Running a Hotel Business

Being that a hotel is an establishment that provides lodging paid on a short-term basis, the plan in organizing the structure of the hotels that we now own will indeed be challenging.  Furthermore obtaining research on the brand name our location and how the community is as well as the traffic the hotels will become a total success.  Making sure that there are no competitors in the immediate area but as well being careful not to price ourselves out of the market is very important.  Following this further making sure that our staff is the friendliest people with very warm personalities and an outgoing attitude will be great for the business and for that we can successfully deal with customer queries, as well as any problems that might arise from staff members (http://www.exebit.org).

            Moreover running a hotel or numerous hotels is not an easy job, ensuring that your guest are happy, please and satisfied with their rooms, the appearance of the hotel the staff can sometimes make you or break you especially when the  business is just getting off the ground.   Having high scores and managing the property and bringing in different things that the customers will like to be a part of will bring about good word of mouth.  Opening the doors to the community and helping out and while doing all of these things will bring about customers sharing with family members and friends that they know of a great hotel that you would be very please staying at since they are coming through town.    Running a hotel business(s) by using set procedures, and systems and good old-fashioned hard work can lead to you and the property earning a good profit and salary. 

            Obtaining the education that is needed to run a business’s smoothly will also open doors for the things that you are trying to accomplish when trying to open a hotel.  There are many different positions that plays a part in making sure that the property is running properly, after doing research the many different positions fall up under these category’s, Owner, General manager, Housekeeping, Banquet Manager, Accountant, Human Resources, Concierge, Director of Hotel Sales etc.  All of the positions play a major part in the success of the business and without the people in these positions the hotel there lies some type of failure.  Below is an organizational chart that lists and breaks down some of the necessary leaderships and positions for the company.

Organizational Chart

            The chart above analyze the positions that are some of the main faces of the hotel and the ones that the customers sees when checking in reports to when there is a problems and for general questions. 

            Within the organizational chart and for the positions that are listed each position, these positions job requirements and education levels in order for them obtain the position that they currently hold are:

A hotel General Manager oversees all staff and is in charge of all hotel operations. She/he usually has each department head reporting to her, such as the heads of housekeeping, human resources, and accounting, plus the kitchen and front desk supervisors. The salary for a General Manager varies from state to state, within the most recent research I have found that the highest paying amount for a General Manager with the highest degree of Bachelors of Science in Hotel Management is in the range of $46,978 - $120,188.  The position for a Front Desk Supervisor with the highest degree of Bachelor’s Degree is in the range of $16,615 - $41,889, the position of a Front Desk Clerk with a Bachelor’s Degree is in the pay range of $15,692 - $30,536; the position for an Executive Housekeeper with a Bachelor’s Degree the pay rage is $21,279 - $58,971.  The position for an Assistant Housekeeper with a Bachelors of Arts in Hospitality Management is in the pay range of $ 18,293 - $55,236, the position for a housekeeper with an Associate’s Degree the pay range is of $15,726 - $37,785.  Following this further the research that has been completed for the positions that are listed above are all qualifications that are needed or required to obtain the job in the field of hospitality. 

            Additionally in the future for the employees that are employed at my establishment will have to go through test and more training to keep up with the high demand and all of the new changes that are required.  Assuredly each position within the hotel operations are equally important and that makes things run smoothly to know that everyone is being treated fairly and equal.  The importance of a Middle Manager and supervision is that they are the skin to the department heads, these positions are responsible for everything in between that the main managers may forget or ideas the General Managers haven’t thought of.  The middle manager and the supervision are the glue to help keeping the operations flowing smoothly without a doubt.   As stated before all positions are equally important, I must states the main positions that are vital to the lodging that will allow for great success will be all, all of the positions are needed to help make everything possible. 

Destination Marketing in Travel and Hospitality

Travel and Hospitality Assignment

Instructions:

Imagine that you are a meeting planner who has been invited to work on planning a future convention for one of the organizations below. To prepare yourself for this opportunity, you need to look through information about an upcoming conference.

Answer the following four questions.

1. Choose a conference for a professional organization in the travel and hospitality industry. What is the conference that you chose? Highlight your answer.

• Destination Marketing Association International Annual Conference (http://www.iacvb.org/)
• Professional Convention Management Association Annual Meeting (http://www.pcma.org)
• Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference (http://hsmai.org)
• International Association for Exposition Management: Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting & Exhibition (http://www.iaee.com)

2. Briefly describe the facilities being used for the conference or annual meeting. What factors should you take into account when looking at meeting facilities?

