knowledge of the latter, the service providers. 

Note that there is no opportunity for ‘service products’ to be inspected before delivery. Service is consumed while it is being delivered.

That was where we left off in the previous article by describing service as SIMULTANEOUS. 

Could this be a sufficient reason for hotel employers to insist on recruiting personnel with rich experience at front-of-the house positions?   

In this article we continue our discussion with another set of challenges under the characteristics of service.  Kindly refresh your memory by rereading the post ‘THE IMAGE OF HOTEL SUPERVISORS -DEMANDS & UNIQUE CHALLENGES-PART III’ (04/20/2018) and letter to the General Manager about Ms Tea's stay at Discovery Inn as we discuss the following characteristics of the service: 

• variable (changes)  
• perishable (cannot be stored)   
• heterogeneous (varied)  
• lack of ownership

Image Ms Tea in your hotel making the following complaints/ expressing similar concerns. 

Ms Tea: I was informed all the rooms were of the same size but found out too late(on the fourth day, when I was quite settled) that the garden view rooms were reasonably big and more comfortable. There was no price difference though.  

What type of communication would have transpired between your personnel and Ms. Tea? What communication lapses were likely to have occurred?

Ms Tea: I called the front desk for a bucket to heat water( I explained to them I had my own water heater). The staff insisted on bringing me hot water.  The water took the longest time to have it delivered. Indeed I called them twice. When it was delivered it was not as hot as I wanted it and I had to ask for a pail which also took additional time. 

What type of communication would have transpired between your personnel and Ms. Tea? What communication lapses were likely to have occurred? 

Ms Tea: Often after finding a place to sit I had to call for the attention of a waiter. On three occasions wrong food was presented to me. Getting a waiter to take me through the menu was often laborious. 

What type of communication would have transpired between your personnel and Ms. Tea? What communication lapses were likely to have occurred? 

 

You may have observed that the quality of the service delivered would have varied depending on who provided the service. 

Perhaps you catch yourself saying 'if Francis was the one on duty there would have been no problem' or 'if Tawiah was the one on duty it would have been worse.' 

In other words, within a particular hotel, in a department, you may have one employee being courteous and helpful while another is arrogant and obstructive.

A particular employee may offer a fast efficient service and within a short period but that same personnel may be found delivering a slow or inefficient service. Differences do occur in how a service is performed by the same person over the course of a day to different guests/customers!Service is therefore said to be VARIABLE.

Ms Tea’s letter to the GM suggests a variance in the quality of interaction between she and the receptionist as against her interaction with the barman. Below is an extract from her letter:

Starting from the day of arrival, I intended staying for three nights but I was informed I could stay for only two. During a chat with the bar man at the bar lounge the evening of my arrival, somehow, I mentioned this challenge and he assured me he would ‘do something about it’. I was not too sure what that ‘something’ meant and if I would be required to give a fat tip for that, if he is successful. I decided to overlook it and assumed he was just trying to be friendly.  I ended up staying five nights, becoming friends with a few of the employees, obviously including the bartender!

Standardizing service (developing standard operating procedures) is one of many efforts made by Supervisors to deliver high and consistent quality service.  Selecting good and qualified personnel, role playing and continuous training of personnel also influences consistency in service delivery.

           

Service is also said to be PERISHABLE. It means that if a service 'product' is not sold it will go 'waste', it cannot be utilized in that same time frame. Services can neither be inventoried nor stored for later usage. Tangible goods and products, on the other hand may be inventoried and stored.  

Read through 'The Encounter' and Ms Tea’s letter to the GM of Discovery Inn. Using Ms Tea's experiences, give examples of your understanding of the nature of service as perishable.

However good the services of the Bar man, his best service capability would be wasted if there was no guest to apply his knowledge, skills and attitudes to as long as he is on duty. Similarly, a prepared guestroom which is not sold  or occupied today is also described as wasted/perished.  We cannot take ‘tonight’ and sell it tomorrow.

