Quality is the consistent delivery of service that meets the standards set by the corporation or owners of a hotel. Guests expect quality service and reward it with loyalty and referrals. When guests know they can expect to receive the same level of service every time they visit, you’ve achieved effective quality management
IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY 1. Starts with Good Hiring
Quality suffers when new employees can’t fulfill the expectations of the hotel manager and continue to under-perform despite repeated disciplinary actions. Quality suffers when ineffective MANAGERS are given roles beyond the scope of their abilities. Effective quality management starts with the hiring process, which should include strict policies that REQUIRE hiring managers to closely check references and place new hires on probation for a period of time.
2) Embraces All Staff Members
Employees in the hotel industry are all expected to provide exceptional customer service. From the maid who tidies up the room to the front desk, maintenance staff and general manager, employees working in hotels must undergo continuing training and mentoring to remember their mantras. Effective quality managers include customer-service appraisals in their regular reviews. Individual staff members are rated and promoted based on their performance. Effective quality management results in a team that works together to retain and improve the quality of service they provide.
3) Shows Up in the Profits
Profits in the hotel industry are directly related to the number of rooms that are filled every day. Occupancy rates are the most important INDICATOR for profitability. Brands that have developed a reputation for quality can demand the highest price points in an area. It’s not the amount of services that guests receive that reflect on perceptions of quality, but the way the services are provided. As a result, less expensive hotels that maintain a consistent level of quality are more profitable on the whole than higher-priced properties with full lines of amenities and less consistency in their delivery.
4) Oriented to Solutions
When you run a business 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through holidays and weather events, things are bound to go wrong. Employees call in sick during busy times, computer systems go down and sometimes you might even overbook, stranding important returning guests. Effective quality management is solution-oriented and uses the problem-solving skills of its best MANAGERS. A manager who can jump in and clean a room or take reservations is just as important as a manager who builds effective teams. Managers should be practical and creative in solving customer and staff problems as they arise in order to maintain a quality hotel.
TOP TEN ISSUES IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
1. Labor & Skills Shortages - Growing shortage of qualified & skilled employees
2. Branding - Mitigating consumer confusion over brand proliferation and investor concerns over cross brand impact
3. Construction Costs - Escalation of construction &renovation costs
4. Distribution Revolution - Keeping up with rapidly changing playing field
5. Technology - Lightening speed of changes – keeping up
6. Travel Restrictions - And their impact on the travel industry
7. Changing Demographics & Their Impact on Travel Trends - Shift in baby-boomers to gen X
8. Global Emerging Markets - Are travel patterns changing
9. Future of Hotel Profits - Balancing escalating expenses with the need to increase rates
10. Capital Availability - Will investor and lender confidence continue
CHAPTER 2 – QUALITY PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES ADOPTED AND ISSUES FACED
The information gathered about the quality practices and procedures adopted by the restaurant can be divided into two parts:
1. Quality of Food
2. Quality of Service
3. Ease of access
Quality of Food
The following are the quality practices and procedures that are followed by the restaurant in terms of food:
1) Ivy studios staff