           

            The IAEE’s Expo! Expo! 2010 is being held in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The facility being used is the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.  The host hotels will include: Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Sheraton New Orleans, and Marriott New Orleans.  The Morial Convention Center has been recently renovated, and offers 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space.  As the 6^th largest convention facility in the United States, it is a great location for large expositions and conferences.  The facility offers three floors of conference space as well as the New Orleans Theater/Conference Auditorium and two ballrooms (Morial Convention Center, 2010).

            As a meeting planner, it is important to carefully consider the facility being used for your meeting or conference.  First, you must consider if the facility will be large enough to accommodate the number of guests expected to attend the meeting.  The facility will also need to have enough space for the types of events that are being planned.  For example, for a large exposition like the one being planned by IAEE, the facility would need to have a large enough space for the vendors to set up their booths, as well as large conference rooms for the meetings/training programs that will be held.  The second consideration would be the cost.   The budget of the corporation that is hosting the event must be able to afford the cost of hosting an event at a particular facility.  It would be important to consider other information as well, such as the location of the facility, the availability of dining options, and the type of security provided on-site (Angelo & Vladimir, 2007).      

3. Create a to-do list or timeline that explains the tasks of a meeting planning.

List 10-15 items total separated into three parts or phases: planning the meeting itself, choosing a location, and choosing a facility.

Planning the Meeting

1. Determine the purpose of the meeting: business, educational, or social
2. Determine how long the event should last (the number of hours, days, etc.)
3. Pick dates for the event that will be appropriate for all those involved.
4. Plan the schedule of events that will occur during the meeting (i.e. the order of events, start and end times, break times, workshop schedules, and so on). 

Choosing the Location

1. Where will the meeting be held?  Consider where guests will be traveling from.
2. Will the selected location be compatible with the type of meeting being held?
3. Determine whether transportation will be available to and from the facility.  What types of travel will be available.  Is the facility located near an airport, but terminal, or train station?

                                                                                                                         

Choosing the Facility

1. Determine the size of the facility that will be needed to accommodate guests.  If using a hotel, determine if there will be an adequate number of guest rooms.
2. Determine the types of rooms needed for the planned events.  Find out if the facility offers banquet halls, theaters, classrooms, exposition space, or any other type of room needed for the event.
3. Determine if the facility will offer the technological necessities of the meeting (i.e. internet, sound systems, projectors, lighting).
4. Find out what types of amenities or activities are available in and around the facility.  Will guests have things to do during their down time?
5. Call the facility and get a quote on the price of renting the facility.  Does the price meet the budget restrictions of the corporation or group?  Would another location be more cost effective? 

References

Angelo, R., & Vladimir, A.  (2007). Hospitality Today: An Introduction. (Sixth Ed.). 

            Lancing, MI: American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. 

Morial Convention Center website. (2010). Retrieved on June 8, 2010 from:

            http://mccno.com. 

What is the value of a hospitality client?

What is the value of a hospitality client?

Hotels and convention centers value customer feedback on the services and experience of each group.  Every convention is different, with varied levels of expectations from the contracting group as well as the services provided by the facility.  Evaluating the event afterwards to assess where there were problems and how to address them in the future is vital if a facility and a Service manager want to perfect their professionalism and enhance their ultimate success.  Billing and the event after it occurred was reviewed, now as a member of the Convention Services team, I have been asked to do a post-convention report evaluating how well our facility provided for the contracted services. 

            Based on the Service Manager’s notes from the event at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel, there were several things which went wrong.  Originally we anticipated there would be 2,000 people in attendance, but only 1,500 attendees showed up.  Due to this sudden change the following occurred: total F&B counts dropped for lunch with only 1,280 attendees on Wednesday; the video equipment was not working properly during the luncheon for the speaker on Tuesday; and there was no staff available in the AV office from 9a-11a on Wednesday.

            The original anticipation of 2,000 attendees would have generated a revenue for F&B in the amount of $1,005,000.  Due to the sudden change of 1,500 attendees showing up and only 1,280 attendees on Wednesday for lunch, the new F&B total was only $719,848 (Marriott International, 2014).  The price difference of $212,800 would have to be paid by the client to compensate for the loss of the hotel.  Our hotel’s F&B policy states a $150 labor charge will apply to all catered meal functions of less than 25 guests, but the client will not have to worry about the fee since their total is greater.  However, the policy states the expected number of guest cannot be reduced by more than 10% (200 guests) at the time we receive the guaranteed number of guests, and the client had a difference of 500 attendees.  The guaranteed number of guests for all F&B functions must be submitted to the event management department by 12:00p three (3) business days prior to the date/time of the function.  If the guarantee is not received by the cutoff date/time, we will assume the expected number of guests noted at the top of the BEO or the expected number of guest submitted ten (10) working days prior to the event as the guarantee (Marriott International, 2014, Para. 1).  Since the client did not inform us of this change in advance according to the contract they signed, they have to commit to the policy and still pay the anticipated original price. 