We discussed variability in the behaviors and performances among service workers and even of the same employee with different guests, earlier.  The output/result is described as HETEROGENEOUS mainly because it is difficult to achieve uniform outputs.

Identify all the areas of Ms Tea’s 5-day stay which require standard procedures. Develop Standard Operating Procedures in your area of competence. Seek the assistance of other Supervisors to develop the other areas which are not under your direct supervision.

The final distinguishing feature of a service is that the guest does not take possession of the service 'product'. The guest pays only to secure access to or use of the service. 

Take the hotel room for example. Payment of the guestroom is for the use of the guestroom for the period of 5 days, taking Ms Tea's stay at Discovery Inn. On the other hand, with the sale of a tangible good, the buyer has full use of the product, taking the product away.

LACK OF OWNERSHIP is therefore a basic difference between a service industry and a product industry since the guest only has access to or just uses the facility.

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

It takes special people to excel in the hotel industry and SUPER SPECIAL people to be effective Supervisors in it.
 

Since the beginning of the year this platform has been writing articles on the Hotel Supervisor, starting with ‘Hard Talk’ (01/15/2018). Interested readers participated in a self appraisal which enabled them to identify their strengths and shortfalls. 

A series of topics to help enhance the general image of Hotel Supervisors in Ghana has been rolling since.

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So far we have established a common understanding of our work environment as Supervisors in hotels in Ghana. Note that I am Ghana specific; to the extent that a miniature country, GANA has been created to help readers appreciate the discourse.  Learn more about GANA in the post ‘MEMO: GANA HOTELS’ and subsequent discussions, (02/8 and 02/14 2018).
 

We have discussed ‘service’ as a PACKAGE. Hopefully you have carried out the exercises put out, applying the knowledge learnt. Carrying out the exercises will sensitize you and cause you to become increasingly conscious of related issues at your own workplace where you can begin to make some positive impacts.

In this article we make references to Ms Tea’s 5 –day stay at Discovery Inn, Akra, GANA. Kindly refresh your memory by rereading the post ‘THE IMAGE OF HOTEL SUPERVISORS -DEMANDS & UNIQUE CHALLENGES-PART III’ (03/20/2018) and letter to the General Manager about her stay (04/20/2018) as we discuss three characteristics of 'service', usually described as:

• intangible (does not have a physical nature)  
• inseparable(the requirement of the presence of the service provider and the service benefactor)
• simultaneous (production and consumption occurring at the same time)

Generally, there are not many businesses that rely heavily on first impressions as hotels do. Many significant first impressions are formed by first-time guests through the sight and sounds of the physical environment of the hotel, the quality of interaction guests have with personnel of the hotel as well as their experiences with the processes involved in the hotels' system of operations. 

The biggest part of a first impression in the hotel business is in the exterior of a hotel since it is the first thing that guests see when they arrive. 

Discovery Inn created a natural green environment with added elements to enhance the hotel building and design. Describe the impressions these made on Ms Tea.

Various mannerisms are demonstrated when people interact with each other.  Review ‘The Encounter at Discovery Inn’ and the GM's letter by Ms. Tea. Identify the different personnel Ms Tea interacted with. Describe what impression each person made on her.

Contrary to going to the market or shopping mall and purchasing items which you and 1 can identify by physical properties such as shape, color, smell, size, Ms Tea’s 5-day stay has no such physical properties. In answering the above questions you realize they reflect EXPERIENCES.This is what is meant when service is described as INTANGIBLE.

This may sound obvious, but it’s vital to consider what our guests experience when they first approach our hotels. Car parks should be tidy, free of litter and well lit; the garden should be well manicured with healthy looking plants and staff or delivery areas need to be hidden from sight.  It is also essential to maintain the building’s exterior, including paint works, windows and signage/directional signs. Maintaining the hotel's exterior conveys strong and clear messages that the hotel cares.

Guests should be able to find their way to the hotel reception with ease. This is not the case in a number of our hotels. Clearly marked signs to the reception will cause our guests to feel at ease immediately.

No matter how innovative/imaginative a hotel (in terms of design and amenities), there are some "basic" requirements that every hotel should have to make the experiences of its guests both welcoming and comforting. All guests expect a warm welcome, a friendly face, attentive service, heartfelt thanks, know that the hotel is their "home away from home."

In her letter to the General Manager(GM) of Discovery Inn, Ms Tea highlighted what she liked most. Such memories, whether positive or negative, do last for a while, playing a major role when deciding whether to return to a hotel or not .

Dissatisfaction began to set in when Ms Tea began to encounter the service delivery system; remember there was no choice on TV movie channels to watch. 

How did Ms Tea feel about her interaction with the receptionist? The barman? The porter who led her to her room?

 Recall there was no running hot water. Ms Tea had to call the front desk for a bucket, thinking she could heat her own water.  The personnel at the front desk insisted providing the water. There was a  long wait. When it was delivered the bucket of water was not accompanied by a  pail! 

Note that these moments of encountering service as  experience are only possible between the service provider and the guest.  The guest or service benefactor must be present and/or take part in the delivery of the service. Service cannot be separated from the service provider either.  Thus service is said to be INSEPARABLE.

Let us consider the following instances when Ms Tea describes what she terms 'the other side of the coin' in her letter to the GM:

Starting from the day of arrival, I intended staying for three nights but I was informed I could stay for only two. During a chat with the bar man at the bar lounge the evening of my arrival, somehow, I mentioned this challenge and he assured me he would ‘do something about it’. I was not too sure what that ‘something’ meant and if I would be required to give a fat tip for that, if he is successful. I decided to overlook it and assumed he was just trying to be friendly.  I ended up staying five nights, becoming friends with a few of the employees, obviously including the bartender!

Receptionists have a lot of responsibility for offering a warm greetings to guests, ensuring that they have everything they need before explaining where guests' rooms are. But don’t assume that first impressions stop here – it’s when guests first open the door to their room that their opinion is truly formed. 
Most guests say the first thing they check when they enter their hotel room is the bed linen; and considering that most of their stay will likely be spent in bed, it’s easy to see why. Generally hotel guests are not just looking for beds to sleep in and a roof over their head anymore. 

Once we are addressing Service inseparability you will also observe that the services are produced and consumed at the same time. Note that physical goods when manufactured are distributed to various retailers and wholesalers which are consumed later on. Not so with service, thus their characteristic as SIMULTANEOUS.

As you explore these unique characteristics of service, do not become overwhelmed by the challenges they present. “Challenges” are simply disguised opportunities. Now that you have this information, turn one or more of these service characteristics into a competitive advantage for your business.

To be continued.

THE IMAGE OF HOTEL SUPERVISORS -LETTER FROM GUEST TO THE GENERAL MANAGER-PART III

We have established 'service' as a PACKAGE  and you have carried out some exercises to apply your knowledge(see previous articles). Another challenge which we should be addressing about the hotel industry is its characteristics as a service industry. These have been commonly identified as: 

• perishable (cannot be stored)   
• intangible (does not have a physical nature)  
• inseparable/simultaneous (produced and consumed at the same time)  
• variable (changes)  
• heterogeneous     
• lack of ownership 

Ms. Tea checked into Discovery Inn as a walk-in guest. Refer our discussion, 'THE IMAGE OF HOTEL SUPERVISORS -DEMANDS & UNIQUE CHALLENGES-PART II cont.'

 

Following her five-night stay at the hotel she writes to the General Manager. Study it. It is in preparation for discussions on the above characteristics of service.

LETTER FROM A GUEST TO GENERAL MANAGER, DISCOVERY INN, ACCRA

Dear Sir/Madam,

I was a walk-in guest at your hotel for five nights. First, I will tell you what I liked most: The clean, modern architectural design, the central location with a landscape which provides a convenient hide-away and the concept of the facility as a destination hotel.