The video equipment was not working properly during the luncheon for the speaker on Tuesday which caused a lot of frustration to the speaker and the attendees who could not understand what was being said.  The AV equipment should have been tested properly prior to the event to see if any malfunctions were present, and the AV technician should have rectified the problem right then and there if it was possible.  If it was not possible to be repaired in-house then an outside vendor should have been called so the clients’ needs were met.  It was very unacceptable and unprofessional on the hotels part in regards to no staff being available in the AV office from 9a-11a on Wednesday, and compensation needs to be given to the client in a credit for the balance owed for F&B. 

In order for these mishaps to not occur when planning future events, some changes need to occur before we lose business when the clients inform others.  Some changes needing to be made to ensure future success of such an event is fully communicating to the client/planner what the contract means, and having them clarify they fully understand their obligation to maintain the required attendance and the percentage allowable for decrease in numbers.  If the client does not fully understand, it is our responsibility to ensure everyone is on the same page and happy with all decisions before they sign their names on the dotted lines.  You can also do follow-up phone calls before the contract deadlines to verify there are no amendments needing to be made. 

The hotel may need to update their AV equipment if they continually have this problem after the AV Technician has done all they can to repair the malfunction.  Also, having a backup or AV Technician Assistant on-site can help if the AV Technician is not available during normal operating times.  This ensures the hotel stands up to their 100% satisfaction guarantee, and the client is happy and returns for another event.  When the client is happy they may also refer your services to others they network with, thus generating constant revenue and increasing clientele for your company. 

References

Events (2014). Marriott International. Retrieved from:

            http://event-menus.com/production/WASRB/259/hotels/travel/WASRB-renaissance-washington-dc-downtown-hotel/print.aspx?marsha=WASRB&sid=259

General Information (2014). Marriott International. Retrieved from:

            http://event-menus.com/production/WASRB/259/hotels/travel/WASRB-renaissance-washington-dc-downtown-hotel/info.asp

Convention Service Client Needs Analysis

Convention Service Client Needs Analysis

Hotels and convention centers value customer feedback on the services and experience of each group.  Every convention is different, with varied levels of expectations from the contracting group as well as the services provided by the facility.  Evaluating the event afterwards to assess where there were problems and how to address them in the future is vital if a facility and a Service manager want to perfect their professionalism and enhance their ultimate success.  Billing and the event after it occurred was reviewed, now as a member of the Convention Services team, I have been asked to do a post-convention report evaluating how well our facility provided for the contracted services. 

            Based on the Service Manager’s notes from the event at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel, there were several things which went wrong.  Originally we anticipated there would be 2,000 people in attendance, but only 1,500 attendees showed up.  Due to this sudden change the following occurred: total F&B counts dropped for lunch with only 1,280 attendees on Wednesday; the video equipment was not working properly during the luncheon for the speaker on Tuesday; and there was no staff available in the AV office from 9a-11a on Wednesday.

            The original anticipation of 2,000 attendees would have generated a revenue for F&B in the amount of $1,005,000.  Due to the sudden change of 1,500 attendees showing up and only 1,280 attendees on Wednesday for lunch, the new F&B total was only $719,848 (Marriott International, 2014).  The price difference of $212,800 would have to be paid by the client to compensate for the loss of the hotel.  Our hotel’s F&B policy states a $150 labor charge will apply to all catered meal functions of less than 25 guests, but the client will not have to worry about the fee since their total is greater.  However, the policy states the expected number of guest cannot be reduced by more than 10% (200 guests) at the time we receive the guaranteed number of guests, and the client had a difference of 500 attendees.  The guaranteed number of guests for all F&B functions must be submitted to the event management department by 12:00p three (3) business days prior to the date/time of the function.  If the guarantee is not received by the cutoff date/time, we will assume the expected number of guests noted at the top of the BEO or the expected number of guest submitted ten (10) working days prior to the event as the guarantee (Marriott International, 2014, Para. 1).  Since the client did not inform us of this change in advance according to the contract they signed, they have to commit to the policy and still pay the anticipated original price. 

The video equipment was not working properly during the luncheon for the speaker on Tuesday which caused a lot of frustration to the speaker and the attendees who could not understand what was being said.  The AV equipment should have been tested properly prior to the event to see if any malfunctions were present, and the AV technician should have rectified the problem right then and there if it was possible.  If it was not possible to be repaired in-house then an outside vendor should have been called so the clients’ needs were met.  It was very unacceptable and unprofessional on the hotels part in regards to no staff being available in the AV office from 9a-11a on Wednesday, and compensation needs to be given to the client in a credit for the balance owed for F&B. 

In order for these mishaps to not occur when planning future events, some changes need to occur before we lose business when the clients inform others.  Some changes needing to be made to ensure future success of such an event is fully communicating to the client/planner what the contract means, and having them clarify they fully understand their obligation to maintain the required attendance and the percentage allowable for decrease in numbers.  If the client does not fully understand, it is our responsibility to ensure everyone is on the same page and happy with all decisions before they sign their names on the dotted lines.  You can also do follow-up phone calls before the contract deadlines to verify there are no amendments needing to be made. 

The hotel may need to update their AV equipment if they continually have this problem after the AV Technician has done all they can to repair the malfunction.  Also, having a backup or AV Technician Assistant on-site can help if the AV Technician is not available during normal operating times.  This ensures the hotel stands up to their 100% satisfaction guarantee, and the client is happy and returns for another event.  When the client is happy they may also refer your services to others they network with, thus generating constant revenue and increasing clientele for your company. 

References

Events (2014). Marriott International. Retrieved from:

            http://event-menus.com/production/WASRB/259/hotels/travel/WASRB-renaissance-washington-dc-downtown-hotel/print.aspx?marsha=WASRB&sid=259

General Information (2014). Marriott International. Retrieved from:

            http://event-menus.com/production/WASRB/259/hotels/travel/WASRB-renaissance-washington-dc-downtown-hotel/info.asp

Bauhaus Architectural Movement

Bauhaus Architecture

The Bauhaus Movement:

The history of architectural design has always been a fascinating subject to me. Until recently, I had never heard of the Bauhaus movement. I quickly learned that a man named Walter Gropius is said to be the one who is responsible for the Bauhaus movement. Walter Gropius started a school of art and architectural design, in Germany, named Bauhaus; a German expression that actually means “house for building.”. The Bauhaus style directly opposed the popular constructivist style, which placed focus on glass, steel, machine-made building parts, technological details, geometric shapes, and a sense of movement. The idea of Bauhaus design is meant to be more simple and functional.

Over the years, the Bauhaus style has adopted many different pieces from different cultures. It also does its best to use the surrounding environment in the decorating style. For example, the Brandenburger Hof, Berlin, Germany, has combined a “blend of Mediterranean and Asian touches” and the courtyard is “reminiscent of an Italian monastery” which “features a Japanese garden.” This shows that those who follow the Bauhaus style can be used and appreciated on a global scale.

Just like a lot of other architectural structures, the Bauhaus has influenced the way hotels design their lobbies. Some guests can be put off by a lot of extra bells and whistles that get in the way of the purpose for their visit. These guests prefer a more practical environment. Bauhaus buildings have flat roofs, smooth facades, and cubic shapes. The colors are white, gray, beige, or black. The floor plans are open, and the furniture is functional. While the hotel lobbies do not always keep with such few colors, they almost always keep with the open floor plan designs and the placement of functional furniture.

Travelers want to feel comfortable, and the Bauhaus method makes for a very comfortable environment. The lobby is the hotel’s first chance to impress the people who walk through the front doors. This makes the decorating style very important. The way a lobby is designed can give an individual a good feeling of the way the hotel feels about their guests. It can also give their guests a good indication of how their rooms will look. If a person does not find the lobby comfortable, they may assume that the rooms are just as uncomfortable.

For example, some people may find the style of constructivism cold and uninviting. In my opinion, metal and steel do not seem very comfortable. When I think of a room filled with metal and steel, I am reminded of a hospital room, interrogation room, or jail cell. Neither of these places is known for their high level of comfort. Whereas, the Bauhaus design style seems a lot more soothing, calm, and comfortable. The color choices, the functional furniture, the clean cubic shapes, and the spacious open floor design just seems a great deal more inviting to me.

Today, the Bauhaus style is more commonly referred to as International Style by Americans. After having learned about this design style, I will definitely be more aware of my surroundings in the future; this will allow me to compare my current surroundings to that of the Bauhaus design style. In my research, I was also able to learn more about other design styles. During my research process, I was also able to learn something new about myself. I learned just how important design style really is to me. I also know how strongly I feel about the appearance of a place. In the future, I will be able to use this new knowledge to assist me with my reservation choices. I might even go the hotel’s website and take the virtual tour before making any reservations. This will give me a good idea of what hotel’s design style matches my own preferences.