The combined use of antique furniture and adinkra symbols creating a rustic ambiance at the bar lounge was fascinating.  Music of the sixties, played in the late evenings at the lounge was nostalgic and I enjoyed it.

I also appreciated the buffet breakfasts; they were my best meals. There was an extensive range of offers perfectly suited for a fresh, appetizing breakfast every morning. The presentations of fruits were superb.

I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of services the hotel offers although I did not enjoy all of them. I also observed the wheelchair access provided throughout the hotel; quite impressive!

I must say I tried reaching a top management personnel to interact with but never had the opportunity to meet anyone, thus this letter.

Now, to ‘the other side of the coin’

Starting from the day of arrival, I intended staying for three nights but I was informed I could stay for only two. During a chat with the bar man at the bar lounge the evening of my arrival, somehow, I mentioned this challenge and he assured me he would ‘do something about it’. I was not too sure what that ‘something’ meant and if I would be required to give a fat tip for that, if he is successful. I decided to overlook it and assumed he was just trying to be friendly.  I ended up staying five nights, becoming friends with a few of the employees, obviously including the bartender!

There were various areas that were problematic, some large and some small:

I did not feel safe as a single female guest. Security at the entrance was hardly present. The doorman was occasionally at his post, particularly during the traditional check-out/check-in hours (12noon to 1pm). I wondered whether this was to do with a policy of the hotel.

I stayed in room 205/Safari. It is a small room; not sure it meets the GTA(Ghana Tourist Authority) standard room dimensions. In there, I moved around with some difficulty(no exaggeration). The sheer presence of two bulky sofas also contributed to the limited space.

I was informed all the rooms were of the same size but found out too late(on the fourth day, when i was quite settled) that the garden view rooms were reasonably big and more comfortable. There was no price difference though.

The view from my window was ugly. I was compelled to have the heavy curtains in the room closed all the time I stayed there. The WiFi was terrible; with little to no connection most of the time.  After 9pm it was essentially unavailable. The A/c was noisy and the remote control was not functioning (the A/c concerns were resolved after the third day).

There was no running hot water. I could not imagine the last time I took a cold bath so I was not about to, at Discovery Inn. I always carry a water heater coil when traveling, so I had to call the front desk for a bucket to heat water. The staff insisted on bringing me hot water.  Their water was not as hot as I wanted it and it took the longest time to have it delivered. I had to ask for a pail which also took some time. Since I had the bucket from then on,, I prepared my own hot water during the rest of my stay.  Bath water took too long to go down the drain in the shower tray; water in the sink as well .

Towels looked old. Bed sheets did not feel clean; they were of leopard skin pattern; a brown background. I am used to white clean bed sheets in hotels.

There was no music channel on the satellite TV and guests are restricted to watch only one movie channel?

Lunch and dinner menus were limited although there were traditional Ghanaian dishes available. Service at the restaurant is snail slow! Often after finding a place to sit I had to call for the attention of a waiter. On three occasions wrong food was presented to me. Getting a waiter to take me through the menu was often laborious.

Personnel were generally friendly but not professional.

Sometimes I felt like I was begging for a service! The housekeeping staff tried very hard to make my stay comfortable but it was in vain since the maintenance issues were not really dealt with. I was alarmed seeing service personnel using their mobile phones at service areas.

Except for two or three personnel, others I interacted with are not confident in communicating in English. One actually asked if I could speak Twi!

I understand Discovery Inn is a 1-star rated facility however, the WOW welcome provided by the architectural design, landscape and hide-away concept was marred by the above service encounters.

Personnel, whether at the front desk, the bar or the restaurant, are not able to provide guests with essential information about statutes in the garden and the adinkra symbols used as decorative arts. I felt embarrassed when non-Ghanaian guests needed some information which could easily have been checked on the internet. Well, the internet is hardly accessible anyway!

Last but not the least how come there was no manager to talk to?